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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

  • Book
  • Speaking
  • Meet Vanessa
    • Featured

July 9, 2011

Welcome to Inspiration Friday No. 22!

Is it just us, or did this week FLY by??
Of course with Monday having been the 4th of July and Tuesday being the day to recover from the 4th of July, it is no surprise that the end of the week snuck up on us!

Before we get to this week’s Features, we wanted to let you know how thrilled and honored we are to be guest posting for Judy over at DIY By Design where we are sharing this fun project!
  
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Galvanized Magnetic Drop Cloth Art
 When you are done linking up we’d love you to pay us a visit over at DIY by Design! 
And now, onto our Features from last week’s Inspiration Friday Party!
We just adored this Tractor Themed Party that Audrey from Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats created for her son’s 3rd Birthday! It came complete with rides on a real tractor courtesy of his grandpa and good old-fashioned sack races. There are so many darling details to see that you must go over and check them out!
We were beyond thrilled when our wonderful friend Debbie from Words on Wheels linked up to our party last week! Vanessa may or may not have actually shrieked with delight which may are may not have caused her husband to think that she had just won the Nobel Peace Prize or something equally “shriek worthy” in his book. “Nope, just happy our dear friend linked to our party, honey!”
Not only did she link up, she shared something pretty fantastic.
She transformed the top of a light post into this darling and festive tabletop candle lantern!

Now, we know you may have seen this next one all over blogland already. Not only on her own blog,
but also on the MANY others it was featured on. But, we just couldn’t resist.
We love this Burlap Ruffled Tablecloth and think it is beyond gorgeous!
Not only is this one of the most dreamy things we have ever seen, it was shared with us last week by one of our most favorite gals. Courtney at French Country Cottage is not only one of our Friday Party Friends (see below) but she is also one of our most lovely and encouraging supporters. We adore her style and talent and we adore HER!

Being moms we always love to see the creative ideas you come up with for your kids! This next link-up was no exception!
Ashley from Me and My Boys created this Quiet Book for her little guy. 
Blog Pictures1
To see how Ashley created this Quiet Book and even more of the pages you can visit her two posts outlining the details!
There was another fabulous party going on last week and Inspiration Friday benefited from all of the wonderful posts created for it!  Debbie over at DebbieDoo’s hosted a “Copy Cat Challenge” Party and boy were there some fabulous copy cat’s out there! Two of our favorites were also linked up over here.
We have featured her before, but her copy cat post was begging us to share it with you all!  Debbie over at Refresh Restyle created a copy cat that was so close to the original it was hard to tell them apart.
She copied this fabulous magazine cover right down to a magazine title featuring her blog name!  If you have never met Debbie, you are in for a treat! You can visit her post where she gives a tutorial on how she painted glass for this special edition of Refresh Restyle… Winking smile 
Another favorite copycat challenge that was shared with us was from Kate at The Garden Bell.
She recreated the table setting you see above…but we’ll be honest here.  We think her rendition is even better!
We would love to sit here and have a bowl of cherries!


If you were featured today (or have been featured in the past) please grab the featured at button located in our sidebar!

Are you following At The Picket Fence on Facebook?  Don’t forget we feature many of your links during the week on our Facebook Page! If you’ve been featured there, grab a button as well! Thank you to everyone who shared so many fabulous posts with us last week!  We appreciate you!
Now it’s time to share with us what has inspired you this week!
Thank you so much for joining us for Inspiration Friday at the Fence,
When you are done linking up head over and party with the other Friday Party Friends
The lovely Courtney at French Country Cottage
Our beautiful friend Alison from Stuff and Nonsense

Stuff and Nonsense

And the gracious Debra from Common Ground

vif187
Now all ya PARTY PEOPLE it’s time to link on up…here’s the rules!
 
  • Friend At The Picket Fence in some capacity
  • Link Up any post you’ve written that has Inspired You and will Inspire Others-it can be a home improvement project, craft, recipe, story, devotional…if it inspires link it up!
  • Be sure to link back to your original post and not just your url (main blog address)
  • Please post our button (code in the sidebar) or a text link on your blog so others can join in the fun! (MANDATORY)
  • Visit another guest. Please try and visit at least the link directly above and below you! We try to visit everyone’s posts but as Inspiration Friday grows, sometimes we miss some and for that we apologize.  It makes us feed good knowing others are visiting people as well!  Thank you..it truly means a lot to us!

We would love to recommend this fabulous post over at Crafter Minds for a quick tutorial on partying at a linky party! We couldn’t say it better ourselves!
“Linky Party Like a Dinner Party?”
This Inspiration Friday is sponsored by

Visit Signs by Andrea and receive $5 off your order for being a friend of At The Picket Fence!

34 Comments Filed Under: Inspiration Friday

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Previous Post: « Guest Post at DIY by Design…
Next Post: A Labor of the Heart Part Five-There’s Good News & There’s Bad News… »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katie says

    July 7, 2011 at 8:11 PM

    Thanks for hosting Ladies!! Have a great weekend!

    Reply
  2. SavannahGranny says

    July 7, 2011 at 8:13 PM

    Thank you for hosting! I hope you enjoy Aunt Annabel’s 100th birthday party on the 4th of July. She is a real firecracker. Hugs, Ginger

    Reply
  3. Shelia says

    July 7, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    Hello ladies! Oh, I love all the inspiration I get from your party goers! I’m attending this week.
    Be a couple of sweeties,
    Shelia 😉

    Reply
  4. Poppy says

    July 7, 2011 at 9:15 PM

    Thanks for hosting and throwing this fun party for us each week. Beautiful inspiring features as always.. Have a wonderful weekend!~Poppy

    https://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  5. ℳartina @ Northern Nesting says

    July 7, 2011 at 9:25 PM

    Thanks for hosting girls and have a great weekend, Martina

    Reply
  6. ⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜ says

    July 7, 2011 at 9:30 PM

    Thanks for hosting. Debbie and Kate’s magazine copy cat challenge blew me AWAY! Really they were unbelievable…so talented these girls.

    Reply
  7. dogsmom says

    July 7, 2011 at 9:37 PM

    Thank you for being such gracious hosts. Someday I will take time to actually write a post and not just throw something together last minute. You think as you get older and are involved in less, the kids are off on their own, you’d fit more into a day. It does not happen.

    I wish I had time to visit every link!

    Reply
  8. Debra @ Common Ground says

    July 7, 2011 at 10:15 PM

    Hey Girlies! I had to look hard to tell the difference of the two photos of refresh/restyle, totally wonderful! Thanks for the great party, just linked up, xoxo Debra

    Reply
  9. Honey at 2805 says

    July 7, 2011 at 10:26 PM

    Great features and always great inspiration! Thanks, girls, for hosting!

    Reply
  10. telisa@sugartotdesigns says

    July 7, 2011 at 10:39 PM

    in love with that quiet book. i wish i had the patience to make one. thanks for hosting ladies and always being so supportive of me!

    Reply
  11. Mary @ Redo 101 says

    July 7, 2011 at 11:27 PM

    Thanks for hostessing, so much fun!

    Reply
  12. Diann says

    July 7, 2011 at 11:28 PM

    What wonderful inspirations yu are sharing today! thank you for hosting!

    Reply
  13. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says

    July 8, 2011 at 12:43 AM

    Hi Ladies, Thanks for being such gracious hostess each week.
    xo,
    Sherry

    Reply
  14. alison says

    July 8, 2011 at 1:05 AM

    oh my gosh…love the tractor cake and burlap tablecloth…wonderful features! all linked up again…have a wonderful weekend girls!

    alison

    Reply
  15. Audrey @ Sweet Cheeks says

    July 8, 2011 at 1:05 AM

    Thanks SO much for including my son’s Vintage Tractor Party with the other FAB Features! Yay!

    Reply
  16. Carmel @ Our Fifth House says

    July 8, 2011 at 2:51 AM

    Great features! Love that ruffles tablecloth! SO pretty!

    Reply
  17. oneshabbychick says

    July 8, 2011 at 3:12 AM

    Thanks so much for the chance to party! Have a great weekend! :~) osc

    Reply
  18. bj says

    July 8, 2011 at 4:19 AM

    thanks so much for hosting. i love the features here. 🙂

    Reply
  19. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    July 7, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    🙂 You girls are just the sweetest! I absolutely adore you both too and I love your blog and partying with you each week! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing my burlap tablecloth and for hosting today! Hugs, Courtney

    Reply
  20. Jane says

    July 8, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    Good Morning,
    I linked up my Mixed Berry Jam. Thanks for hosting! Have a great weekend!

    Reply
  21. Marcia (One Heart) says

    July 8, 2011 at 2:08 PM

    Oh my, that galvanized drop cloth is gorgeous. I am once again inspired for the weekend. I love this link-up.

    Thank you both for being such gracious hosts. Sorry about my link posting twice. One did not show the picture and I cannot delete from my end. Maybe you can. <3 Enjoy a beautiful weekend. Off to DIY.

    Reply
  22. Jenni says

    July 8, 2011 at 2:43 PM

    Those features are amazing! I love the ones you guys pick week after week.
    Thank you for hosting again! LOVE it here.
    Jenni

    Reply
  23. mary says

    July 8, 2011 at 2:48 PM

    I can’t get any of the links to work!

    Reply
  24. At The Picket Fence says

    July 8, 2011 at 2:55 PM

    Hi Mary,

    I’m sorry something isn’t working correctly. Do you mean the links people have linked up? You should be able to scroll your mouse over the picture and if you click on the picture it will open up a new window with that persons blog in it. The title itself is not a link though. I just tried and it worked for me but please let me know if it’s not working for you so we can see what the problem is. Thank you!

    Heather

    Reply
  25. Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia says

    July 8, 2011 at 3:04 PM

    So many great features girls!!! Enjoying my coffee this morning and am going to go check out some new talent! Have a fabulous weekend!
    Thanks for all the love and support, you two are amazing!
    XO
    Kristin

    Reply
  26. Ashley says

    July 8, 2011 at 4:14 PM

    wow thank you so much for the feature! you are so sweet!!!:) made my whole day!:)
    thanks
    xoxo
    ash

    Reply
  27. Jo says

    July 8, 2011 at 1:21 PM

    Great feature choices!..thanks girls for hosting.
    Hope the BetterHomes&Garden tomatoe-basil sauce will inspire to get busy canning those fresh tomatoes!I know I really enjoyed this and the homemade sauce is out of this world delish!
    Yall have a fun weekend!
    ~JO
    LazyonLoblolly

    Reply
  28. Cindy says

    July 8, 2011 at 9:09 PM

    So sorry I linked my nachos 2x by accident! I was trying to delete, but it wont let me Yikes! I am a new follower I love your blog and your style! visit me at http://www.thepixietrail.blogspot.com

    Reply
  29. Crystal @ Ordinary Days says

    July 9, 2011 at 2:15 AM

    Thanks for hosting girls! Can’t wait to check out all the inspiration here! 🙂

    Reply
  30. Refreshrestyle says

    July 9, 2011 at 4:44 AM

    Thanks for featuring my magazine copy cat ! Y’all are so sweet! I’ve got to get busy next week! I’m on vacation with my grandsons this week!!! Thanks so much!!!!
    Debbie

    Reply
  31. Debbie says

    July 9, 2011 at 12:00 PM

    You two just crack me up! Poor Debbie is so uninspired in the crafty department that she causes shrieks when she does. That’s so funny!

    Wait. Or does it say something kind of pathetic about me?

    At any rate, thanks.

    And you happened to highlight some that were favorites of mine too. I was bummed that I didn’t know about that copycat thing. I think that sounded really fun.

    Trying to get caught up in blog reading. Serves me right for getting sucked into the dark side down there in Florida.

    Reply
  32. Maggie @ Midwestern {Sewing} Girl says

    July 10, 2011 at 3:13 AM

    Thank you so much for hosting, girls! I hope you’re both have a fantastic weekend!

    Reply
  33. Eileen @ CottageBeachHouse says

    July 11, 2011 at 3:16 PM

    Some great features there. I loved them too, and that copy challenge was so much fun. Thanks again for this great linky, I am off to make some visits.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Link Up! The Theme is...Canning! | Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms says:
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I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 y I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 years now and every year I ohhhh and ahhhh over the blossoms like it's the first time I've ever seen them. I gush and I take photos (that look exactly like the ones I took the year before and the year before that) and I make my family come outside and look at them with me which you know they just LOVE to do. 😉 I think that is one of the main reasons why I love spring so much. On the one hand, it's predictable and yet, on the other hand, it still feels like such a surprise after the long months of barren branches.

And yesterday, as I was staring at the gorgeous blossoms for the umpteenth time, I couldn't help but think that I hope this is how I feel when our lives return to some semblance of normalcy.

I hope that the predictable feels special and that the typical feels anything but. I hope that I ohhh and ahhh over the simple things I've realized I've taken for granted. And, most of all, I hope that feeling doesn't go away for a very, very long time! 💗
Are you living with great expectation friends? Bec Are you living with great expectation friends? Because He is risen!

Happy Easter from my home to yours!
Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to be a different kind of Easter for sure but some things don’t change. Have you been baking and getting ready for tomorrow? What’s one thing on your menu that you have to have every year?
If this is Good Friday, why doesn’t it feel so “good”? It all seems backward doesn’t it?

What could be good about the unspeakable pain he suffered? What could be good about the shame and betrayal?

Easter Sunday is so joyful, bright and cheery. Shouldn’t that be the day we call “good”? It just feels so much better!

But, I don’t know how to rejoice over His resurrection, unless I have felt the pain of His death. I have realized that in life the sweetest victories are the ones which were realized after a pain-filled journey.

And, so it is with Good Friday. I know there will be victory over death, but I can’t skip ahead in the story.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what he would experience. And he knew why he would go through it. He did it for me. He did it for you.

Do you know that? Have you felt it down in the very core of your soul? 
Sometimes it makes me squirm a bit. Why would anyone do that for me?

Well, because, I can’t do it for myself!

There is nothing I can do to earn that kind of love and mercy.

That is why it is called GRACE.

His grace is freely given. We don’t have to pay for it. He paid the price for us already.

Do you remember that movie from years ago called “Ransom”? A couple’s young son was kidnapped and the parents went to hell and back trying to find him and pay the “ransom” demanded by the kidnappers.

Well, Jesus is our “ransom”. (1 Timothy 2:6) His life was the payment.

Why is it called “Good Friday”? Because that wasn’t the end of the story….
.
…It was just the beginning!
Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house that’s become the landing zone for ALL THE THINGS! 🙋🏻‍♀️🤪 I’ve never been more thankful for our rarely used dining room table as it’s become command central for school books and laptops and games.

Where are things collecting in your house right now?
“Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every si “Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every single one of these emotions has made their way through our home in recent days and, my guess is, they have in your home too.

I SO needed this reminder today from the new book ‘Adore’ by @sarahagertywrites.

Adoration isn’t just sitting at His feet gazing longingly with stars in my eyes. It’s bringing my fears and my sorrows and gray roots in my hair that desperately needs to be colored and my messy house and all of the things that threaten to send me over the edge right now and laying them down before Him, soaking up His word and His presence so that when I stand back up, I am changed for having spent the time adoring the ONE who is... Healer, comforter, peace-giver, deliverer, redeemer.

What do you need to bring to Him today? I’ll share mine in the comments and I’d love to hear from you too!
I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole lockdown thing began, I’ve come to appreciate this time of day even more.

It feels the most...normal. Daytime is strange and foreign right now. My husband has taken over our home office, I’m suddenly taking over the responsibility of managing my kids’ distance learning and let me just say that teaching 7th grade algebra to my daughter is hugely ironic since I struggled with math all the way through school. I’m trying to do my own work but it feels utterly futile with the constant interruptions which take precedence right now. In the daytime, I’m constantly reminded of how upside down life feels.

But, in the evening, I cook dinner like I’ve always done and we gather around the table like we’ve always done and we laugh and tell stories and then clean up and play games or go on a walk or watch a show. And that feels SO gloriously normal.

So now I love evenings even more than I ever did before and I’m so grateful for this little chunk of time where the rhythms we established years ago are helping to sustain us now when so much of life feels outside of our control.

What feels ‘normal’ to you right now? Whatever it is, keep doing it. 🌿
When I was in college I would frequently call home When I was in college I would frequently call home and pour my heart out to my mom, sharing with her all that was happening in my life in that completely unfiltered way that you can talk with the person who potty trained you. These phone calls usually took place at night and my mom would patiently listen as I vented frustrations about professors, roommates, boyfriends and the food in the cafeteria. And, inevitably, they would end with my mom saying, “Everything seems worse when you’re tired. Try not to overthink things or make any major decisions tonight, especially when you are feeling emotional.” Dear friends, may I pass along this advice to you today?

If you don’t absolutely HAVE to make a decision right now, I want to encourage you to wait until life gets back to normal. If you are finding yourself over-analyzing relationships and family dynamics, I want to encourage you to remember that everything seems more dramatic when looked at under a microscope. And, let’s face it, being homebound with our loved ones non-stop makes us all feel like lab rats in an experiment.

If you are tempted to quit a job, start a business, start homeschooling permanently, stop homeschooling permanently, move to a new city, buy a farm, quit pursuing your dream, join a commune or make any other major life decision just…wait. Because, if it is in fact the right decision, it will be made even clearer once our lives return to their ‘regularly scheduled programming’. Instead, in this strange season, let’s all just take a deep, collective breath and let it out slowly, releasing the anxiety that threatens to overtake us. Let’s help each other maintain some perspective and not slip into a posture of over-thinking every little thing in our lives. Let’s remember that the enemy of our souls would love nothing more than to use this time when things feel dark to manipulate us into thinking that aspects of our lives are worse than they actually are.

My prayer for you in these days is that you will have the clarity to know what is true and that you will be filled with peace even while we live in this season of so many unknowns.
Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking thes Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking these days! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m trying to avoid gaining the #corona15 but my daughter and I LOVE baking together and it does help to pass the time plus it counts as a science lesson right?

If you’re able to find flour in the stores (for the love people please stop overbuying!) and you’re doing more baking at your house too you need to add this apricot bread to your list of new recipes to try!

Normally I’d point you to my blog for the directions but I’m going to do you a solid and leave the full recipe in the comments.

What have you baked so far during this time of social distancing? I’d love some new ideas!
There are a LOT of people out walking in our neigh There are a LOT of people out walking in our neighborhood right now (but still social distancing!) and she decided that she wanted to bring them some joy and put a smile on their face when they pass by our house. Also, the square with ‘say no to coronavirus’ is priceless. 😂 I just love her so much!
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