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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 15, 2011

Welcome to Inspiration Friday No. 23!

A few Inspiration Friday’s back, Vanessa shared with you that we would be occasionally “copy catting” some of the projects, recipes and ideas you very clever and creative people share with us each week! 
While, we most likely will not be copying some of your major undertakings you will find some of the fun smaller projects showing up at Inspiration Friday.  For example this fabulous idea from Kathy at All About Vignettes!

Kathy took the popular and beautiful idea of recovering books with plain white paper to a whole other level
We thought this was such a fun idea, that Heather decided to take on this copy cat challenge. She had an ugly surround sound speaker that Bama Boy insisted need to live in the corner of her beautiful secretary.  Kathy’s idea seemed like the perfect solution for hiding the speaker!
See! No speaker! grin.
I found this beautiful nest graphic at The Graphics Fairy.  It was so easy to search for the graphic I was looking for and then to download and modify it for my project. 
You can read Kathy’s fabulous detailed tutorial at All About Vignettes as well as see some of the additional ideas Kathy came up with for her books.
Watch for more upcoming Copy Cat Projects at Inspiration Friday, cause you never know if we’ll be copying you next!
One of the things we love most about Inspiration Friday is that it is a place where anything “Inspiring” is welcomed! A perfect representation of this would be the sweet post our dear blog friend Alison of Stuff and Nonsense shared with us entitled  Mr. Duff and His House.
She and her family had the privilege of meeting the charming gentleman who used to live in her home, and he shared with her some treasured photos of how it looked in it’s original state.
Pop over and pay Alison a visit to here the rest of the story and while you are there, why not link up to her Friday’s Unfolded party?! We know we will!
We just adore Ashley from A Forty Year-Old Ranch and we also adore the makeover she gave this $20 Goodwill Patio set! Isn’t the color fantastic? Paired with a beautiful new rug (found on clearance of course!) she has added so much charm and character to her new porch. You must go pay her a visit and see the rest of this beautiful transformation!

Liz from Once Upon a Tomato shared with us this unique and beautiful Beet Hummus recipe. We absolutely love the creativity we see every week and this sounds like such a fun take on a classic!
Andrea from Andrea Steed.com (who is one of our fabulous sponsors here At The Picket Fence) wrote a wonderful and informative post on photographing large groups.
She shares great tips and trick to get the best photograph in the shortest amount of time (and if you have ever tried to photograph young children you know how important that is!),
including how to get fun and unusual shots! This is a perfect post for the summer with all of the family reunions and vacations taking place! We recommend you visit Andrea and read this informative post on Posing Large Groups, you’ll be taking great group shots in no time!
We are always so thrilled to meet new folks here at the Fence and Jean from Flower Hill Design Company shared with us last week how she took a garage sale find and cleverly made it over.
We’ll let you hear all of the details, but this is how it looked…
Before
After
Head over to Flower Hill Design Company to read more about her fabulous transformation on her
 Ballard Design Inspired Table 
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 week’s Inspiration Friday is sponsored by


a fabulous Etsy store specializing in one of a kind vintage and antique items! We invite you to pay a visit to Unexpected Elegance where readers of At The Picket Fence will receive 10% off at checkout by entering code: ATPFB!

43 Comments Filed Under: Inspiration Friday

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Comments

  1. Catie says

    July 14, 2011 at 9:53 PM

    Hey Ladies! Thanks for hosting. Those book covers are amazing. Such a neat idea. You have some great picks from last week. Can’t wait to check out this weeks links. Have a great weekend! ~ Catie @ Catie’s Corner : )

    Reply
  2. Honey at 2805 says

    July 14, 2011 at 9:57 PM

    Nice feature and I do like your copycat! Thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  3. Poppy says

    July 14, 2011 at 10:30 PM

    Love the copy cat… especially the graphic… the candle color is so summery. Beautiful features this week … I loved the Ballard inspired table, looks amazing and the book covers are truly gorgeous… such an inspiring idea and brings so much focus on a vignette. Thanks for hosting! Have a wonderful week!~Poppy

    https://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  4. Leslie says

    July 14, 2011 at 10:31 PM

    Sistas!
    Hope you both are well today!
    I love love love the book spine vignettes! (And you know I like birdy things, too!)
    YUM!
    I need to do this for the books on my office shelf…trying to think of something wider, though, LOL! Maybe Rainbow Row in Charleston in black and white?
    Y’all got me thinkin’.
    Gonna go say hi to Kathy and get some more ideas.
    I adore all the ladies you featured today!
    I love parties!
    🙂
    HUGS!!
    ~me

    Reply
  5. marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says

    July 14, 2011 at 10:40 PM

    All of your features this week are so fun and I love the bookcovers that you created with the nest. Now that is so cute and so clever. Looks fabulous. Thanks for hosting such a fun party. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
  6. Debra @ Common Ground says

    July 14, 2011 at 10:40 PM

    Oh wow, I HAVE to try this book cover idea, how cool!!! Just linked up, xoxo Debra

    Reply
  7. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    July 14, 2011 at 10:58 PM

    Great features, girls. Thanks for hosting the party!

    Reply
  8. Debbie@https://refreshrestyle.com/ says

    July 14, 2011 at 11:01 PM

    Love your vignette and all the other features too! Thanks for hosting!
    Debbie

    Reply
  9. Liz says

    July 14, 2011 at 11:08 PM

    Thanks for hosting! I love your features and copycat projects, so cute! XOXO ~Liz

    Reply
  10. NanaDiana says

    July 14, 2011 at 11:08 PM

    Those are some fabulous features! And I love the speaker cover up! Speakers are NEVER pretty-functional but NOT pretty! And I LOVE the covers that All About Vignettes did! WOW! xo Diana

    Reply
  11. bj says

    July 14, 2011 at 11:24 PM

    Wonderful showcases, ladies..and thanks a million for hosting.

    Reply
  12. Pam - diy Design Fanatic says

    July 14, 2011 at 11:52 PM

    I love Heather’s copy cat! Looks like fun! Great features, too! Thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  13. Amy Kinser says

    July 14, 2011 at 11:57 PM

    Thank you so much for hosting the party. I am so sorry that I posted my link twice.

    Reply
  14. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    July 15, 2011 at 12:00 AM

    LOVE, LOVE the books idea! I love Heather’s copy cat project of them, too. The image is great!

    Reply
  15. Natasha in Oz says

    July 15, 2011 at 12:01 AM

    Thanks so much for having me today. I can’t wait to see what lovely things people have been blogging about this week!

    Best wishes,
    Natasha @ 5 Minutes Just for Me

    Reply
  16. ℳartina @ Northern Nesting says

    July 15, 2011 at 12:47 AM

    Thanks for hosting girls and have a great weekend!! Martina

    Reply
  17. Pamela says

    July 15, 2011 at 1:35 AM

    Great features ladies! Thanx for having us over!:)

    Reply
  18. Paula Jo @ Home and Garden Decor says

    July 15, 2011 at 2:29 AM

    I love all of your picks this week. I really like what Alison done with the table and chairs for her porch. I love the blue.

    Reply
  19. Sue says

    July 15, 2011 at 2:51 AM

    I love all these fabulous ideas! I need to go to the thrift store more often to find myself some patio furniture!
    Have a great weekend Heather and Vanessa!

    Reply
  20. Katie says

    July 15, 2011 at 3:04 AM

    Thanks for hosting ladies!! Hope you both have a great weekend!

    Reply
  21. Emily@LovelyBeasts says

    July 15, 2011 at 4:26 AM

    You always know what to say to make a girl feel better about her blog-self-consciousness! And I totally agree about not forcing more posts then you want to write. Glad to know I’m not alone out there!

    Thanks again for being awesome! And glad I was able to participate in the party today! Love you guys!

    Emily

    Reply
  22. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    July 14, 2011 at 9:42 PM

    Hi Girls~ Love all your features this week and the copy cat idea is fantastic! All linked up to this weeks party- thanks for hosting! 🙂

    Reply
  23. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    July 14, 2011 at 9:48 PM

    Ooops… sorry- the linky wasn’t working so I tried it a couple of times and it linked me up twice! I apologize! I would delete it but it’s not letting me. Go ahead and take the extra one off if you like!

    Reply
  24. Marcia (One Heart) says

    July 15, 2011 at 5:42 AM

    Oh my goodness, those books look gorgeous. Okay, weekend project!!

    As always, thank you for sharing and hosting, ladies.
    Much love!!

    Reply
  25. Stacy says

    July 15, 2011 at 5:48 AM

    Howdy ladies! Totally diggin’ the covered books with the graphic art. I love the turquoise of the eggs and the candle. Beautiful! Thank you so much for hosting this week. Let’s party! =)

    Reply
  26. Petie@inspirednesting.com says

    July 15, 2011 at 6:07 AM

    Thanks for hosting! Somehow, I goofed and did my entry 2x, sorry?! Looking forward to checking out many of the projects 🙂

    Would love for you all to stop by and enter my Home Goods Gift Card giveaway!

    Reply
  27. Petie@inspirednesting.com says

    July 15, 2011 at 6:07 AM

    Thanks for hosting! Somehow, I goofed and did my entry 2x, sorry?! Looking forward to checking out many of the projects 🙂

    Would love for you all to stop by and enter my Home Goods Gift Card giveaway!

    Reply
  28. alison says

    July 15, 2011 at 12:18 PM

    you two are such sweeties…i feel like the most popular girl in school today between you and debbie…thanks for featuring mr. duff…isn’t he darling? and by the way…i am totally doing a ‘back’ shot now when we do our family photos…love that!

    alison

    Reply
  29. Abbie says

    July 15, 2011 at 2:12 PM

    Thanks so much for hosting and for inviting me over from fivedaysfiveways… I linked up my DIY tufted Ottoman that I made from a craigslist coffee table (#116). Hope you get the chance to check it out!
    I’m totally going to try your Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes recipes! Sounds delish!
    Have a great weekend!
    ~Abbie

    Reply
  30. Ann from On Sutton Place says

    July 15, 2011 at 3:46 PM

    I’m very late but I made it…thanks so much for hosting. Have a great weekend!

    Reply
  31. Life-n-Reflection says

    July 15, 2011 at 5:47 PM

    The book covers are fabulous!!

    Reply
  32. Amanda says

    July 15, 2011 at 6:26 PM

    What a fantastic way to smarten up books! Thanks for hosting, have a great weekend.

    Reply
  33. Richella says

    July 15, 2011 at 6:31 PM

    Dear Vanessa and Heather–THANK YOU for hosting this wonderful party! I linked up a little project that I wrote about earlier this week. Then I finished writing about another little project, so I linked that, too! I hope that’s okay. And I hope you both have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply
  34. Richella says

    July 15, 2011 at 6:32 PM

    Hi Heather and Vanessa! Earlier this week I wrote about a little project, and I linked that up yesterday afternoon. Then today I wrote about another little project, so I linked up that one, too. I hope that’s okay! And I hope you both have a wonderful weekend. Thank you so much for hosting such a wonderful party!

    Reply
  35. Chrystal - Adorn on a Shoestring says

    July 15, 2011 at 6:34 PM

    Thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  36. Becca says

    July 15, 2011 at 10:36 PM

    Fabulous features, ladies !! I love the bird’s nest book spines. I need to pay the Graphics Fairy a visit and start some fun projects !! I hope you both have a fabulous weekend … thanks for hosting !! xoxo

    Reply
  37. Emily says

    July 15, 2011 at 11:03 PM

    What a clever idea with the graphics nest. I love the look. So many great ideas, thanks for sharing.
    Also, thanks for hosting.

    ~Emily
    The French Hutch

    Reply
  38. Hollie - TheSevenYearCottage.com says

    July 16, 2011 at 1:12 AM

    Thanks again for hosting!

    Reply
  39. Debbie says

    July 16, 2011 at 11:20 AM

    Wonderful features this week!

    Heather, I’m totally inspired by your speaker cover up. It’s just perfect.

    Reply
  40. Something Nice and Pretty says

    July 16, 2011 at 1:16 PM

    Great features this week! Thanks for hosting, I’m a day late of course:)

    Rondell

    Reply
  41. Modern Country Lady says

    July 17, 2011 at 12:11 AM

    Not sure if this will work as my last comment did not go – and had “error”- just to say “Thank you” to heatheer for your super kind comments about the passing of Gibson… thank you and bless you .
    XOXO
    Bea

    Reply
  42. Val says

    July 17, 2011 at 5:03 AM

    So much awesomeness and look at all the link ups. You guys are rockstars!!!

    Reply
  43. Ashley says

    July 19, 2011 at 8:32 PM

    Thank you so much for the feature! Such amazing projects to be featured with. We have been adding a privacy fence in the backyard so I have been out of blogland for the past few days. I love what Heather did to hide the speaker. Looks great!

    Reply

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Front door wreath….✔️ The very last Christmas dec Front door wreath….✔️

The very last Christmas decorating to be completed and one of the most important since there’s nothing I love more than welcoming people into our home this season.

I bought the wreath for $15 from a wonderful local vendor, reused my favorite bells and added a velvet bow in the color I’m carrying throughout the house this year.

Do you buy a fresh wreath each year or do you use a faux wreath on your front door? 

#frontdoorwreath #christmaswreath #christmasporch
The first day of December and the first Sunday of The first day of December and the first Sunday of advent. As we enter into a month that can be filled with stress, anxiety, worry and even sadness, let us turn our hearts towards the ONE who came as the ultimate, undeserved gift. Because it’s all about Him. 

“Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.” (Corrie Ten Boom)
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours dear friends! 🍂
Its that time of year again. I share this recipe e Its that time of year again. I share this recipe every November because it’s JUST.THAT.GOOD! 

And I have a confession ...I’d rather have cranberry sauce smothering the turkey on my plate than gravy any day!! And this, this right here? Well it’s the best (and easiest!) cranberry sauce ever!! I eat on crackers and sandwiches and sometimes just by the spoonful. It’s so yummy! And I’m just so very thankful for all of you that I’m going to leave the recipe right here instead of making you go to the blog to get it. I promise you won’t regret having this on your Thanksgiving menu but be warned...you may find yourself up in the middle of the night sneaking some helpings of this deliciousness. Or maybe that’s just me!

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh or frozen cranberries
2 oranges
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup white wine.

Instructions:
Wash and pick over berries, removing any that are soft. Peel and dice oranges removing any seeds. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking until cranberries pop open and mixture is thickening.
For best flavor, prepare and let stand for several days before using.

Gobble, gobble!! 🦃
It’s that time of year again!! Chex Mix will be ma It’s that time of year again!! Chex Mix will be made on repeat for the next month and I’ve figured out the secret to getting the BEST flavor.

Want to know what it is? It’s all about being EXTRA! 

Take the base recipe up a notch by using a full stick of butter, extra tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and an extra 1/2 tablespoon of Lawry’s seasoning salt.

I guarantee you’ll never go back!

You’re welcome. 😉🎄

#chexmix #chexmixupgrade
Happy Friday!! I limped my way to the end of the w Happy Friday!! I limped my way to the end of the week and I’m feeling especially grateful for the twinkling lights around my home which give me so much joy.

The great debate on social media over whether or not Christmas decorations should appear before Thanksgiving is one I just let roll on past me. Because I am so unbelievably thankful for this life, my family, my friends, this country, this home and most of all my Savior. 

Having my home all ready to welcome the next sacred season doesn’t take away one iota from my ability to express gratitude on the official day set aside each year where we do that collectively.

And when the last slice of turkey has been eaten and all of the leftovers put away, I’ll be over here ready to be fully present in the month of December and soak up every bit of it! 🦃🎄
IKEA vs Heirlooms: Why we need family treasures “ IKEA vs Heirlooms: Why we need family treasures

“My children have grown up seeing antique books on a coffee table, vintage toys in their bedrooms and even pieces of furniture that were all passed down from one generation to the next. But as my nest gets closer and closer to being empty, I’m keenly aware of the fact that many of these cherished items might not be as welcome in the homes of future generations.”

*Read the rest over at @cleartruthmedia*
All of my CTM articles are saved in my highlights
Not too long ago, someone told me that they liked Not too long ago, someone told me that they liked it better when I just talked about decorating and didn’t mention anything else. This person preferred me to keep any opinions or convictions to myself and just focus only on content about home decor, crafts and recipes. Aside from the fact that I’m always astonished that people feel so free to say things like that, I do agree that it would be a lot easier and more palatable if I didn’t talk about things like a Biblical Worldview, apologetics and the nature of reality itself. For one thing, Instagram wouldn’t throttle my account with its algorithms that are skewed to diminish voices like mine. It would be much easier to be so tethered to this app that I change everything I post to fit into its preferred framework. I would be asked to be part of influencer groups and activities like I was years ago. But I’m not that person anymore. Yes, the core of this community will always be an emphasis on homemaking which will include decorating and recipes but I can’t separate that from the core of who I am as a follower of Jesus Christ.

It would be so much easier for me to just show you the latest Amazon products I’ve bought and tell you to “comment” to get the links. But I’m not called to take the easy path. Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.”

I truly believe that so many have been lulled into thinking that the narrow gate wasn’t really all that narrow. But, it’s never been more obvious that it really is. And every day I seek to stay on that very narrow way.  More than ever before, I believe that our world needs to know that there is objective truth and a solid foundation to stand upon as we navigate our lives. My role as a homemaker is predicated on that foundation and everything else flows out of it. Talking about these things isn’t going to get me lots of views here. 

But I live for an audience of ONE.
The first time we hosted my in-laws for a meal was The first time we hosted my in-laws for a meal was in 1998. I was a new bride and eager to impress them. It did not go well. Let’s just say there was a bit of a garbage disposal mishap. 

It’s been over 25 years since then and I’ve learned so much about what really matters when it comes to hosting and caring for my family well during the holiday season. 

The peace we long for in our home begins with our hearts. If you want your home to feel more peaceful during the upcoming holiday season, I have five things to consider that will make that not only possible but predictable.

✨ Read the full article over at @club31women ✨

#club31women #wearethehomemakers
Here, in my little corner of social media, you won Here, in my little corner of social media, you won’t find a lot of unboxing of brand new items for Christmas. 

What I’m unboxing are the decorations in the attic that  I’ve had for years and figuring out how to give them a fresh look. I added new lights to an old pre-lit tree that no longer worked because I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. I’m putting out a different set of mugs at the hot cocoa station and the advent candles are arranged with greenery from outside.

As our feeds are filled with so.much.stuff, I want to offer you a reprieve. A place where you will find less emphasis on what’s happening in our homes and more on what’s happening in our hearts.

More than ever before, I can see just how much people are needing the hope found in Christ and that will always be the focus here. 

So, while you may not see me unpacking a massive, new tree or telling you to “comment for the link”, what you will see is encouragement to turn our hearts to what matters the most and let that reflect in every corner of our homes this season and all year long. 🌲

#wearethehomemakers #homemaking #homemakerschristmas #club31women
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