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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

  • Book
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  • Meet Vanessa
    • Featured

September 3, 2011

Welcome to Inspiration Friday No. 30!

Inspiration Friday Graphic1
30 weeks!!
How did that happen??
We can’t believe how much fun these last 30 weeks have been partying with you all and we feel so blessed to have watched this little ol’ blog grow and change. We cannot tell you how much it means to us to be apart of this wonderful community.

Among the many incredible things that have happened since starting our journey with you, has been the opportunity to work with our amazing Sponsors.
We thought this would be a great time to take a moment and officially introduce you to them!
We started working with this awesome company shortly after we launched and we think they are just fabulous!
Simple Stencil
The Simple Stencil has the most incredible stencils…truly something for everyone!
simple stencil 1  simple stencil 2

both of us have used their stencils several times and we are so pleased with their product! If you’re looking for some great lettering for your walls or projects please check out The Simple Stencil!

Our next sponsor is so talented, but not only is Andrea from Signs by Andrea talented she’s a sweetheart too!

Signs by Andrea
When Heather admired a sign that Andrea had linked up to Inspiration Friday..Andrea sent it to her!! Um, hello…how sweet is that! Andrea has a sign to fit any need or budget and can even customize a sign for you.
firstnames3ftcollage
kidarrowscollagecustomcollage
We will be sharing more of Andrea’s beautiful signs coming up soon…where YOU might win one…stay tuned. Winking smile Until then, At The Picket Fence friends can get $5 off a sign right now by entering FENCES at checkout! Thanks Andrea!
Our next two sponsors have the most fabulous Etsy Shops!

unexpected Elegance
Unexpected Elegance specializes in vintage or antique items and create one of a kind pieces from the “unexpected!” Angela always has beautiful and “unexpected” items for sale in her shop.
h a n d m a d e  Enamel Numbered Tags    h a n d m a d e  Birch Napkin Rings with Metal Numbered Plaques


Wouldn’t these tags and napkin rings be beautiful for fall? Visit Unexpected Elegance for even more lovely and unexpected items!

 
If you love all things vintage you’ll love The Old Block House Vintage Home Décor

 

 
We just love these numbers and the beautiful grain sacks!
 
Vintage Numbers Stitched on Wool Circle  
 
You can find many more vintage items at Vintage Home Décor!
 
We were excited about the opportunity to work with two of our favorite online stores!

Joss & Main     Dresses from Shabby Apple
If you are not a member of either of these fabulous retailers we invite you to visit them through our links in our sidebar under sponsors! We are so grateful for the privilege of not only working with these incredible companies but also for the friendships which have developed with them as a result.
Please pay these talented folks a visit and let them know the girls from the fence sent you!
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of At The Picket Fence we’d love to have you as part of our team! Since there is still one more week of summer…and we’re going to cherish each day….we are offering our summer buy one get one advertising special for one more week! For more information you can visit our Advertise With Us page or email us for specifics!
picketfence_20010
Let’s get to our Features, shall we?
Now, we promise we aren’t featuring this adorable Vintage Circus Birthday Party from Blog 5 to 9 just because Vanessa was so thrilled to find someone else in blogland named Vanessa!
Really!
Obviously we are featuring this because it is just so beyond creative and darling and we totally flipped out when we saw it.

 
 
You must go over and see all of the details to fully appreciate just how fantastic this is!
 
Pallets, pallets everywhere! Pallets are all the rage right now and Inspiration Friday is no exception…
 
Now, to know Debbie of Debbiedoo’s Blogging and Blabbing is to love her!
Not only do we consider her the official driver of the Blogging Welcome Wagon, but she is seriously creative to boot! So we shouldn’t have been surprised when she took a free wood pallet from Lowes and transformed it into this….
 
 
But, we were! Because Debbie is full of surprises and her talent knows no bounds. If you don’t know Debbie yet, you are seriously missing out so get on over and pay her a visit. You’ll be glad you did!

Alicia from La Famille took pallets in a whole other direction when she made this fabulous pallet bed for her sunroom!
 

Her sunroom redo is fabulous and this pallet bed…well, we just LOVE it!
 
We also love how Happily Home…After used a trick of the eye to make the most of her beautiful bedroom.  It proves that with a little ingenuity and creativity, you can work within the existing footprint of a space and maximize it’s potential!
 
 
 

With only one more week of summer left, we wanted to leave you with two delicious recipes that would be perfect for Labor Day!
Jennifer from Jane Deere shared this mouth watering BBQ Grilled Shrimp Tostadas…um yep making these for sure!
and Yummy Mummy shared these decadent and beautiful Mini Mud Pies as a special tribute…

Please visit Yummy Mummy to read more about the significance behind these tiny little pies.
  
We also want to let you know about our newest Friday Party Friend, Honey from 2805!
Be sure to hop on over and join her brand new Linky Party where you will find a veritable “Potpourri” of inspiring ideas and creativity. We’ll see you there!
 

And thank you to all of our features this week as well as to all of you who share your amazing ideas, projects and inspiration with us each and every week! 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

The gracious Debra from Common Ground

vif187


And our newest Friday Party Friend, Honey from 2805


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 as many posts as we can but as Inspiration Friday grows and especially during the busy summer months, 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?”

39 Comments Filed Under: Inspiration Friday, Sponsors

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Previous Post: « Have your cake…and your veggies too…Chocolate Zucchini Espresso Cake
Next Post: Simply Sunday…Oh How He Loves Us! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle Paige says

    September 1, 2011 at 8:15 PM

    Always love your picks! Thanks for hosting such an inspiring linky party!

    Reply
  2. Michell @ Girl In Air says

    September 1, 2011 at 8:20 PM

    Thank you for hosting!! Love your awesome sponsors! I’m going to check them out:-)

    Have a fabulous weekend!

    Reply
  3. Honey at 2805 says

    September 1, 2011 at 8:26 PM

    Thanks for being gracious hostesses and good friends! I appreciate you!

    Reply
  4. Richella says

    September 1, 2011 at 8:26 PM

    What a lovely group of features! Isn’t it fun to see the products of such amazing talent and creativity?

    I’m linking up a tiny little project–$1.99 and a little work–but I’m happy with the way it turned out! Thanks for welcoming entries large and small!

    Hope y’all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

    Reply
  5. Catie @ Catie's Corner says

    September 1, 2011 at 8:35 PM

    Happy nearly Friday ladies! Thanks, once again, for hosting. Some really great picks from last week. Can’t wait to see the links this week. : )
    ~ Catie

    Reply
  6. Pam - diy Design Fanatic says

    September 1, 2011 at 8:38 PM

    Such great projects! Love them all!

    Reply
  7. Brandi says

    September 1, 2011 at 8:40 PM

    Thanks for hosting, ladies!
    Have a great weekend!

    Reply
  8. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    September 1, 2011 at 8:40 PM

    Thanks for hosting, ladies! : ) This is perfect ~ I need little number tags for small metal pails I have. I’ve been wanting to do, basically, a copy of pails I see people have gotten at TJ Maxx, but I already have the pails, just need the numbers.

    Reply
  9. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    September 1, 2011 at 8:50 PM

    Those little mini mud pies are calling my name. Great features and thanks for hosting.

    Reply
  10. The Summer Porch says

    September 1, 2011 at 9:21 PM

    The featured blogs are beautiful. I’m always in for chocolate!
    Thank you Ladies for hosting once again.
    Have a great weekend,
    Rosemary…

    Reply
  11. Stuff and Nonsense says

    September 1, 2011 at 9:22 PM

    ah…no same features this week…although i nearly featured alicia’s pallet daybed…gorgeous…all linked up!

    alison

    Reply
  12. Sherry says

    September 1, 2011 at 9:31 PM

    Wonderful features. The chocolate looks amazing! Thanks for having us over!
    Sherry

    Reply
  13. marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says

    September 1, 2011 at 9:46 PM

    Great features. There’s always so much inspiration to see. Thanks for hosting such a fun party. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
  14. Tres Chere says

    September 1, 2011 at 9:57 PM

    Awesome features this week! Love the pallet shelf. Thank yu for hosting! Have a fabulous weekend!

    Reply
  15. Lakeshore Cottage Living says

    September 1, 2011 at 10:10 PM

    Thanks for hosting you two sweeties! Ok…I linked up two today and if that is not ok I can come back and delete one. Have a great weekend. Thought of you Vanessa today as I had a melt down at breakfast this morning…and then I made myself have an attitude adjustment…lol.

    Reply
  16. Debra @ Common Ground says

    September 1, 2011 at 10:12 PM

    Hey Girlies, Happy big 30!! Love being part of the fun over here!
    xoxo!

    Reply
  17. Sonya@Beyond the Screen Door says

    September 1, 2011 at 10:25 PM

    Hey, Girls! Sorry for linking up twice. Had a slight glitch with the linky photo. Thanks for the party!

    Reply
  18. Lounging with a Latte says

    September 1, 2011 at 10:45 PM

    Thanks for hosting Inspirational Friday, lots of lovely things to view.

    Reply
  19. Sue says

    September 1, 2011 at 11:06 PM

    Great selection of featured bloggers, girls! I had the opportunity to meet Angela when she was at Horton’s Flea Market. She is a sweetheart. I hope to see her again at an upcoming show. 🙂 Always a pleasure to be here. Hope to have more yard updates soon. The crew did awesome work this week. xo Sue

    Reply
  20. Katie says

    September 1, 2011 at 11:54 PM

    Thanks so much for hosting!!!

    Reply
  21. FABBY'S LIVING says

    September 2, 2011 at 12:57 AM

    Nice features. Thank you so much for hosting such great party!! I’m joining you with a fall tablescape I had lots of fun doing. Lots of hugs. FABBY

    Reply
  22. Rosemary@villabarnes says

    September 2, 2011 at 1:02 AM

    Thanks for being such great hosts.

    Reply
  23. Diann says

    September 2, 2011 at 1:34 AM

    Fun Features and sponsors! Thank you for hosting!

    Reply
  24. ⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜@ Debbiedoos blogging and blabbing says

    September 2, 2011 at 2:04 AM

    Awww…what a pleasant surprise to see my pallet featured. Thank you…all great features. Thanks for hosting.

    Reply
  25. bj says

    September 2, 2011 at 2:07 AM

    Ijust LOVE coming over and getting all fired up and inspired. 🙂
    You young ones work us old ones to death,just trying to stay up with ya. :))
    xo bj

    Reply
  26. Ruby Jean says

    September 2, 2011 at 2:21 AM

    Hello, Hello, Hello… I am so happy to have come across your blog…Through Common Grounds Blog…I just signed up as one of your Newest Happy Picket Fence People… : ) I also just linked up Decorating in Small Spaces…Thank you for hosting a great Linky Party and I am looking forward to joining you again…Have a VERY blessed weekend

    Reply
  27. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    September 1, 2011 at 11:11 PM

    Hey there girls!! Great features this week! It’s not showing my link yet- but I did link up! I’ll stop back by to make sure it shows up a little later! Thanks for hosting! 🙂

    Reply
  28. Kerry Rossow says

    September 2, 2011 at 12:26 PM

    Sorry, I panicked when my post didn’t show up and I posted twice! Rookie alert!
    Thank you for hosting!
    Kerry at housetalkn.blogspot.com

    Reply
  29. Tracy Suzanne says

    September 2, 2011 at 2:21 PM

    Hi, thanks for letting me link up with your party. I’m enjoying your blog so much. I’m your newest subscriber and I’m adding you to my blog post.

    Hugs…Tracy 🙂

    Reply
  30. Upscale Downhome says

    September 2, 2011 at 6:07 PM

    Thanks for hosting the party! Lots of inspiration to get my creativity flowing this weekend. Can’t wait to check out lots of the entries!

    Reply
  31. Robin @ Happily Home, After says

    September 2, 2011 at 6:41 PM

    Heather and Vanessa,

    Thanks for featuring my bedroom / Abracadabra “now you see it, now you don’t” post. This week I don’t have a contribution for the party but I am eager to check out all the ideas already posted. Have a great holiday weekend.

    Robin
    happilyhomeafter.blogspot.com

    Reply
  32. Hollie - TheSevenYearCottage.com says

    September 2, 2011 at 7:24 PM

    Thank you for another great party!

    Reply
  33. Dayle says

    September 2, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    The vintage circus birthday party … awesome!

    Thanks for hosting this great party.

    Reply
  34. Natasha in Oz says

    September 2, 2011 at 10:31 PM

    Thanks for having me today! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

    Best wishes,
    Natasha @ 5 Minutes Just for Me

    Reply
  35. Erin {Lavender and Lemon Drops} says

    September 3, 2011 at 3:16 AM

    Thanks for hosting! Have a great Labor Day weekend 🙂

    Reply
  36. Debbie says

    September 3, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    Your picks are wonderful. I’ve been so hit and miss that I had missed that pallet one at Debbiedos. I happen to have a pallet sitting in my garage right now.

    Reply
  37. Lynn at Cottage and Creek says

    September 3, 2011 at 4:37 PM

    I’m looking forward to visiting all your inspiring participants. Thanks for hosting this fun party.
    ~Lynn

    Reply
  38. Haniela says

    September 5, 2011 at 2:35 AM

    I haven’t had a time to visit in while and I’ve missed to much, thanks for hosting the party, I enjoy seeing new ideas and great picture. Beautiful work!!!

    Reply
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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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