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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

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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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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Happy Friday!! I’m working on a blog post to sha Happy Friday!! I’m working on a blog post to share all of the details of our family room shelving makeover but I’m super impatient and just had to give you all a sneak peek!! We are SO happy with how they turned out and it finally looks like I’ve always envisioned. Our quick fix years ago (scroll to see the before photo) never felt quite right but now? Soooo much better!! 🙌🏻 Big shoutout to our amazingly talented friend Matt @redemptive_woodworx for bringing our vision to life and doing such impeccable work.

I hope you all have a great start to the 4th of July weekend and make sure to check my stories later for Friday Funnies!
The month of June is coming to a close and it has The month of June is coming to a close and it has been JAM packed! The highlight by far though was my son's graduation from high school. When I started blogging, he was only 6 years old and some of you have been apart of my community here for that entire time. Now, he's 19 and there is a reason parents are told not to blink because the years truly do go faster than I ever could have imagined. He has become such an incredible young man we are so excited to see how God is going to unfold the next chapter of his life. We celebrated with parties galore (SO many open houses to attend!) and made memories we'll forever cherish. My mama heart was filled to bursting with the joy of it all! Now we're taking some time to just enjoy these warm, summer days making even more memories because, when you’re at this stage of parenting, you know all too well how much you need to grasp every opportunity to spend time together.

I hope your summer is off to a great start too dear friends! 🪴
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts o “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Happy first day of summer dear friends!! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted something new here but life has been crazy. I’ll have some new photos of house projects and life events to share with you soon but, got now, I’m just going to enjoy this gorgeous first day of summer after our ridiculously long, wet spring. ☀️
“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. Th “It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” (Maud Hart Lovelace) 

Welcome June!
“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
General Douglas MacArthur

Grateful today and every day for those who were vigilant to the point of death in the preservation of our freedom. May we honor their sacrifice by being vigilant too. #memorialday
“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
This is one of my most favorite projects from my b This is one of my most favorite projects from my book Life in Season! 

Because, if heaven has a fragrance, I’m fairly certain it smells like lilacs.

I think that somewhere along the way the verse in the Bible that said, ‘heaven will smell like lilacs’ just got lost in translation. But it HAD to have been in there at some point, right?

When I bury my head in the blossoms (which I absolutely MUST do every single time I walk past them), I immediately feel a stirring in my soul.

It seems like I wait forever for my lilac tree to bloom. Every year I anxiously watch as the buds begin to form on the branches and then when the blossoms finally burst forth I begin that agonizing process of deciding the absolute perfect moment to snip them and bring them inside.

And then, after all of that waiting and watching it’s just over…done. Because, unlike heaven, lilacs don’t last for an eternity. So, making my own lilac room spray seemed like the perfect way to enjoy their fragrance long after the blossoms have faded.

Here’s how to make it! Ingredients: Water, Vodka, Lilac fragrance oil. Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka. Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

Once you’ve made this lilac scented room spray you will be very tempted to spray it in every room in your house. And someone may want to use it in the bathroom to cover up other less…ummmm….pleasing aromas.

But, do not, I repeat do NOT, let them.

You’ve captured the fragrance of heaven in a bottle and you wouldn’t want to go and tarnish it now would you? 😉
We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most we’ve had in a LONG time) and now we are back to pouring rain. This has officially confirmed what I’ve know to be true for awhile now.

I’m a MUCH better version of myself when the sun is shining! 🤪 So I’ll just be over here today plotting and planning how my husband and I can be snowbirds someday when the kids are out of the house.

If you could spend your winters (and apparently most of spring too!) in any part of the country, where would it be?
Happy weekend sweet friends!! We’ve had a LOT of Happy weekend sweet friends!! We’ve had a LOT of rain lately (which is saying something when you live in Oregon) and I’ll admit that it’s affecting my moods a bit. I feel like I’m dragging and struggling to find the energy to get stuff done. So don’t mind me if I’m over here looking at photos of my garden in the summertime and finding that it keeps me hopeful about those days to come. They will come, right?! 🤪. 

What are your favorite plants that you look forward to seeing in the summer?
We’re going to be giving our laundry room a make We’re going to be giving our laundry room a makeover soon. It’s LONG overdue! In fact, the folks from the counter company were just here taking measurements. While we have made some simple, inexpensive updates over the years, it still has many of the original elements from when the house was built in 1992.

Two of our bathrooms are also in need of major makeovers. And we’ve saved up enough money over the years to tackle those projects. But, for the most part, we made the decision to use the bulk of that money in another way. While we knew that it was financially wise to invest in our house, we also knew that the greatest investment we could make was in our children. 

I’ll admit, there are times where I see other people doing massive overhauls of their entire home in a matter of months and I feel a prick of envy. But, we decided that if our choice was between waiting a bit longer to enjoy a renovated bathroom or going on adventures as a family, we would choose adventures every time. And we don’t regret that decision for a single second. It’s not that we haven’t tackled home projects (we’ve done a lot!). It’s just that it’s been a slow and steady process. 

Most recently, we let our son pick where we would travel for spring break since this is his senior year of high school and we are trying to make up for lost time. With so much of life ‘paused’ for two years, we have appreciated these moments more than ever. And, since he’ll be heading to college in the fall, we are very aware of how important it is to spend this time together while we still have a modicum of control over everyone’s schedules.

We have many years left to remodel our home but only so much time left to make memories with our children.

And, while I’m always happy to look around my home and see rooms that are updated and more reflecting of our style, it doesn’t compare to the joy I feel when I look around my home and see the people I love the most who have been shaped by the many adventures we’ve experienced together.
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