Style, Inspiration and Frogs

I used to go antique shopping quit a bit when we lived in a bungalow cottage on the south hill, but not as much since moving to a more “modern” home.  I definitely suffer from shoppers anxiety when faced with too many options…I mean there are things in my basement now that I have no idea why I bought??
While we were building our new home in 2005 I still didn’t really have a clear vision of my “style”. When I would look through magazines or books or go shopping it seemed like I liked everything, but did I really?  I would find myself getting so overwhelmed and stressed out that I would not buy anything at all or buy something that really wasn’t me. 

A few months after we moved in we had some good friends visit from Vancouver, BC.  Carrie McCarthy is the wife of my husband’s long time friend from way back…and she is an interior designer. So in my dream world I was hoping she would walk in the door and just TELL me what she would do and give me some ideas…well I got something even better,  I got a Style Statement.  Carrie McCarthy is the woman behind this amazing concept and idea.  At that time she was working on getting her website and  book launched and they were “giving" Style Statements to lots of friends and family.  So what is a Style Statement?  Well, to quote from her website..."your style statement helps you make choices that accurately reflect and support the real You.  It’s two profoundly and magical words that guide your personal style-from your wisdom to your wardrobe, from your longings to your living room-your Style Statement is where your essence meets your expression. When applied, it becomes a lifelong mantra, allowing you to make authentic choices that make you feel powerful and joyful.”  

After about an hour interview she presented me with my two magical words and she explained to me why those two words were unique to me.  It was amazing!  It made total sense and even in that moment I felt like I had a clearer vision of the real me.  Pretty cool.  

If you feel like your life is a little out of sync or you’re looking for a career change or you have a hard time making clear decisions or you have a closet full of clothes you don’t wear…check out her website and maybe getting a Style Statement will change your life!

So now when I go into an antique store or furniture store, which can be so overwhelming, I can focus on stuff that is truly my style instead of getting overwhelmed…recently I bought an old galvanized laundry sink at Roost. Why?  Well, I knew I liked it and I love the patina of old galvanized steel.  I wasn’t sure what I would use it for, maybe use as a large ice bucket for beer and wine at summer parties, maybe turn it into a planter in the yard somewhere, maybe do it like they did in the old days and wash clothes in it (not!).  

While surfing the internet for inspiration these last few months I ran across an amazing gardening website.  Her name is Margaret Roach (maybe some of you have heard of her) and she lives in upstate NY, which coincidently is the same planting zone as Spokane, 5B.  She used to work for Martha Stewart but soon after 9-11 she decided to move permanently upstate and now is a freelance writer and book author and master gardener.  Definitely take a look at her site, A Way to Garden,  she has a wealth of information and is so inspiring to me!  In one of her posts she tells how to set up an instant, seasonal water garden that requires little effort with maximum results, my kind of project!  And now I have a use for my sink, at least for the summer since this is seasonal.  She goes into more detail here and the “comments” section is very informative as well.  We always seem to have a few little frogs gathered around the front porch and now I will have a little home for them!  

BEFORE:  I’m testing out the sink first while I wait for
my floating plants to arrive in the mail, no leaks!
 I added an old branch so the
 frogs will have something to hang
out on.  I’m going to use the small terra-cotta pot
as well and add shade plants to the other two pots.  

AFTER: Fairy Moss and Duck Weed installed.   Duckweed is a warm weather plant so it will
only last here for the summer but the fairy moss will freeze over so I may transplant it to
another container for the winter and just leave it outside.  Just don’t throw it in a
stream or lake because it’s invasive.  

Didn’t take long for this cute little guy to arrive

Besides being cute, frogs are very important to our ecosystem...They control populations of
insects (which is why these ponds won’t turn in to a mosquito house)
 and they're also an indicator species, meaning that if their air, water or food source is
 polluted the frogs will develop diseases and abnormalities in their offspring
that let people know something is wrong.

Here’s to you finding inspiration wherever you can...