Desire to Inspire

Catherine has got me hooked on a blog, titled Desire to Inspire (click text).  I needed some inspiration and found some in this design/decorating blog.  It's nice to be inspired by different things in life.  Somehow this blog has given me much needed inspiration by looking at lovely photos of beautiful rooms.  That inspiration has carried over into my own house, trying to organize stuff and make it a nicer place to be.  This is something Mike and I loved to do together, though we would agonize over every detail!  (okay, just to be clear, the organizing part was Mike's sole domain).

This decorating blog has somehow pushed me out of my constant state of indecision-- I think because the rooms they show are clearly inspired by their owners, full of their personal treasures.  Some of the rooms are boringly perfect-- overly staged and impossible to imagine living in.  Yet some are full of life, thoughtful, funny, interesting, happy, creative places.  It shows that anything goes- no rules or right answers- just surrounding yourself with whatever you happen to love.  So, looking at these images reminds me that our homes can be such a great reflection of ourselves.  This is difficult to do without Mike, but it is an important process for me to start.

The photo above was a quick snap of my newest Kijiji find-- an antique hutch (super deal!).  First I got hooked on the blog from Catherine and subsequently got hooked on Kijiji as a place to source thrifty stuff to act on the inspiration.

Our house has a long way to go- for one, dealing with a seemingly impossible influx of kid paraphernalia that I can never seem to stay on top of (which explains why surfaces are never clear of random toys, markers, lone socks, etc).  However, this has been a first positive step for me.  I'm always thinking about Mike-- what would he and I be deciding on together-- I just found a painted credenza and I'm pretty sure he would have said, 'No way!' up front... but then have warmed to the idea once he saw it in action.  Not too bad, after all.  And,  I know he would have become quite addicted to this Desire to Inspire blog, surely spurring long discussion and debates with Alison, part of his trusty Nault design crew.