wash up

 After reminiscing about the shade garden on Sanibel from my last post, I thought I would share another small yet important section from my garden. The wash station.

I can easily spend countless hours in my gardens. No matter how dirty I get, it doesn't bother me a bit!

But when it is time to come inside, I want to at least get the first layer of muck off my hands.

So I carved out a small area to create a pretty wash station. It's much like a work bench with the addition of a large wash bowl, soap and towels.

The wash station is decorated with vintage garden themed accessories.

A large vintage Ironstone washbowl makes the perfect vessel for the wash station. I fill it with clean water when I begin my day and the sunlight warms the water so it is perfect when I am ready to get cleaned up.

Floating a few petal or flowers not only looks beautiful, but it smells fragrant and the natural oils from the flowers are released into the water. Nature's spa.

I like to keep a lovely bar of my favorite soap next to the washbowl. A little hint: to keep the soap dish clean, I place a small layer of tiny seashells or garden stones in the bottom of the dish. It keeps the bottom from getting all yucky.

I use linens to decorate my garden. A number of my old linens have stains or small holes. Instead of discarding them, I use them in my garden. Sometimes I buy slightly damaged linens and lace at yard sales just to use throughout my garden as well.

I don't know if you have ever considered a wash station for your garden. I can tell you it is a wonderfully helpful as well as beautiful place in my garden. If you do want to create one, why not make it pretty? A little lace can make an unexpected impact.

Have fun digging in your garden...

and pamper yourself when you're done.