Guest Blogger: Brooke Reynolds

This week's guest blogger is Brooke Reynolds and I couldn't be happier. Her blog Inchmark is one of my most favorite to read because it is authentic, and full of ideas that are completely inspiring and original. Have you ever stopped by? Take a look at some of my favorite ideas she has shared like her Spring in a Box...



Or this adorable party for her daughter...



and this Magical Thinking jar...




Incredible huh ... well it's no wonder that she was a former senior art director for Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Kids magazines. (I'm still dreaming for the day when they bring back MS Kids).

Brooke currently dabbles in book design and custom stationery. I am a big fan of her work and recently I know of this book and this book that she designed, and these custom wedding invitations she did pretty much take my breath away.

What I love most about Brooke is that she is a mother of two who continues to pursue her passion of being creative. Her post about the juggling act was inspiring and something I think a lot of creative moms can relate to.

Welcome Brooke, delighted you're here!

_____________________________



I'm so happy to be here. A big thank you to Rachel for letting me guest
post this week. I'm constantly inspired by Rachel and her blog.. and I'm
so honored she has invited me to share with you a few of my favorite
things.

I'm the mother of two, my daughter Bee is 3 1/2 and my son C is almost
5. I spent ten years living in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but we now call
Southern California home. And though we miss the bright lights of the
big city, we're also pretty happy hanging out at the beach and enjoying
our sunny winters here.

I recently read the book Collections of Nothing, by William Davies King.
Mr. King is an avid collector of what others might disregard as junk.
"Enough odd stuff that, if you looked at each item for just two seconds,
you'd be bored for a long time, if not eternity." But I disagree, and after
reading his memoir, wished I could spend a week or so flipping through
his collections of air mail envelopes, skeleton keys, cigar ribbons
(though he does not smoke) and cat-food labels.

I am a sucker for a collection of almost anything. And even though we
lived in a tiny apartment during our years in New York, I still managed
to keep a few of my own collections (business cards, chopstick holders,
playing cards I found on the street, etc.)

I'll be sharing several of my own "collections of nothing" this week.

The New Collectors by guest: Brooke Reynolds

It appears that my collecting gene has been passed on to my two children
(shown above). Children love to stop and stare at all kinds of things as
they wander around: bugs, leaves, sticks, etc. As I wrap up my week
here, I leave you with one last collection that is not mine. This one
belongs to my 4 year old son. He's been picking rocks up for a few years
and keeps them in a shoebox in his closet.



I've loved being with you all week. A big thank you to Rachel for
letting me share a few of my collections. I know there are so many
others out there who collect odd bits of things, maybe I'll start a
regular column over on inchmark where people can share what they collect
and why. I'd love to see what you all have stashed in your desk drawers!

Make it a lovely weekend!
Brooke

- - -

A big shout out and thank you to Brooke... hasn't this week been so fun seeing all of her fantastic collections? Inchmark is definitely one of my few must-read daily blogs, I am inspired by Brooke and all of her wonderful projects. I think this is an excellent last post for the week, I echo Brooke's sentiments of making it a lovely weekend! Have a great one everyone.

Vintage Photos by guest: Brooke Reynolds

On Saturday mornings in New York, one of my favorite places to go was
the outdoor flea markets down around 25th street. My husband and I
bought our very first furniture purchase there, two identical metal
office desks from the 1950s that we still use in our office. Walking
through the flea market can be a little overwhelming. I skip over the
vintage clothing and shoes, walk right past the collections of old vinyl
and broken watches, and head straight for the old photos. It always
makes me a little sad to see them sitting in a dusty shoebox, rejected
and lost. So I search for a few to take home. Here is a part of my
little collection.

FOUND LEAVES by guest: Brooke Reynolds

I'm by no means a leaf collector, but from time to time I pick one up
and add it to my little collection. They remind me of places I've lived
or visited and I love how they change color as they dry. The ginkgo is
from a tree outside my first New York apartment, when I lived in Hell's
Kitchen. The epimedium leaves are from a photo shoot we did at Martha
Stewart. The tall yellow leaf is from a hike my husband and I took
during our honeymoon in Costa Rica. The Japanese maple is from a nearby
brownstone when we lived in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

I take a leaf now and then and throw them in a big book and forget about
them, and years go by. When I discover them again, tucked in the pages
of various books throughout the house, I can usually remember where they
came from and what was going on when I grabbed it. One is from my
grandfather's funeral, and when I found it recently, I could remember
exactly what the sky looked like that day and how the trees rustled in
the wind. And that is why I keep them around.

Produce Stickers by guest: Brooke Reynolds

I keep a piece of paper taped to the inside of one of my kitchen
cabinets, and whenever I'm putting away the groceries I pull off the
stickers from my fruits and vegetables and add them to my little
collection. I'm saddened to see that so many of the grocery chains are
starting to barcode their fruit, so these sweet little stickers are
going to be a thing of the past very soon.

I recently finished reading the book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
" by Barbara Kingsolver and it's forced me to reconsider many of my
grocery shopping habits. We'll be hitting the farmer's market more,
and trying to eat things in season (rather than buying produce that's been
flown here from Chile).But I will miss my produce stickers, they make me
smile each time I open my cabinets.

Chopstick Holders by guest: Brooke Reynolds

I've been stashing these away here and there for a few years. The
problem is I frequent the same restaurants again and again, so the
majority of this collection is duplicates. But I, for one, don't mind a
collection of repeats!

FOUND PLAYING CARDS by guest: Brooke Reynolds

I spent a lot of time walking around our neighborhood in Brooklyn when
my children were very little, and every once in a while we'd find a
lonely playing card on the sidewalk. I love the ones that look a little
worse for wear, dog eared with dirt ground in. I don't know how they get
there, but we always pick them up and dust them off and bring them home.

DIY fabric tags by Inchmark

My favorite thing in the winter issue of Martha Stewart Weddings are the details from a beautiful textile inspired wedding which included these amazing fabric escort cards. Come to find out, Brooke Reynolds from one of my favorite daily reads Inchmark is the creator behind them. On her website, she shares a template of how to make them into adorable last-minute holiday tags. One sweet DIY project, details here. Thanks for sharing your magic Brooke! Off to look at some fabrics at Purl Soho.


(images 1: Martha Stewart Weddings 2: from Inchmark)

Security Patterns by guest: Brooke Reynolds

Next up in my "collections of nothing" are envelope security patterns.
I've been collecting mine for years, and I always get excited when I
spot a new one. I know I'm not alone in this, there's a lovely
collection HERE. I love how the patterns are never quite perfect, like they've
been xeroxed on an old copy machine...a quality you don't see very often this
day and age with so much computer generated art.

I've been cutting down all my envelopes into little squares and they sit
in my office drawer, just the right size for the funny quotes that end
up in my MAGICAL THINKING JAR.

Valet Parking Tags by guest: Brooke Reynolds

I have always tried to pay attention to the ground beneath my feet, but
especially so after I moved to New York. There are such nice surprises
waiting, if you just keep your eyes open. I started noticing these
lovely bits of paper all over the city. I'm a sucker for red type, so
that is probably what first caught my eye. Originally I thought they
were dry cleaning tags, but after some research I think they might be
valet parking stubs. Whatever they are, I adore them and wish I could
collect more before they become a relic of the past, replaced by a
generic receipt. I think their days are sadly numbered.