5-17-2026 MY INSPO: i spy...

like it's 1999

my love for books might've started during the scholastic book fair - a throwback for many american kids and our pre-digitized childhood. i used to circle books i wanted in the catalog (more was circled than not), and i remember getting an allowance from my mom to purchase some. the publisher - scholastic - truly was a memory maker. seeing its logo brings a fuzzy feeling. i don't have kids of my own but i am happy that i caught the tail end of the slow living kids don't have if they're being shoved with ipads. 

slow living for me feels like history too, as i scroll endlessly, switching through apps. during one of these scroll sessions, i spied with my little eye a post about walter wick - photographer of the i spy children's books. now that's a title i had forgotten about!

i immediately told boyfriend during one of our phone calls or hangouts "do you remember the i spy books we used to read as kids?" and his reaction was also one filled with nostalgia. 

for those unaware of this blissful book - 'i spy' is a children's book filled with intricate photos filled with random objects, frequently following a theme, such as treasure hunts, christmas, halloween... and beside wick's photographic skills, author jean marzollo prompted the reader with simple rhymes, listing objects the reader should find. 

i went to my local library and borrowed 3 i spy books - keep an eye out for these in the future faves entries. each evening sib and i pore over the pages (currently completed the treasure hunt edition), and we are surprised by the illusions, hidden gems, and other things hidden in plain sight. what i adore most is that each page was made with real objects and props, no digitizing, and certainly no ai. just a photography crew and prop masters. these images create more than a game, they're stories that feel so real. one can only chuckle at the giant penny hidden while we admire the view onto no man's island. 

i'm the world's biggest ai hater. my besties may be able to recall my text rant around christmastime when i was coloring with my clients and mid-coloring i realized the page was made with ai. the lines would go missing; things just didn't make sense from a logical standpoint.

i was fuming as i colored with my client. why was i so angry, you may be wondering. besides the obvious laziness and environmental issues ai use causes, i was upset because coloring pages are usually targeted toward children. a child's drawing and coloring skill begins with stick figures and a smiling sunshine on the corner of the page, with little to no realism. using drawing tools such as pages, or drawing pads with grids, children learn to trace, they begin understanding depth perception. let's take my coloring page above as an example. a child might be confused with the countertop in the back, not understanding what the hell is going on, or forgetting the bottom part of the pine tree in the back. it's the lack of detail. details can help train a child to understand architecture, object permanence, and logical details. yes, we see how countertops look in real life, but coloring pages can help a child trace, train and understand through simple steps and develop artistic skills that can later define their career. 

making of the beach scene in the 'i spy treasure hunt'

this is why i go back to the i spy books. not to sound geriatric (insert millennial joke here), but things were better during our childhood than now. i don't work with kids but i hear horror stories about the excessive ai use. the good people of northeast ohio are protesting and petitioning against data centers being built in the middle of our towns. perhaps by the time i plan to have my own kids, we'll be living in a more hopeful future?

in the midst of a chaotic present, i spy some hope, and a future i may not resent.

sib's sewing corner

once again, sib dug into her treasures of forgotten clothing, giving them a new life. below you will see the transformation of a white blouse, once blah - now beguiling.

before

after

here's some inspo how i'd wear this top. let's be real, i will be stealing it from her closet!