Sketchbook: Never Leave Home Without It — By Guest Mom Cathe Holden

As a graphic designer I have sketched and thumbnailed thousands of ideas over the years relating to client projects. Since becoming a parent I find my sketchbooks now overflowing with birthday cake and invitation designs, sketches of my children, ideas for unique products that are sure to make me millions (...lots of those), lists, quotes & scripture that hold special meaning, and many other things that pop into my head on a daily basis. Occasionally I will revisit past sketchbooks to find myself in different chapters of parenthood.

The turning point page is the one with tiny sketches of all the office furniture from my downtown design firm. This page takes me back 13 years ago when I made the decision to leave a corporate life and become a work-at-home mom. It’s a sketch of office furniture that I had in my office with my husband’s handwriting in the measurements. He helped me figure out what would fit in my new home-office in the garage, and what had to go. A bittersweet time then, but a blessing many times over.



I have a preference for large spiral-bound sketchbooks, found at most craft and art supply stores, for business and home. Moleskine blank journals are a favorite for keeping in my purse and car to log my thoughts on the go. Sketchbooks are my form of journaling life, one doodle at a time.