Original Brooks and Ross Pottery Collaboration
It’s All In The Details
Scroll down to learn more about how we made this collaboration come to life!
For the past few months, we’ve been working on an exciting collaboration with our friend Sara from Original Brooks. We’ve put together a sweet gift box for y’all, including a hand-painted ceramic mug and a hand-sewn vegan leather journal, both with matching retro-inspired tulip flowers. We’re now opening this collaboration up for preorders to arrive in time for the holidays.
As long-time journal keepers and tea drinkers, this collaboration was exciting for all of us. As a fan of mid-century motifs and warm colors, Sara has long admired Jamie and Meg’s ceramic work. Jamie got the process started by sketching a few flowers and scanning them over to Sara. Sara converted the scanned drawings into digital artwork and had a metal stamp made of the flower. Through a letterpress technique called Hot Foil Stamping, Sara stamped Jamie’s flower onto a few color samples of vegan leather using different shades of green foil. Sara, an avid shopper of thrift stores and estate sales, had the perfect vintage vinyl waiting for a project like this.
The colors were of the same palette as Jamie and Meg's work. After selecting a harvest gold vegan leather and dark green foil, Jamie and Meg went to work designing the perfect mug and matching glazes to the journal's cover. Meg threw a few mugs in a mid-century style on the pottery wheel, adding a pulled handle and trimming in a deep foot. Jamie took it from there; she hand-painted her classic design, used the sgraffito technique to add extra detail, and sent it into the first kiln firing. After that, the mug was ready for its clear glaze, making it food-safe and durable for a lifetime of use. After the mug’s design and color scheme were solidified, Sara designed the interior pages of the journal to match the exterior. She also created a new stitch pattern to mimic a floral design along the spine of the book. Jamie, Meg, and Sara are all so pleased with the results, and we can’t wait to share these handcrafted gems with you.
This set is the perfect way to start your morning’s intentions or to wind down the evening with some reflection. However this set is used; it’ll be cherished for a long time to come. I hope you’ve enjoyed looking through our process photos and some behind-the-scenes info on our shared process. Preorders are open Nov. 1st - 8th, and your set will be shipped out on Nov. 22nd. Follow this link to order yours!
About Ross Pottery
Meg and Jamie co-create the cheerful work of Ross Pottery. Their vintage-inspired pottery explores embroidery patterns, quilt blocks, earthenware forms, and glass dishes to create charmingly unique yet familiar wares. Their work is created in tandem; Meg creates the forms using the potters' wheel and hand-building techniques, while Jamie illustrates each hand-painted design with layers of glaze, wax resist, and carved accents. Their joyful collaboration creates timeless pottery meant to be passed down through generations.
About Original Brooks
Original Brooks is a bookbinding studio owned and operated by Sara Brooks Charles. The studio makes hand-crafted books with a focus on products designed for everyday use. Sara uses traditional bookbinding practices combined with non-traditional materials. All of the notebooks, journals, and notepads are one-of-a-kind or made in small batches. Most materials used- paper, envelopes, fabric- are sourced from estate sales, thrift stores, and creative reuse centers. With a focus on both aesthetics and usability, Sara designs every book to be functional and beautiful. Besides handcrafted journals and notepads, Sara offers custom bookbinding services. Sara is based in Lexington, NC.
