This past Fall, I was flooded with orders for personalized journals. It was great fun to be so involved in so many people's gift-giving for 2009! I got a great email from a woman I'd never met before. Her name is Peggy and she wrote: "My children are grown and married [...] for Christmas I want to give them a book that on the first page I will write a message/prayer to them. Then in the following pages my hope is that the couple would write love notes/prayers back and forth for each other. My thought is that this would be such a beautiful keepsake for them and for their children and grandchildren one day. [...] I know I could go to Mardels and get a “journal book” but I think something more personal would be so much more special."
I loved Peggy's idea and immediately contacted her to accept the project. Peggy wanted to include the names or initials of each couple and wanted two soft-bound and two hard-bound books. She gave me some pointers on each couple's favorite colors/style, and I set to work collecting supplies. Below is the final result.
AARON and LAUREN Aaron and Lauren are engaged to be married and love the color blue. I started with a sapphire blue suede cover.
The inside paste pages were made from scrapbook paper resembling burlap. A black satin ribbon bookmark was added so Aaron and Lauren could mark the page where they left off.
Slide-on alphas spelled out their names on the cover. Silver star brads helped keep the ribbon secure.
BRANDON and JODI For their book cover, I used a flat black cotton cloth and alpha brads bearing their initials.
I carved grooves into the book boards before binding to give the plain black cover a little punch.
The inside paste pages were zebra stripes, Jodi's favorite:
The ETHRIDGES For the Ethridges, I used a vibrant red suede cover and circular alpha brads in an alternating pattern of black and clear.
I used a funky retro circles paper on the inside and added a brown satin ribbon bookmark.
TOMMY and HEATHER For Tommy and Heather's book, I covered the boards in my blue-gold bookbinding cloth. The inside paste pages were a cube/column pattern reminiscent of 1980s video games.
I added a brown satin ribbon bookmark as well as heart brads on the spine.
On the cover, I included their initials and a mesh heart brad.
Peggy, thank you for allowing me to bring your wonderful idea to life! I'd love to hear how these books bless your family for generations to come! I know I'd enjoy reading love letters that my parents or grandparents had written each other. God bless!
This would be a wonderful wedding or anniversary gift! If you are interested in having a Legacy Journal made for your significant other or for loved ones in your life, contact me. Let's preserve those memories!