Thursday, July 1, 2010

Decoration and doodling ideas for a personal Leather Journal

Many among us maintain personal journals, inside which are penned an assortment of thoughts that describe the person we are. Into these pages go the abundant creativity that bubbles inside every person’s heart. However, the plain-clean sheets of a personal journal are not the only place where you can showcase your talent and flair for creativity, the journal covers are equally gripping. This is especially true in case of a leather journal where the leather is not just an embellishment in itself, but a vast virgin expanse waiting to be decorated. The ways in which you decorate and adorn your journal cover says a lot about your personality, artistry, and creativity. Here are some ideas to decorate or even doodle your personal leather journal with:
1.Go the traditional way and emboss or engrave your journal cover with your name, your favorite saying, a poem, floral patterns, or anything else that fancies you. Cover the the entire space of leather with embossments or just center your decoration. You are at your creativity’s free will!
2.Rubber stamp an imprint of your choice over your journal. Rubber stamps are economical and can give a dramatic effect if used in the right way. In fact, due to the smooth texture of pure grain leather, the rubber stamp imprints are richer and cleaner than they appear on paper images. Moreover, since the ink usually gets absorbed into the leather, the imprint is long-lasting and smudge-proof.
3. A contemporary method of using rubber stamp over your leather journal is to water mark it. For this, create a rubber stamp imprint using a solvent-based ink. Then leave it for a short span of time, take care that the ink does not dry out completely, and rub off the excess ink with alcohol. What you get is a subtle water marked kind of an effect on your leather journal cover. You can enhance this design further by using metallic paints, pens, or metal engravings. The longer you allow the imprint to stay before rubbing it off, the darker the effect you get.
4.If your creativity demands the use free-form arts like doodling, then so be it. Doodle with all over or on a part of your leather journal using permanent markers. The colors of the markers look crisper and sharper over leather surface. Do not forget the spine of your journal. The spine, being smooth and crease free, gives a better surface for penning some drawings. You can even use some formal art forms on the main cover and doodle over the spin.
5.Paste it stickers – the young artist’s best weapon! Use any and every sticker that you like. Add it to you journal border, on the spine, or cover the entire leather with an assortment of stickers. Do it as you like - after all it is your PERSONAL journal, so you are the boss. However, do remember to check that the stickers you are using have a strong adhesive, or else you might have the stickers peeling off the leather in no time – giving it a highly unpleasant look. But again, if you are one of those who hate monotony, then go for the regular stickers and keep changing the stickers every now and then.
6.Cut out photos from your favorite magazine or take out snaps from your photo album and stick it on your journal. Center paste a single photo or make a collage that follows a scheme of thoughts or ideas – that’s again your choice.
7.You can also embellish your personal leather journal with mementos like the fabric of your wedding gown, your first air travel ticket, the place cards from your prom night, anything that matters to you.
Remember! What have been listed here are just ideas for decorating your personal leather journal. The way what goes inside your journal is left completely to your discretion; be it doodling or decorating your leather journal cover. While writing in a leather journal will preserve your memories for ages, personalizing it in your unique style will turn it into an heirloom and a keepsake for generations.

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