Chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla books

This weekend I finished a set of three custom books. I couldn't be more pleased with the way they turned out. My friend Diana asked me to make personalized journals that she will give as a gift to the parents of three little girls (the youngest of the sisters was just born this month!).

When Diana and I talked about the concept for the books, she knew she wanted the books to be feminine with a brown and pink color scheme. But neither of us were interested in making them too girly. We also wanted them to be similar, and to form a cohesive set, but did not want them to be identical. The Japanese blossom papers were a perfect fit. I was able to find similar blossom patterns with cream, pink, and brown backgrounds at Paper Source, as well as bookcloth in the same colors. The guards and endsheets were made from light pink paper that matched the book covers.



I cut a recessed area into the front cover of each book, where I attached a custom-designed nameplate with each girl's name. Each book has 160 pages, providing plenty of room for journaling, collaging, scrapbooking, and doodling. I used the Coptic binding to stitch these books together. Pink waxed linen thread in a shade darker than the papers on the spine makes for a subtle contrast while still maintaining the color scheme.



And a side note: When I look at these books, I can't help but think of Neapolitan ice cream. Chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. Classic flavors, stunning color combination.



To read my posts about the books in progress, click here and here.