I’m not sure if it’s the glittery finish or the playful, hand stitched binding, but this is one of my favorite journals to date. The cover was made using a shellac burn encaustic technique that I love.

I begin with a piece of recycled cardboard from the back of a watercolor paper pad, and cut it to size- in this case the finished book size is 4.5″ x 6″.

Next I apply about 3 or 4 layers of white encaustic paint to the surface, fusing well between layers.

Then I combine Pearl Ex powdered pigment in a gorgeous shade of blue with a little bit of clear shellac and apply it to the surface.

Working very quickly, I ignite the shellac and watch as the flame travels across the surface of the wax, creating interesting organic patterns as it goes. To add even more interest I continue to heat the surface, allowing the wax and pigment to “do their things” until I am happy with the result.

The results with this process can be very unpredictable, but that’s part of the fun. Plus, with a recycled piece of cardboard and an investment of just a scant amount of encaustic wax and pigment, I am not stressed about wasting the materials if things happen to go bad.

I plan to use this journal as a sketchbook so I decide to use drawing paper for my fill. I am starting with 9″ x 12″ paper so I cut it in half to get sheets that are 6″ x 9″, then I score each sheet along the center and fold them in half so that the pages now exactly match the size of my covers. (I could have made my fill a bit smaller, or made my covers a bit bigger than the fill paper, but these dimensions worked for the materials I had on hand.)

I group the folded paper into 6 signatures of 4 sheets each (so each signature makes up 8 pages of the journal). Then I punch the binding hole pattern through the folds using a paper template I created to make sure all the holes line up. For this book, my first hole is 1/4″ from the edge, then the spaces between holes are: 3/4″, 1″, 2″, 1″, 3/4″.

To complete the cover prep, I first need to apply paper to the inside surfaces of the front cover and to both sides of the board that will become the back cover. For this journal I decide to use purple paper on all three surfaces. I trim my papers to fit, then use a film adhesive (just like double sided tape, except it is sold in a large width roll) to attach my papers to my boards. Then I mark the hole pattern using the same template I used for the text block, except this time the holes are marked along a line 1/2″ from the edge on the front and back covers.

I use a Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in the covers that are just the right size for my grommets. A hand held hole punch tool would have taken a very strong grip, but may have worked too. An awl is another hole-making option.

Next I add a smidgen of glue under the rim and press my grommets into each hole from the outside surface using only my index finger. The grommets are a snug fit and do not extend past the surface on the inside of the cover so I don’t need to compress them like I normally would.

I finish up by stitching my text block and my covers to create a decorative binding. This one has a combo of both a kettle and French link stitches. Detailed binding stitch videos coming soon (sign up on my home page to be added to my mailing list and I will notify you whenever new content is available).

To see a 60 second video summary of this project, click here to go to my videos page.

A few notes about my binding techniques: Most hand sewn bindings are constructed using a stitch that integrates the front and back covers with the text block. In other words, the waxed thread that attaches the back cover is integrated with the last signature, and the part that attached the front cover is integrated with the first signature. This makes sense for regular books and journals, but if you are using fine art for your cover, you may want to stitch the journal in a way that allows the cover to be removed while the text block remains intact. If bound with a removable cover and you are giving this as a gift, the recipient will have the freedom to detach the cover to display it as art (by tying decorative ribbon or cord through the binding holes) and still use the text block as a journal on it’s own. (When I plan to do this, I am also sure to make the book with  an additional inner cover so the journal is still finished and functional even without the hardcover).   I use this technique when making my own journals because I like to archive the “guts” of my sketchbooks; Once I have used up the inner pages, I remove the hard covers and then date the inner covers and store the journals neatly on a shelf. Then I can reuse the cover by stitching it on a fresh text block, or simply hang it for display.