Day 170/365

Spring is in the air, the snow is melting/melted and many of us are eager to help welcome the new season.Usually, springtime means spring cleaning.  Oh joy.

Today’s post is a mix of ‘Use Your Journal’ and spring cleaning, specifically; getting your books, journals and sketchbooks organized and accounted for!  In a fun way, I promise!
My secret weapon to accomplish this, if you haven’t already guessed, is with Ex Libris bookplates.  

Ex Libris bookplates are labels that go in the front cover of your books (journals, sketchbooks, novels, biographies, etc).  Ex Libris is latin and roughly translates to ‘from the library of’.  Therefore, when you write your name in the space provided on each bookplate, you are creating your own library!  What’s more organized than a library!?

My Ex Libris bookplates are my own designs that I carve into lino blocks.  Then I hand print each one onto self-adhesive paper, making it easy and convenient for you to label your beloved books.  I’ve printed two different designs, each in a few different colours, you can read about my process here.

I’ve even got gold bookplates!  They’re actually quite beautiful and classy, and make a great gift when tucked in the front of a special book for a friend.   To recap, here are 3 steps to incorporate Ex Libris bookplates into your journalling, sketching and book-collecting lives, making it even more fun to use your journal!

1. Choose a selection of journals/sketchbooks/books to be labelled.

2. Write your name in the space provided on the bookplate.  Some people also like to write the date they start the book.

2a. If you’re giving a special journal/book as a gift and want to put an ex libris bookplate in the front cover, you can write the recipient’s name and the date.  You can also write the occasion for the gift, as a memento for life milestones or achievements.

3. Once you’ve written the info in the space provided on the bookplate, peel off the backing and adhere to the inside front cover of the book/journal/sketchbook.  Repeat for all your most fancy and special books!

Have fun!