Emma's Blank Journal

Following my grandfather's death on my wedding day in 2002 I returned home with my parents to attend the funeral. In the days following, while we sat around my grandparent's large dining table and wrote the many thank you cards, stories were flying. Some more distant relatives came to help out and one of them was generous enough to share many of the photos and documents related to my great-grandmother, Emma. It is these pieces that make up the covers of this very personal blank journal, a gift for my cousin.

The 94 pages of ivory Canson Mi-Tientes paper are bound with a combination of the Celtic weave and two-needle chain stitch in natural and brown waxed linen thread.

Emma was born in Illinois in 1887 and her baptism certificate, written in Swedish, makes up the background of the front cover. She was a very faithful woman and always at the ready to help family and community members when needed, so I added a halo to the image of her from 1907 to symbolize her angelic nature, even in life. The dots around the edge of the halo represent her age at that time – 20 years.

For the back cover, I generated a background image digitally using some quotes she had written in her newspaper column, Svea Siftings, that were used in her funeral service. I added her wedding photo with a heart to tie the front and back pieces together, as well as to tie her to her husband of 57 years, Oscar. In the lower left is a family portrait from some unknown year. Once again, there are gold dots on this piece to symbolize Emma and Oscar’s 57 years together as man and wife.

This is a closer view at the Celtic weave stitching used to bind the book. This stitching, while highly decorative also allows the book to lie flat, making it easier to use than most commercially available journals.

Commissions of personal blank journals using copies of your own family’s cherished documents and photos are available. Please contact Kristi with your specifications and she will give you an estimate as soon as possible.