Autograph Books

A recent stroll through an art gallery of original works had my heart beating fast as I studied the fresh brush strokes and wondered how the artist accomplished such unique touches. An elderly gentleman sat near the checkout, happily munching on a crisp red apple. I hesitantly asked him if he were Mr. Anderson, the artist whose work I was buying. When he answered yes, I could barely stammer how amazed I was by his work. With a slight twinkle in his eye, and a mouth full of apple, he tipped his head and said, "Thank you very much."

Walking out the door with the painting tucked under my arm, I wished I had asked him for his autograph. Sure, it was already on the front of the painting, but if I had asked him and he had agreed, we would have made a more personal connection. I would hold in my hands the proof of our meeting and I would value and appreciate his work all the more.

With that in mind, I decided to create an autograph book that I could keep as a reminder of all the connections that have meant something to me. I didn't necessarily want the book itself to be one that I carried around with me, so it didn't have to fit in my small purse. I had visions of adhering a tattered corner of a store receipt with my hero's autograph on the appropriate page of my actual autograph book. Perhaps I would be even bolder to ask for a photo with my newfound friend and that photograph could be placed next to the swirls of penmanship that formed his name.

I decided on an 8 ½" x 11" preprinted alphabet paper that I could fold in half and stitch together with a basic Coptic stitch. Each page is like a card with the printed alphabet letter on the cover and signature and photo on the inside. In the book, the back of the "card" also becomes additional space for other signatures with that letter.

My ‘A', ‘T', and ‘R' pages all feature someone who was kind enough to give me their autograph and to pose for a picture with me. I added a few embellishments to my page that reminded me of that person as well.

You could choose to have an autograph book where friends would put their list of favorites and other tidbits of information about themselves. Other books would hold collections of poetry along with expressions of love and friendship. Guest books at weddings, mourning books at funerals, and visitor's books in homes all offer opportunities to collect the autographs and sentiments of our friends. The round robin books in our scrapbooking communities are another expression of autograph books as we strive to make personal connection with our online friends.

Start your first page today with one of these poems from Album Verses by J.S. Ogilvie, 1884.

When years elapse,
It may, perhaps,
Delight us to review these scraps,
And live again 'mid scenes so gay,
That time's rough hand has swept away;
For when the eye, bedimmed with age,
Shall rest upon each treasured page,
Those pleasant hours
That once were ours
Shall come again, like autumn flowers,
To bloom and smile upon us here
When all things else seem sad and drear;
'T will tune our hearts and make them sing,
And turn our autumn into spring!

My album's open! Come and see!
What! Won't you waste a line on me?
Write but a thought, a word or two,
That memory may revert to you.

Create your own autograph book with scrapbook supplies from Scrapjazz.com's huge theme store!