Ideas for Decorative Margins

If you are completely new to the idea of putting borders around your writing, you might want to start with something simple - draw a straight line around the perimeter of your writing space. Use a ruler for neatness, or draw it freehand for a more organic look. You can even use the insides of your margin templates (the part that you cut out) for this. Use an inside that is slightly larger than the writing space on your journal page. For example, if you use a ¾" margin template to write your entry, use the inside piece from the ½" template to draw your border. You want to have a little breathing space between your handwritten words and your border.

As with the functional margins, you want to add some visual contrast with your decorative margin. Draw your line in a different color of ink. Use a broad-nibbed pen or marker for more impact. Use watercolors or watercolor pencils for a softer look.

Surprisingly, the straight line lends itself to many variations:

• Angle your straight line border so that it is slightly off kilter.
• Line only the corners of your entry.
• Line only the top or the bottom of your entry.
• Experiment a little more and draw two or more lines of:
  1. Equal weights
  2. Different weights
  3. Different colors
• Combine thin and thick pen points and differing amounts of space between lines to form a sort of gradient border around your entry.

Once you have exhausted all of the straight line possibilities, you can move on to the next step - straight line interruptus. The most familiar version of this is the dashed line. The dot-and-dash is another perpetual favorite. Get creative with this by varying the lengths of the various lines and breaks. Or, you could get more sophisticated with this method by drawing a tiny picture or decorative motif in each corner around your writing and then drawing straight lines in between. Rubber stamps are good for this, also.

If straight lines are too binding for your tastes, there are a myriad of freeform borders that you can try. You are limited only by your imagination. My favorite technique is the freehand scribble all around the outside edges. Flowers and other tiny doodles are good, too. Think about the content of the day's writing and try to capture the same feel in your choice of border. Need some inspiration? Two Purple Ink members offer some ideas to get you started:

WireWoman offers these examples in the latest issue of her zine Lurpl, which is full of little ideas to inspire you to go make stuff. Contact her directly for subscription information. Be sure to ask about all of her other wonderful publications!

Eliza B, editrix of the marvelous IQ zine, was kind enough to provide these border tips. More examples of her work (including scanned pages from her art journals) and lists of her other publications can be found at her website: http://www.moderngypsy.com/.

Need more ideas? Pay attention the next time you are leafing through your favorite magazines and illustrated books. Susan Branch is one of my favorite sources of border inspiration. Each page of her colorful, handwritten books provides a wealth of ideas. Whatever source you choose, notice the various ways that pages are laid out - where the text goes, how lines and other decorative details are used. Be aware of what draws your eye and use margins and borders to duplicate the effect in your notebooks. Do not despair if your first attempts at embellishing a page are not as grand as you would like them to be. There is plenty of time for you to develop your skills and plenty of blank pages for you to practice on. A thousand-mile creative journey is made one tiny step at a time.

Happy scribbling!

Humble examples from my notebooks

Before:

After: