A Monthly Love Letter for My Guy : The Cover

Today’s the day for another installment of a sweet little anniversary gift I’m working on for my guy.  I’m using a {Love Letter} from Gadanke.  Once a month, I fill out a page and add a little photo from the month.  In one year, I’ll have a fantastic gift of story of our year and all the smoozy love that goes with it.

I picked this {Love Letter} with a blue and white diamond Italian paper cover:

I’ve been chomping at the bit to get into October just to write another page.  (Here’s what I did for the September love letter page – the first of many.)

How many times did my mom tell me, “Katie, you know that patience is a virtue.”

I need to wait a few weeks to tell an October story, so I am here instead to show you the journal cover.  Every book needs a personal cover, and over the year, I am sure that this one will develop into something very different than it is today.  For now, I really like how it looks (i.e.  masculine).

The cover is very simple.  The “5″ represents our 5th year because unbelievably, this book will be documenting our FIFTH year of marriage.  I imagine that down the road, there will be a “6″ book and “7″ and…  I already can’t wait to flip through the pages of those!  (enter the patience is a virtue nudge again.)

I used a ruler and pencil to draw a square on the top of the journal.  Then I freehanded the number 5 in a thick font.  Just to make sure the paint didn’t bleed through the paper (it didn’t!), I slipped a scrap paper under the cover.  Then it was just a matter of filling in the blanks with paint.

I just used regular old acrylic paint that you can buy in craft stores.  (In Germany, I go to Idee.  A bottle is 3 euros.)  You may need a few coats in some spots.

The next morning, I used a thin permanent marker to jot down our names with a little heart.  Awwww.

Whaala!  A little personalized flair.

Now it’s your turn.  No paint needed.  I’d love to know how long you’ve been with your sweet.  And yes, I am totally all for that sweet being a 4-legged friend.  Share your love.