"Three Gifts" 2009 Limited Edition Bookplate

Each year I create an ink bookplate to give to close friends and family. I usually start these time-consuming projects at the same time I start an ink unit with my second year students. For the past two years I have been creating the entire piece using the technique of stippling which involves creating an image using thousands of tiny dots or dashes. I love this approach even though it takes a great deal of time and patience. It is a lot like drawing with tiny little specks of black sand and the images seem to slowly appear.

For this year's design, I wanted to really challenge myself so I decided to create a border of snowflakes around a snowdome. My idea was to create a negative image of the snowflakes with no contour lines. When I teach negative space I always instruct my students to "draw the holes" instead of the image.

I have collected snowdomes and snowglobes since I was a very little girl. I still have my very first little dome. When we travel I love to pick up cheap plastic, souvenir snowdomes and have a wonderful collection. At Christmas I have a beautiful collection of glass snowdomes that mean a great deal to me.

I struggled with what I wanted to place in the globe. I really didn't want the final piece to be a Christmas piece but something my family could enjoy year round. I want each of my bookplates to have some personal significance and I finally discovered the idea of using three wrapped gifts. This past year has been a wonderful year filled with great surprises and generous gifts from friends and family. We have been greatly blessed in 2009.

The final bookplate will be scanned and personalized for each recipient. I also love to package my adhesive bookplates a different way each year. These are going to be wrapped in stamped vellum and decorated with paper punched snowflakes.

I welcome orders for personalized bookplates or prints of this piece. Just drop me an email for prices and shipping costs.

Again, I am grateful for a blessed and bountiful 2009 and hope that all who follow me enjoy this year's bookplate and have a wonderful holiday.