Inscription ideas for inside a journal gift

If you have purchased a journal to give to a friend as a gift, then you may want to include a special inscription on the inside of the journal that expresses to the gift recipient your appreciation or gratitude. Be sure to use a permanent ink pen that does not bleed for the best, most long-lasting results.

Order a book plate that you can paste on the inside of the journal cover. Then, use a paint pen or permanent pen that does not fade or bleed to write a personal note expressing your gratitude for the gift recipient. You might also write your hopes for the blessings your friend will receive from using the journal to record his hopes, dreams and struggles. For example, you might write the following inscription: "Dear Mary, I am grateful for your friendship over the past 10 years. I hope you will enjoy this journal. My hope is that you will find space in these bounded pages to dream, hope, sift through your pain and disappointments, and finally, learn to turn the pages into new life."

Use an archival pen to write a historical inscription on the inside cover of the journal. Consider writing an expression that is similar to the following: "Presented to Mary on June 2, 2011, on the day commemorating her day of birth, by Grandma Sue."

Copy a quote that you like or your friend likes on the inside cover of the journal. Search a popular quote library that is free and online, such as Bartleby's or BrainyQuote. Make sure you include the author's or speaker's name with the quotation that you transcribe. For example, you might copy a few verses from Emily Dickinson's poem "Hope is the thing of feathers." Its opening lines are the following: "Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul,/And sings the tune--without the words,/And never stops at all..." Select the verse based upon a theme or words that speak specifically to the gift recipient's life, situation, struggle or personality.

If you are an artist, then turn your inscription into an ink drawing. Consider drawing a symbol or object that you know that your friend likes, such as flowers, lambs, lions or religious icons. Perhaps pair the art with a transcribed quote or personal message. An example of a poem that would fit a symbol of a lamb would be William Blake's "Little Lamb." The opening verse reads the following: "Little Lamb, who made thee?/Dost thou know who made thee?/Gave thee life, & bid thee feed/By the stream & o'er the mead;/Gave thee clothing of delight,/Softest clothing, woolly, bright; Gave thee such a tender voice,/Making all the vales rejoice?/Little Lamb, who made thee?/Dost thou know who made thee?"