Here it is: The Book of Days 2016 for pre-Order

Here it is! The Book of Days 2016- a journal for the year ahead- for pre-order. Based on one I made last year as a small, limited print run, and then overwhelmed by the wonderful response and orders for a 2016 one! I’m almost –almost- finished the illustrations and I’m tying up loose ends and doing final designs and proofs, so I don’t have an actual 2016 journal to show you yet… just lots of in-progress photos to date. BUT! I have photographed the 2015 journal (I had hoped to make a little film, but after wasting 2 days fiddling around aimlessly, I am sticking with what I know best. Next year, I will rope in some people-in-the-know and make a film 🙂 ) I will have a “Buy Now” button at the end of this post, and will have a whole “Shop” page up over the weekend, with journals (to pre-order), cards, prints and original paintings- just in time for Christmas and the new year!

So… here is the former 2015 journal (original paintings, prints and cards will be available of these paintings too, over the coming days).

It measures: 210 x 148 mm or 8.27 x 5.83 inches (approximately A5 size).

The cover of the journal is a heavy card, coated in a velvety-soft laminate to give it great durability (my journal has spent the year fecked in my bag, attacked with pens by small humans and generally rough-handled, and, apart from a few minor creases, is perfect) I used a big wire binding because I thought it looked groovy (!), but this year for the 2016 journal, I’m going to use a smaller, more manageable one. The print quality, as is in the entire journal is luminous and superb (thanks dataprint!!)

The back:Inside, I designed it for what I have always wanted: a journal where I can plan my week, month and year ahead all laid out in front of me rather than having to flip over from one page to the other. This ensures a long-winded and rather fiddly assembling of journals (apologies to all family members who will be drafted in to put these journals together ahead of posting to their final destinations…) but works really well in use. I like to be able to see my week in context of what is happening with a month and year…

At the start of each month, the monthly calendar folds out to reveal a page where you can journal all your “inspiration, plans, hopes, dreams, intentions”; (on the facing page on the left is a dedicated page at the end of each month to write all your important dates- birthdays, anniversaries and notable events):

Each week there is a full two pages to plan your week ahead, with a handy “notes” section too. I was unsure as to whether there would be enough space to write all needed, but as one who writes down everything with hundreds of lists a month, I found that yes; yes there was plenty of space for every random thought!:At the back there is a wee envelope to hold all your “bits and bobs, love notes, receipts, locks of hair, name cards”, and a yearly planner that folds out facing it:

The last photo I have for you is one of my favourite parts of this journal: the inside cover and first page, I wanted it to be like a warm hug when you opened it.  I wrote an Invocation for the 2015 year, and have another one written for 2016:And now to the technical part! (not my strongest point so I hope the step-by-step Paypal instructions I used to make a little “shop” were foolproof…).

If you would like a Book of days 2016/ Journal to accompany you through the coming year, I will need you to pre-order and pre-pay here at the end of this post.

I will only be printing the numbers PRE-PAID FOR before November 8th 2015.

Why? Because this is a really expensive, time consuming print-run, which is a labour of love rather than a means to financial success!!

Each Book of Days/ Journal will arrive beautifully wrapped, with great thanks!

To order the 2016 Book of Days/ Journal:

€20 [+ €5 p+p] (for orders within Ireland) per journal

-For orders outside of Ireland, please email me at rainsfordryan@eircom.net and I will invoice you with the correct shipping, approximately €3 more.

I have been overwhelmed with the interest, kindness and interest in this project so far; for this and any orders: Thank you, thank you, thank you xxxxxxx

ALL SOLD***** THANK YOU! ********

• 2016 journal,
• book of Days,
• illustration,
• Journal,
• Painting