Detail of leaf clasp

This was my first attempt at pyrography. The elvish writing around the edge says , "All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost", from the Riddle of Strider in The Hobbit.  The map, of course, is Middle Earth.

I needed a way to hold the cover closed, so I patterned the cutout leaf from the leaf brooches given to the Fellowship. My wife lined the cover with some fabric she had that was all pines and pine cones. After it was lined, I did the lacework and finished it off.  As it ages, it is getting that worn, used leather look that one can imagine graced the cover of Bilbo's journal...