Exceedingly, Abundantly

Oh boy...

I've got a confession to make. 

I started out Bible journaling saying I was going to try to use a minimal amount of supplies (mainly pens and colored pencils) and here I am today sharing two pages smeared with various colors of paint. 

It's just fun, though...and such a quick way to splash some color onto the page. (And with 4 kids, I have only got short bursts of time to be able to do Bible art.) 

So, apparently my pages aren't going in quite the direction I had imagined, but I am just going to have to be okay with that - because, for now, it's what works for me.

This first page was inspired by one night of reflection and discussion among our church family - looking at a few weeks in particular that just seemed like God was heaping the good onto our little group. Now, the past week or two have been pretty rough going for our group as a whole, but no matter what...God is still good. And he still blesses us "exceedingly, abundantly more" than we could ask or imagine.

The next page came from a night of family Bible reading - these words from Psalm 63 just jumped out at me.

I envisioned a great, beautiful sunburst (perfect for the current Creative Worship Bible Journaling group challenge), but this colorful splatter is just going to have to do.

I used the same two new Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps stamp sets that I used on my previous page (Classy Script Alpha and Outline Alpha) - I just love these together!

I stamped the Outline Alpha onto various washi tape pieces and fussy cut them...I love the finished effect. 

Although I do love how these two pages turned out, I am more excited about how these concepts will be highlighted in my mind for a long time to come.

Thank you for joining me today!

As always, you can find a full supply list and all my posts pertaining to Bible art or journaling here.

Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps (Classy Script Alpha, Outline Alpha, Seek Him);

CW101: Choosing a Bible

So you've decided to do some creative worship and now you want to buy a new Bible. Here's how I chose mine...

1. Select the version I like to read. Besides enjoying reading the ESV version, our pastor reads from and refers to this version for his sermons, so it was an easy decision for me. There are journaling or note-taking Bibles available for most of the highly read versions such as ESV, NIV, KJV, NKJV, and NLT.

2. Choose from single or double column. Single column means that the text is in one block on the page, whereas the double column has two columns of text.

*Single Column*

*Two Column*

I really wanted a single column, but at the time I purchased (April 2015) the single column ESV was on back order. I was so excited to begin I just couldn't wait! I use a two column Bible and for me the most significant (and seemingly only) disadvantage is that sometimes my artwork or hand-lettering won't be right near the verse I'm highlighting if that verse is in the inner column.

3. Choose my cover style. Many versions have both hardcover and softcover options available. If you don't plan on using many embellishments or want something sturdy then a hardcover Bible may be for you! I've personally found that since adding clips, and paper flowers, and ribbon, and other doodads that the softcover is a little more forgiving. It's also is more flexible when trying to do various painting techniques, as you don't have the stiff cover to contend with.

4. Wade through the details. Once my preferences had been decided, there were a few more details to weed through. At the time, there weren't as many Bible options as there are now. Google helped me find exactly what I was looking for ("ESV journaling Bible" or "ESV note-takers Bible") and ultimately I purchased from Amazon. You might want to look at Google images for the Bible of your choice to examine things like the type of lines in the margins (solid vs. dotted), the coloring of the paper, the amount of journaling space surrounding the text, and price-point.

Hopefully these steps will have narrowed your options down to ONE (or two)!

5. Like this idea but lacking artistic confidence? I want to encourage you that this form of creativity is a learning journey and many techniques can be practiced and learned just like anything else. My very first Bible entries were nothing more than careful writing some thoughts with a pen.

If you're somehow limited by money, time, or energy then you might consider a Bible with pre-printed outlined illustrations and lettering such as the ever popular (and extremely hard to come by) Inspire Bible, the Creative Bible, or the Beautiful Word Bible (pre-colored illustrations). Only a small portions of these Bibles are pre-designed leaving you lots of room to spend time with God in the margins.

Can't afford a new Bible? No problem! An unlined journal bought at a craft store will do just perfectly. And it does good for us all to remember that this thing we call Bible journaling is not about the quality or quantity of our supplies, but about precious time spent with our God.

XoXo

Rebecca

To Prep or Not to Prep??

It's a question that gets asked all the time when it comes to worshipping creatively in your Bible. Should I do something to prepare my page first? What is gesso? What if my pens or stamps *gasp* bleed through?!

The answer is one of personal preference. I'm not a professional artist but I have created at least 100 Bible pages. I don't prep my pages. At. All. And I'm going to explain why. (I'm also including the fronts & backs of some pages so you can see what non-prepped pages look like!)

Reason #1: this Mama just ain't got the time! Seriously. It adds several steps with applying, waiting for the medium to dry, and cleaning your application tool. When I'm spending some precious time worshiping creatively, I just want to dive right in & spend as much time interacting with the Word as possible. 

Reason #2: After using a matte gel medium to prep about a half a dozen pages, I found that it was more trouble than it's worth. It did prevent bleed through, I'll grant that. It left a slightly slick surface that was *not* friendly to erasing whatsoever. (And this girl knows how to work an eraser!) It would smear my black journaling pen too. That was the most frustrating part that after all my heart went into this page now the words were smeared. (I know other people have experienced the same.)

And as for bleed through? I just deal with it. Paints (the ones I use) do NOT bleed through. When a pen or stamp happens to, then I just use paint or an embellishment or a cardstock journaling spot to cover that up.

And if YOUR pen does bleed through? If YOU make a mess of the backside of page? Don't let this trip you up. Satan is looking for ways to deter you from enjoying your time with God and this is the perfect way for Him to do it. We all want to create something beautiful, but ultimately the goal is *worship* and for our hearts to grow in faith, not a museum-worthy work of art.

Again, it's really just personal preference and this is just what I do! Your mileage may vary. ;-)