Bible Journaling

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UPDATED
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I updated the free downloads. They should print out much better.
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to see my personal Bible :) 

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I have always been fascinated by family Bibles. You know, the kind that people would record their family history in, and pass down through the generations. They are beautiful works of art that were kept as records an stories of lives lived.  My family doesn't have one. My father was really in to genealogy, and traced our family tree back to a bazillion years ago. He left us with knowledge of where we came from, it's such a beautiful legacy. I'm so grateful for all of the work he did for us! I've always felt I was a little slacking in that area. 

When I saw the Bible journaling that people have been doing I am pretty sure Heaven opened up and poured light out on my head, and the angels were singing! Oh. My. Heart. I saw my chance! If you haven't seen samples of Bible journaling, check Google, or Pinterest. Some of the work that is done is absolutely stunning. I ordered my book, and anxiously waited for the FED Ex truck. FOUR whole days. 

As badly as I wanted the Bible to get started on that very day, I'm grateful that I had some time to think about what I wanted it for. I decided I wanted to create something that came from MY heart. I want something that will be around for my family long after I'm gone from this earth. As much as I admire the work of others, and the beautiful things they have created in their books, I want to leave behind a book that is just..... well...... me. Also, I want to be able to share my ideas with you. I will supply you with basic ideas, and you can embellish your pages as you wish. I'm so excited!


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DISCLAIMER
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Dear friends, before you read any further, I have to say something. The whole reasoning behind the Bible journaling is to read and interact with your book. Please don't think that because you don't have the same tools I am about to show you, that you cannot do this. It doesn't matter if you use broken crayons you find in your couch, and an old paper sack. 

Read your book, ponder the words, and pray if needed. Then open your heart up and create whatever the Spirit whispers to you! You will find yourself in awe of what flows on to your page :) 

I am not a "read to know" person. While I love to read, the scriptures are difficult for me. I have found that listening to them, and journaling brings a whole new dimension to my scriptures! I hope that you can find joy in journaling, just like me.
xox
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Because Amazon is my best friend, I went there to search for what I thought I might need.

Here's what I got, along with links:

This is the ESV Bible Journal:

ESV Single Column Journaling Bible (Black)

It's a beautiful book. The paces are cream colored, and it has faint lines down the side for notes, and it helps me keep things straight. It does have a hard cover. My sweet friend Tara Eiken does beautiful designs, and suggested a soft cover book. It would probably be easier to draw in. The only thing that I don't like about it, is that it's not the King James Bible that we use, which is TOTALLY my fault. I got so excited that I ordered the wrong one. 

I also got this FANTASTIC journaling mat:

Bella Blvd Illustrated Faith You Rule Journaling Bible Mat, 7" by 8"

It works great, and protects the other pages under the one you're working on. The hard surface under the page makes it so easy to work with!

These are the pens I purchased:

Sakura 30067 8-Piece Pigma Micron, Graphic & Brush Pen Set, Black

I've used these pens before. I love the different sizes. I knew they would be perfect for what I needed them for.

I snagged this book:

Creative Lettering and Beyond: Inspiring tips, techniques, and ideas for hand lettering your way to beautiful works of art (Creative...and Beyond)

Sometimes I need a brain boost for lettering. Mostly I'm too lazy and make up my own. It's got some really great ideas, as well as little accent things.

I bought this too:

Prima Marketing Art Basics Gesso, 8.5-Ounce, Clear

Just in case I decide to jump in on the painting craze :)

I also ordered another book, and some water color pencils, they haven't been delivered yet. All the stuff you see are colored with regular colored pencils. I wanted to still be able to read the text through what ever I color.

For my inspirations, I pulled out my Bible. The one I drug all through Seminary, and High school (It's VERY old, just like me). It's still the one I take to church and read now. It looks a bit like this:

I'm so grateful for this well used book :)

As I flipped trough the pages, I was so inspired by my notes. Here is what I came up with:

This is a Roman Soldier that goes along with Matthew 28 where it talks about the Guard.

I"m pretty happy with him. The design for this is posted below.

I drew up the design, and then placed it under the page and traced it on to the page. Then I embellished him with the stitching, etc.

GAH!!!! I'm so excited :)

This one goes with Proverbs 31:28. The design is provided below as well. I added extra stuff on this page, like the banners with Mike and my girls' names on them. The pencil is for me, and the "fruit of her hands" is on one of the cross stitch pictures I had done for my grandmother. When she passed away, I got to keep it. It hangs in my living room. I love adding touches of things that mean something to me <3

This one goes with Exodus 20:12. The design for this one is provided below too :) As you can see, I added in my parent's names and Anniversary date. I sure miss them. It makes my heart happy to have their names in my book!!! 

Here are the general designs for the above pages. You should be able to click on the image, and print it out at the same dimensions as I have drawn them in, on a full page of paper.

 Trace away, and add all the good stuff yourself :)

This one goes along with Psalms 148:2

The design for it is below :)

This cute girl goes along with Deuteronomy 6:5. I added the floral pattern on the dress and a few other embellishments :) The template for this one is below.

I LOVE this scripture. I remind myself of this often. 1 Corinthians 16:14  The template for this one is below :)

Matthew 7:7   Prayer is a powerful thing. I'm so grateful to have that knowledge. 

Colossians 3:2 "Set your mind on things that are above" The template for this is below.

1 John 1:5 "God is Light, in Him there is no darkness at all" The template for this one is below.

Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart!" The template for this is below as well.

Joshua 1:9 One of my very favorites! The details make me so happy with this image. The template for this one is below.

Psalms 136:1 I tried some different colors on this one. :) The template is below.

Hebrews 13:8 Sometimes, purple is just necessary!

Matthew 18:3

The template for these three images is below :)

Judges 16:8

Ruth 1:6

I decided I wanted to add tabs to my book.HOLY SMOKES it was A LOT of work. 3 am, and I finally had to put myself to bed, lol. 

I purchased a Tab Punch:

Here's the link for the Tab Punch:

We R Memory Keepers Tab Paper Punch

I punched out a TON of these little babies. I used 20 different printed card stock pages.

I used glue dots to hold them in place, and then tuck the backs on with rubber cement. I wanted my tabs to be heavy and thick. I have seen some people that use one thickness and glue dots only in their books.

The tabs on the side are for the books, and the tabs across the top are for the journaling that I have done :)

GAH!!!! I am so stinkin' excited! I LOVE the way they have turned out.

Here are some samples that I drew directly on to the page :)

Bible Journaling = My Happy Place!

I would love to see what you do, and your designs. Please email me if you'd like to share :)

xox

Have you seen the bookmarks people make for the books? OHMYWORD.... I about had a heart attack. I made up a WHOLE bunch today... It was so fun! Here's what I did:

I used ribbon, bakers twine, and tuelle, along with some paper clips. I've seen them done with fabric as well. That's next on my list :)

I cut the ribbon in to about 5 inch lengths. I wanted to be able to trim them later.

I folded the piece in half, and pulled the ends through the loop on the other side of the paper clip, tying a knot.

Once I had it pulled tight, I put a little drop of hot glue right above the knot to hold the ends together and keep the knot in place.

I might have gotten a little carried away with the finished products.... I made bucket loads!

They're so pretty!

If you'd like to do some print and color bookmarks to match your pages, go to the Bookmark tab on my home page. They have been so much fun to make!

I LOVE love LoVe it!!!!!

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I thought you might like to see what I have done with my personal Bible.

I LOVE the colored papers I chose, they are SO me!!! They make me so happy!

I decided to do my book a little different. I didn't color my graphics, and I left the faces off all of the people. Here's some examples:

I also added in a few quotes, and listed some coordinating scriptures. I grabbed a date stamp, and am trying to remember to stamp my pages when I am done.

As I have been working and reading, I found that I didn't necessarily want to add an insert or a big drawing on everything. Sometimes I just wanted to mark the page:

I marked all of these with small circle tabs at the top of my page.

This is the bookmark I printed off for myself out of the Bible set I drew up:

Some days I just need a reminder.

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Here are the scriptures I found that made me feel patriotic. Happy Independence Day!

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I've been asked about the lettering I do in my book. Here's a series of pictures on how I do it:

This is the basic design. I just add wide loop holes, and lots of dropped down links between the letters. The more crooked the letters are the better.

 I make the up and down lines thicker where the loops and spaces are wide enough.

Color in the wide lines.

I also added some extra swirly loops.

A few more embellishments, and I was pretty satisfied with how it turned out. :)

Here's a printable for you:

I would LOVE to see what you do in your book!

Happy Journaling! 

xox

Nikki