Joy and the Presence of God

I did some water coloring with stencils.

I used ARTplorations 

Happy Flowers

 and 

Onions in Raws

I used CUTplorations 

Tag O'Coffee die

to make this little mini bible TAG journal.

I journaled Psalm 21:6

One of the things I have learned the past few months of bible journaling is if an idea isn't coming together there is usually a reason. If I wait on God it all comes together when it is supposed to. I had seen this quote on "joy" several weeks ago and knew I wanted to journal it. I had a verse in mind to put it with, but everytime I tried, it just didn't work. I didn't like how the page turned out. So I decided to wait.  Today when I was journaling, I knew the reason I had been waiting. It works so perfectly with this verse.  It is so cool when God does that. 

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Sunday night in my Bible

Is there any time of year that is crazier than the month of December? 

Our "need to do lists" are longer than our "already done lists"

Some of the things on our lists are worthy endeavors like church activities or family activities. And other things are just things that others expect us to do. 

I was thinking today about Mary and Martha. 

I could hear Martha saying."I have a tree to get up and decorated. I need to bake cookies. I need to clean the house. I need to go shopping and buy the gifts. I need to wrap the gifts. I have to go to the kids music program at school. I need to get Christmas cards in the mail, I need to practice with the church choir for the Christmas eve service. ETC...

I could also hear Mary saying "All I really need to do is to spend time with Jesus."

I will admit that I lean towards being a Martha. There are always lots of things to accomplish, but  I would like to be more like Mary. 

What we need is to REST in Jesus. 

I had fun today playing with my ARTplorations  stencil and gel plate.

I used 

ARTplorations Fairy Tale Forest Stencil

I made my monotype onto vellum. It curled up for a bit until it dried. 

Once it dried it flattened out some. 

The plan I had in my head was to have the vellum over a photo copy of 

the hymn;  Near to the Heart of God. 

But when I went to put it over the hymn, the paint was a little too thick. So I sanded it with a piece of sand paper. and then it was transparent enough to see the hymn. 

After I sanded it I traced the template I have for my bible. 

Matthew 11:28 

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. 

The other day on facebook, my friend Diana shared what we need to do when we REST. We

 Remember His goodness, 

Express my neediness.

Seek His stillness and

Trust His faithfulness. 

As soon as she shared it I knew I wanted to put it in my bible this week. 

Yesterday I made this little journal card using the same ARTploration stencil. I cut a Christmas tree out of cardstock and placed it on my gel plate. I then put the stencil on top . I doodled the lights and hand wrote the sentiment. I was inspired to play by my friend Tiffany who was putting a gelli printed tree with lights in her bible. 

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December Reminder Post

It is still not too late to play along with the STAMPlorations Stencil Challenge.

For my card I made a mono print with ARTplorations Peonies All Over

and ARTplorations Barley

I then stamped STAMPlorations Layered Butterflies

and

STAMPlorations Anchored

If you would like to add any of these STAMPloration products to your crafty stash, you can use my discount code to get 20% off your order. 

God's Gifts are Good

This week I have been living in a migraine fog. Nothing seemed to work just right. Rather than just do a journal page, to do a page, I decided to wait until I was feeling better. I started this journaling idea last week before the migraine hit. I was journaling 

Luke 11:13.

 If you then, who are evil,

 know how to give good gifts

 to your children, how much more

 will the heavenly Father give

 the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.

I wrote the scripture on one side of my little journal cards.  

On the other side of the card I drew a little gift box. I had a lot of fun coloring, or in this case not coloring part of the bow. I was surprised at how realistic it looked leaving just a little bit of it white. The color theme at Sacra Via: Scripture Study, Art, and Journaling this month has been gold and red, so I went along with that theme. 

I had also drawn a gift box in my journaling bible, but had hit a wall in how to finish it. Then after the migraine, I knew just what I wanted to say. "God's Gifts Are Good" and they really are good aren't they.

John 3:16-17 

For God so loved the 

world that he GAVE 

his one and only Son

 that whoever believes in Him

 shall not perish but have eternal life.

 For God did not send his Son 

into the world to condemn the world, 

but to save the world through Him. 

Speaking of good gifts, my sweet friend Lee Ann gave me a sweet gift of a certificate to

 Sweet 'N Sassy stamps. I picked this really neat  alpha set from their Creative Worship line called TYPEWRITER BLOCKS ALPHA. I used them today on my journal page. They are just the right size to add text to my journaling.  I also picked the sweet little bird SINGING PRAISES that was designed by my sweet friend NinaB.  Thank you Lee Ann. 

Poinsettia in blues

Happy Friday the 13th.  I know people have bad feelings for Fridays that fall on the 13th of the month, but not me. On Friday the 13, 28 years ago, my first daughter was born.  Happy Birthday Johanna.

It is my turn today to hostess the challenge at SCS for the MIX-Ability. My challenge is to make a project sparkle and shine by adding glitter. I am giving bonus points if the project is a birthday project, in honor of my daughter's birthday.  I made this poinsettia tag. I was inspired to do a non traditional color after seeing my friend Lee Ann's coloring of a poinsettia stamp. 

I started with a piece of white cardstock. I watercolored it with blues and teal and green. I die cut the poinsettia leaves. I added glitter into the center and added glitter to the flowers. It is kinda hard to see so I took a photo from different angles. It is on a piece of burlap on top of a die cut piece of cardstock. I have made it into a tag with some twine. 

In my bible- 1 Thessalonians :24

The other day I stamped this STAMPlorations Blossom Like a Butterfly 

I colored it a little different than I usually do. I colored it with yellow, green, brown and blue.  Then I fussy cut it out. I added some black markers around the edges and added some white dots with a gel pen. I had it sitting on my desk waiting for a project to use it on. I decided to put it in my bible. only the body is attached so I can still read the words on the left side. I wrote 1 Thessalonians 5:24 on the right hand side. I curved it to make the butterfly "flight trail"

I watercolored the background behind the handwritten verse and also on the scripture side. 

A simple "Thanks'

My friend Kyra is the hostess this week for the MIX-ability challenge on SCS. The challenge from what she shared with me is to focus on a meaningful sentiment for a personal relationship. To go beyond superficial and make a meaningful card for that person. I thought about it and decided to make a card for my friend Becky. She has been spending time getting the children's Christmas program ready for Sunday's service. I wanted to tell her "Thank you" for all the hard work and effort she has put into this. I also thought that to be meaningful doesn't require a lot of words. One word can portray a lot of meaning when it is heartfelt. 

I started with this monotype that I made the other day. I liked the circles and the gold sparkles. 

My friend Tiffany painted an angel in her hymnal the other day. I thought I would practice painting an angel myself. So I painted the angel using acrylic paint. I added some white to her hair with a gel pen. I also drew the halo with a gel pen. Then I went over all of the angels dress, wings and halo with Nuvo Aqua Shimmer. I then handlettered "Thanks". The angel panel has a white panel behind it that I also added Aqua shimmer too. It is so hard to photograph. but in really life it is so shiny. 

Worship Wednesday - Isaiah 9:6 and Matthew 1:21

When I was little I had a book by Ed Emberly on how to draw using shapes. He made it easy to draw because most people can do basic shapes. I am going to attempt to show you today how I painted in my bible step by step showing you the shapes. 

I started by watercoloring with gray on my page. It doesn't have to be perfect. In fact I think it looks better if it is just thrown on and not a solid color. There were splotches of white. Hardest part is you have to wait for this to dry before you go on.

For the next step I watercolored with brown. I made 6 lines. I started with and upside down "v". I then did two lines down to make the "legs" then I made an "x".  Again it didn't have to be perfect. In fact I think the imperfections give it an artistic organic quality. 

The next step I took yellow and made straight lines for the hay. I then went over the hay with a couple of brown lines. I think it kinda looked like a fuzzy caterpillar. 

The next step was to make a half circle with blue. I panted a sideways "c" with blue watercolors and I filled it in. 

I then made a smaller half circle with peach colored watercoloring. 

I then used yellow watercolor to make a "glowing" area.  I didn't have any specific shape. I just painted. 

I then panted a star at the top. I started by making a "t" and then and "x". 

 I saw this acrostic on facebook and knew I wanted to put it in my bible. I used pencil to sketch in the lettering. I started by writing "CHRISTMAS"  vertically. Then I wrote the rest. 

I went over the pencil marks with a black pen then I erased the pencil marks. 

I added some details with colored pencils and I added some Nuvo Aqua shimmer on the star and the halo and randomly in the yellow glowing area.  I wrote the scripture "addresses" at the top.  I then highlighted the scripture with blue watercoloring. 

I had the different Font for "CHRISTMAS" but I really wanted to emphasize it so I watercolored it with blue. I also added some squiggles with the black pen to the manger. 

I would like to say I was brave enough to just paint this in my bible right away, but I can't. I needed a practice page. I turned the practice page into a Christmas card.  Maybe someday I will be confident enough to not need the practice but for now I will do what I need to do. 

I hope this gives you confidence to maybe try this yourself. If you do I would love for you to comment and let me know.  Blessings as we celebrate the advent in preparation for Christmas.

Bible journaling- December 2

I am thankful to be part of a bible believing, bible preaching church. Each Sunday morning before we have our lesson time, our preacher leads us in the bible declaration. I decided to write it out an put in the front of my bible. It says:

This is my bible. 

I am what it says I am.

I have what it says I have.

I can do what it says I can do.

Today I will be taught the Word of God.

I boldly confess, my mind is alert, my heart is receptive.

Today I will receive the incorruptible,

indestructible, ever living Word of God

 and I will never be the same. Amen.

Bible journal page John 1:4 STAMPlorations Stencil Challenge

STAMPlorations Stencil Challenge. 

• You can link up an unlimited number of projects -- any type of project is welcome as long as there is stamping -- but each project must be in its own blog post.
• Use of stencil (any brand) is a requirement.
• Non-STAMPlorations products are OK
• No sneak peek project entries; full project photo must be displayed on blog post in order to qualify for the prizes.
• To qualify for the prize, you must display challenge graphic and link back to the challenge post (blogs only) 

Prizes: $15 gift certificate to winner / $10 gift certificate to runner up / $5 gift certificate to 3 randomly picked entries

My project this month was done in my journaling bible. I used ARTplorations Peonies All Over Stencil

 with my gel plate to make a monotype. I cut that monotype to fit in my bible. I then stamped

STAMPlorations The Light of Men Typografia 

 I used Nuvo Aqua glimmer for the centers of the flowers. 

If you are making a purchase from STAMPlorations you can use my discount code to get 20 % off your order.