Thursday, March 8, 2018

16 Bible Journaling Supplies for When You Don't Feel Artistic

A while ago I posted a blog about my top 10 favorite bible journaling supplies. Most of these supplies were focused more towards painting, hand lettering and drawing.

I chose those supplies because they’re what I do and what I know best, but I know that isn’t everyone’s style. So, today I wanted to share something a little different.

I know that not everyone is a drawer and not everyone feels comfortable with hand lettering, so I wanted to share a blog post with supplies that you can use when you’re NOT someone who enjoys doodling or drawing, but still wants to do bible journaling.

With these supplies, you can almost think in terms of scrapbooking or card making. Stickers, stamps, tip ins*, washi tape, you name it, it will totally work.

I’m going to give you a few examples and links below to give you some ideas of where you can start!

In my last post about supplies, I recommended the pencils, pens and erasers which would apply here too! So make sure you go check those out!! 


This blog post does contain affiliate links. That means that I will make a few cents off of each thing that you but from clicking these links, but it won't change the price for you!





       


1. Pre-Illustrated Journaling bible - There are a couple of different journaling bibles out there right now that have illustrations in them already. There is also PLENTY of room for your own artwork. If you are a colorer, then a pre-illustrated bible might be for you! I think it would also be great for kids.

And of course, if you’re not into the pre-illustrated thing there are just the blank, 2” margins OR one with a completely blank page on every other page! OR one with a completely blank on page every other page (I’ve got my eyes on these)!


      


DISCLAIMER: Not all bible journaling pages are created equally!! I have heard through the grapevine that the pages in the Inspire bible are very thin (although I cannot say for sure because I haven’t seen them for myself).

My experience with the bibles so far are the Crossway ESV and The Message Canvas have the thickest, most durable pages. The Zondervan NIV has thinner pages. Those are the only ones that I have used myself, so I can only speak for them.

If the page thickness is something that really concerns you, try going to your local bookstore or Christian bookstore and see if you can find some to look at before you buy.





2. Alpha Stickers - These are perfect when you don’t want to learn hand lettering! Just pop these in to make your words and they always look cute! Try buying different styles so you can change it up throughout the verse. Here are a few different kinds, but absolutely anything that you find will work if you like them!







3. Acrylic Stamps - Clear acrylic stamps are really great for adding artwork to your pages if you don’t want to draw. You can find these online by searching for “acrylic stamps”, look on Etsy, Dayspring, or in the scrapbooking area in craft stores. They do not have to be clear, but I like the clear ones because you can see where you're stamping. If you have stamps that are just regular stamps, they’ll work too. I’ve seen alphabet stamps in the Target dollar spot that would work just fine.

I highly recommend getting acrylic alphabet stamps in addition to stickers because you can reuse the stamps and, of course, stickers will eventually run out. Here are some cute ones, but just keep searching, there are so many different kinds!






4. Acrylic Block - If you’re going to be using acrylic stamps, you’ll need an acrylic block to put them on! You probably won’t need a very big one, but they do come in packs of different sizes just in case!





5. Ink pad - The acrylic stamps won’t do you any good if you don’t have ink. I recommend the Staz On brand because it is waterproof, so you can watercolor over it if you want to.

Just a disclaimer, this ink can and will bleed through  your page if you have a bunch of ink on the stamp.

If you stamp over paint, it usually doesn’t bleed through as bad. I recommend leaving the lid off for a while to let it dry up just a little bit so it isn’t quit as juicy, but don’t forget to put the lid back on after a while. ;)






6. Washi tape - Most people that craft have an immense love for washi tape! You can us washi tape on the edges of your page for decoration, tape on tabs to mark your pages, tape in tip-ins*, etc. If you can think of a way to use it, then go for it! You can find washi tape…well, pretty much anywhere! And there are endless amounts of cute patterns to choose from.



7. Scrapbooking Paper - You can finds pads of extremely cute paper in pretty much any store with a craft or art section. You can use this paper to cut out tabs or you can cut pieces out, write prayers on them and tape them in your bible.





9. Tab Punch - This was in my last supply post, but I think it’s worth mentioning again. This is great for if you want to mark your pages.

Just use this to punch out a piece of cute patterned paper (above), write something to reference the page on it, and washi tape or glue that sucker to the top of a finished page and voila! Now you have a marked page.




10. Paperclips - These are actually my favorite way to mark a page. I tie a scrap piece of fabric to the top and have a super easy bookmark! (Gold ones are my favorite, because I love gold…but literally any paperclip will work! I’ve seen some pretty cute ones in the dollar spot at Target!)





11. Die cut embellishments - Die cuts are a really cute way to add color and images to your pages without having to draw anything. Just tape or paste them in to the margins.






12. Watercolors - This one was also on my last supply list, but I just really love watercolors. You can use watercolors to just add a splash of color to your page without actually painting any THING. Just plop it down in blobs. You can’t really mess up watercolors. :)

DISCLAIMER: Crayola watercolors are extremely pretty and vibrant, but they WILL bleed through your page. They’re the only ones I’ve had any issues with bleeding.





13. Colored pencils - If you aren’t comfortable with watercolors, colored pencils are a great way to add color to your pages and to highlight passages even in your regular study bible.






14. Acrylic paint - A lot of people use acrylic paint to add a colorful background to their pages. You can either paint it on with a paintbrush or you can  put a little bit on the edge of an old gift card or a paint wedge (below) and just drag it along the page. A lot of people really recommend a heavy bodied acrylic paint like Liquitex, but you can try different paints to see which ones you like best. You can get this Apple Barrel paints at Walmart for about 50 cents each!







15. Paint wedge - Like I said above, you can put a little bit on the edge of the wedge and just drag it along the page. It will apply a thin later of paint on the page to make a colorful background! Try doing a bunch of different swipes in different colors and directions. If you don't want to buy a paint wedge, you can also use an old gift card the same way!







16. Date stamp - You HAVE to date your pages. You’ll totally regret it if you don’t. I actually use a self inking date stamp  and really like it. I use a self inking one because, honestly, I’m lazy and I don’t want to have to get out an ink pad every time I want to date…but if you have your ink pad out already there are some really cute ones to date your pages with.


Of course, I have pens, pencils and erasers that I love as well. You can find those in my first bible journaling supply post. 

But here are a few quick links to my recommendations:


I hope that these recommendations were helpful to you!

You don’t have to use the specific examples I provided above, but I just wanted to give you some ideas of what the products were and how broad the selection is.

Go to your local craft store and just browse! I’m sure you’ll find tons of things that you can use to decorate your pages. Almost anything you find will work.

The only things I will caution you about are markers and some ink pads.
You have to be really careful with them because there are a lot of them that will bleed through, especially if they’re alcohol based. Usually water-based anything are your best bed for no bleeding (but of course, water based aren’t waterproof).

You can get anything to try, just be sure to test supplies first on some of the blank back pages of your bible.

Also, the most important thing to remember!!

It’s SO easy to get lost in supplies and want to buy every. single. thing. Please don’t do this.

You will soon come down for the craft-supply high and could possibly be left with a bunch of things that you just don’t want, need, or want to learn how to use. Start out slow to find what you like and add supplies gradually as you figure out your journaling style.

I feel like broken record but what’s most important isn’t the supplies or how great of an artist you are. The most important thing is the REASON you’re journaling and what God blesses you with from it.

Have fun!

*A tip in is when you tape something into your bible. It can be a cute printable, a cut out of some kind, a card with a prayer on it, ect.




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