Bible Journaling with Stamps by Karen

Hello!  Karen here today with some Bible Journaling with SRM Stamps. 

In the Book of Exodus, God tells Moses,

"Say this to the people of Israel: 'I AM has sent me to you'" (3:14). 

God, I AM, is past, present, and future. 

He is, as the verb indicates, the essence of all being. 

God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three in one. 

For this page, I began by stamping Father, Son, & Holy Spirit in yellow. I felt it was a little too light, so I added darker yellow/gold layers with my ColorIn Watercolor Twists and waterbrush. I repeatedly stamped "I am" over the yellow and added the "amen" block stamp throughout the page.

I repeated the element of 3 with three mixed media leaves.

We are so incredibly blessed by a God who wants to be, and is, present with us. He meets all our needs because He is all things. Be blessed today as you reflect on the great I AM.

For my bible journaling page I used:

BIG Trinity stamp set| Bible Backgrounds stamp set | I Am stamp set | ColorIn Watercolor Twists | WaterIn Blending Brush

Baptism Tip In by Samantha

Hello! Samantha here with you today. I have a Bible journaling baptism tip-in to share that uses lots of SRM stamps!  A tip-in is kind of like a bookmark.  Sometimes you may not want to journal in your Bible but you have something special that you want to have tucking into your Bible.  That's where a tip-in works well.

 First up, here's everything I used to create my tip-in:

For stamps I combined BIG Trinity, I Am, Birthday Plans, and Today Tomorrow To Do. By combining a few pieces from multiple stamp sets I was able to create something completely new and different than I would have if I stuck to only one set. I colored in my stamped words with ColorIn Watercolor Pencils. 

There are different reasons to create a tip in, but as you can see from the picture above, I created a tip in because I had already journaled on the page containing the verse I wanted to use (You can find all the details on the I am with you always page here). Instead of deciding I just couldn't journal about the verse I wanted to do, I added an extra page to my Bible in the form of a tip in so I would have more space. 

I created my journaling with dates my sons were each baptized on a separate piece of paper (I chose a piece of faith patterned paper, but you could use card stock, journaling tags, or even vellum). Then I attached the page inside my Bible with a little bit of washi tape.  

This baptism tip in is a great way to add some important dates to my Bible in a place where I've already journaled. Have you ever created a tip in?  

Bible Journaling The Lord's Prayer by Karen

It's often difficult to know the exact words to pray. In Matthew 6, Jesus gives us some advice.

"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray then like this..." Here then Jesus introduces the Lord's Prayer. (Matthew 6:7-15) 

This summer, my daughter and I will be spending some time learning more about the Lord's Prayer and the meanings of the words. The Big Trinity stamp set from SRM is perfect for our summer devotions. We've started with the introduction. "Our Father in Heaven..." With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that will all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father. (explanation from Luther's Small Catechism)

For the background of this page, I used acylic paints and applied them lightly with a sponge. After drying I stamped the words, crosses, border dots, and heart. I used a white pen to highlight the stamps and help them stand out more on my page. 

For this page I used:

BIG Trinity Clear Faith Stamps | I Am Clear Faith Stamps | In Jesus' Name Clear Faith Stamps | White Gel Pen | Black LePen

By His Wounds by Karen

Hello!  Karen here today to share something special with you for this Easter season. 

As we approach Easter, I wanted to have a visual reminder for my family to help us focus on the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. This verse in the Old Testament, which points to Christ, came to mind. 

"But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we  are healed." 

Isaiah 53:5

I wanted to keep it simple and meaningful, so I just grabbed a few supplies. I started with some simple lettering using my black LePen on a sheet of watercolor paper. I lightly drew a few guide lines to keep my lettering straight. These were erased before applying any color.

I started with bit of light purple shading over the lettering with my LePlume marker and then added some stamped borders. Then I decided to add more color with my markers using a plastic baggie, markers, water, and this "smooshing" techniqe (see video tutorial here). 

After a bit more color, a dotted border stamp, and a quick trim, I simply attached it onto a clipboard for display. It reminds us that Jesus loved us so much that He willingly suffered on our behalf to make the full payment for our sins. By His wounds we are healed! On Easter Sunday we will celebrate His victory over sin, death, and Satan. Amen!

A blessed Easter to each of you.

For this project I used:

watercolor paper | Marvy Uchida LePlume II markers | Marvy Uchida LePen in Black | The Lord is My Light Clear Faith Stamps | BIG Trinity Clear Faith Stamps

Bible Journaling - Watercolor Twist Background - by Karen

Hello!  Karen here with you today playing with Watercolor Twist Pencils in my study journal. 

My page today is in my summer study journal. In Nehemiah chapter 9, God's people gathered to hear God's Word read to them and they confessed their sins and renewed their commitment to keep convenant with God. Despite the number of times they turned their backs on God (Nehemiah describes those times in sad detail) God continued to keep His promise and time and again granted them mercy and grace. As I was reading it struck me how they were saved purely by grace - not their own obedience. On this page I wanted to journal a prayer of thanks to God for his amazing grace and his wild love for me! No matter my own failings in obedience, He continually calls me back, forgives me, and helps me through His Holy Spirit to be a better me.

To help illustrate my gratitude, I created this fun and colorful background using the ColorIn Watercolor Twists. Have I mentioned how much I love these twistable watercolor pencils? So many ways to use them and such great color. The background is super quick and easy. I created a video for you to show you exactly how to create your own for your next bible journaling page or cards. Gather up: Watercolor Twists, a small plastic sheet (the backing to your SRM Faith stamps is great!), water, and a brush and play along with me!

After my background was dry, I added a few rows of washi tape on the left side and a couple of printouts that came with my bible study. Then I turned to my SRM stamps. I used several stamp sets on this page (listed below). Yes, I did cut the BIG "thank you" so that it would fit on my page. So many great choices to create just the right sentiment on your bible journaling page - it's fun to mix and match from the different sets.

For this project I used:

ColorIn Watercolor Twist | Faith Stamps "Trust in the Lord"| Faith Stamps "BIG Trinity" | Sentiments Stamps "BIG Thank You" | Faith Stamps "God is Love"

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I Am With You Bible Journaling by Samantha

Hello!  Samantha here today to share some Bible Journaling with you.  I often Bible journal from notes I've taken from Sunday's sermon, but sometimes ideas come to me in other ways. Just recently my Amazing Grace Bible journaling stamp set was sitting next to my Today, Tomorrow, To Do planner stamp set, and I saw the "I am with you always" stamp from Amazing Grace and thought it would be really fun on a page with the "today" and "tomorrow" stamps from the planner set. Thus this I Am With You Bible journaling page popped into my mind.

I like to build my background first. I started with some Marvy Color In watercolor pencils. I colored a big swatches of color, and the went over the whole page with the Marvy Color In Water Brush. This helps blend the color and gives the whole page a softer feel. 

After my page dried, I went back and stamped "today" and "tomorrow" from the Today, Tomorrow, To Do planner stamp set in coordinating colors. I left a blank space right in the center so I could stamp "I am with you always" from the Amazing Grace Bible journaling stamp set in black ink.

I felt that my main thought needed a bit more pop, so I grabbed my watercolor pencils again and colored in a few of the letters. I also used a little dot stamp from the Big Trinity stamp set to underline always. 

I like to add little tabs to each of my decorated pages in my Bible, so I finished the page of with a little red tab. I used a "remember" sticker from the Planner Icon sticker sheet to label my tab. I'd love to hear where your inspiration for your Bible journaling comes from! 

Burlap Prayer Pouch by Karen

Welcome to the 2nd week of our introduction of the 2016-2017 Design Team.  Today we are sharing a project with our new design team member Karen Hunter.  Karen has been a lover of all things SRM for quite a while and we are thrilled to have her on our design team. 

Here are some thoughts from Karen in her own words: 

I have been crafting all my life.  It started with gold macaroni covered pencil holders and, thankfully, has matured since then.  After 13 years of teaching middle school and crafting on the side, I landed my dream job as a stay at home mom.  Woven in with full time mommyhood, today I diligently create scrapbooks and other projects and journals in my bible to tell her stories of faith, family, and other bits of life.  I also continue to teach here and there and share my creativity online through blogging and other social media. I enjoy time with family, improving my photography and writing skills, and generally all things crafty. Me and my husband of 21 years try to keep up with our lively 7 year old daughter in Harpers Ferry, WV. 

Today I'm showing you this adorable (and useful) little burlap bag turned "Prayer Pouch"  project. I loved sprucing up a plain burlap bag with the happy Vintage ribbon and stamps.

First, I sewed a strip of turquoise Vintage Floral Ribbon to the left side of the burlap bag (don't you love that contrast of the floral with the rough texture of the burlap?). Since I sewed right through both sides of the bag it created a narrow pocket, perfect for one or two of your favorite LePen pens. I stamped "AMEN!" with the BIG Amen Faith Stamp Set directly onto the burlap. 

Inside the right side of the pouch, I've inserted some prayer cards. I can use these to write out my prayers or as reminders of prayer requests. I stamped sentiments and stitches using the BIG Amen set and the BIG Trinity Set as well as the arrow stitch from the Lord is My Light set onto cardstock to coordinate with the ribbon colors. Even with the BIG stamps, there is plenty of space to write my prayers and notes.

To keep the cards together I grabbed a large paper clip and looped a bit of the ribbon onto one end. It just adds another fun element to this cute prayer pouch.

The pouch is great for on-the-go and can be tucked in your purse or Bible bag. You could also easily hang this next to your bed for those late-night thoughts of prayer requests and needs - write them down so your brain can rest for the night and then hit your knees in the morning to bring them before the Lord!

For this project I used:

5x7 Burlap Bag | Turquoise Vintage Floral Ribbon | cardstock | BIG Amen Stamp Set | The Lord is My Light Stamp Set | BIG Trinity Stamp Set | Le Pen 4 Piece Set - Dark