Illustrated Advent In Action

Hiya! I hope you are having a wonderful day! I sure am, today was my birthday so I hope you forgive this Thursday post going up at 9:24 pm PST but we just had to much fun the past two days to stop and blog! I knew you would understand :)

I wanted to take you step by step through the process of making an entry in my journaling bible. This entry is from Illustrated Advent day 17.  I remember reading through the devotional and this "shine" illustration coming to mind and I immediately thought of the sunburst stamp. I knew I wanted to create a graduated color effect and thought it would be fun to use the gelato. My favorite ways to use the gelato with the stamp is with a mister to create this fun watercolor effect with the gelatos.  If you have't tried it yet, YOU MUST!!!

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The important thing here is to just HAVE FUN!!! Don't worry about doing it "right" go with the first image that comes to mind and just run with it!! P.S. That adorable green art print is from Valerie, if you haven't checked her out yet YOU MUST!!

Heather and Stephanie are sharing a peek into their Illustrated Advent process as well, you are going to want to check them out!! 

go.be.inspired. 

Shanna

Illustrated Faith | Stephanie Buice

Happy Monday! Sorry this is late today, I am traveling and enjoying my sweet little family! I wanted to introduce Stephanie to you. In the scrapbook industry you tend to work with similar people, and Stephanie is one of those people for me! I see her running in similar circles, working with similar products and with the same people I work with. Even though we don't work directly together she is always someone I have looked up to so when she started a journaling bible I was over the moon excited!!! Please give her a warm welcome.... 

My Bits of Sunshine

Hi everyone, I'm Stephanie! It's so nice to he here to share with you today. I live in AL with my husband and our 2 year old son.

When Shanna first emailed me asking if I'd be interested in contributing here, my initial reaction was "no way!" Although I love what everyone does and shares here I immediately felt intimidated. It was like the Devil zoned in on my insecurities and tried to use them against me to keep me from sharing with you just how thankful I am for all of God's blessings. So I prayed about it and emailed her back with a very excited "YES!" If God put it on her heart to ask me, then who am I to not believe that He would place the right words and ability in me!? So here I am!

I have a thankful heart. I fall short in so many other areas but for some reason being thankful to God for all He has done and continues to do in my life is one thing that actually comes easy, natural for me.

I chose to journal about James 1:17

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

God is always good, and everything from Him is likewise. I chose this verse to help remind myself that even in hard times when things don't always seem like a gift or like something good He never changes. I admit that there have been times in my life where seeing this and believing this were not always easy, I've doubted and questioned His love and goodness but in the end my heart knows and always finds His truth.

When I'm thankful for what He has given me it's so much easier to feel that instead of wanting more or things that I do not have, a bigger house or family, a new car, all this seems so very trivial when I stop and look at all I already have, what I have been blessed with.

I could never find the words to express to Him just how thankful I am for everything, my family, our house, His love and forgiveness, His grace and I 'm so thankful for a heart of gratitude. I just hope that my simple words are enough to say thank you Father for everything.

Thank you so much Stephanie. I love seeing you take your style on your journaling bible! You have such an eye for color and design and it is such a gift to transfer that into your spiritual life! 

For those new to using a journaling bible in this way please visit these links for more info!

the bible | the devotional | the kit | the idea |

the group | the pinterest | the FB page | the newsletter 

go.be.inspired.

Shanna

Illustrated Faith | Jaime Dougherty

Hi there! I feel so blessed to be able to bring you another amazing guest today! From the moment Jaime joined the journaling bible facebook group every one took notice, her art speak to the soul. In getting to know her over the past couple of weeks I see that she is talented but humble and that is something to admire! I will step aside and give Jaime the stage... 

Jaime Dougherty Designs | facebook 

Hi everyone, my name is Jamie Dougherty. I was born and raised in a small southern California town called Ramona, where I still live with my husband and two awesome kids. I grew up always believing in God but not really fully knowing the meaning that carried. I was shuffled off to Sunday school with family and friends but again, never fully understood what it all meant. We were those holiday church goers. I always had faith and a belief system but it wasn't until a few years ago when I found myself slipping deeper and deeper into a slump I couldn't dig myself out of, when I finally chose to look up instead in a mirror. I was centering everything around myself when I needed to center everything around my Lord and savior. The highs the lows and everything in between all revolved around me instead of HIM. I decided one day that had to change. I started to take my daughter to church with me––she showed interest and I wanted to nurture that. (my husband and younger son not as much) I continued to try and make my faith priority but it still didn't feel complete. Our church wasn't the right fit for who I was and I still struggled with where I belonged in God's plan. My husband's resistance also  deterred me from letting go and letting God take over. After fourteen years together, one day after watching a movie Fireproof,(funny how God works) something clicked inside my husband and he began to search out his relationship in God. From there it felt as if we were in this journey together and I have since found that the Holy Spirit has been working in me all along.

My art has grown leaps and bounds since I allowed God's direction in my life, and I try to give Him all the glory and praise for what I am able to achieve. Without Him I would still be that empty, lost self. I am forever grateful for where God's plan has lead my family and I. 

I am also grateful God led me to Shanna's amazing group on Facebook, where I can share my spiritual gifts in a way that might bring other's to God's word. I feel this could be just what God had intended for many of us all along a new movement to spread his Love and Grace. 

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my ramblings and I hope in someway they can help you in your walk with God.

Thank you so much Jaimie for sharing your beautiful talents with us, it is a gift God has given us and in turn you are sharing... there really is nothing better. I loved hearing your story, the part about your husband sent chills down my arm!!! THANK YOU JAIME!!

Jamie has been so generous as to share a free printable with you guys, and you will see exactly what I mean with this STANDOUT artist! 

download here

go.be.inspired.

Shanna

Illustrated Faith | Heather Greenwood

It's Monday time for a new start to another beautiful week..... and time for an amazing guest.  Heather was one of the first people I asked to be a guest because she is someone I look up to both as an artist and as a believer! I had the great privliedge of meeting her when I was near her home town for a conference, and let me tell you she is as sweet and centered as she seems. I wanted to just hang out with her for days and soak up all her inspiration.  I love what she has planned for us today, so sit back and take it all in.....

Heather Greenwood | blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram 

I am incredibly thrilled and honored to be featured here on Shanna's blog. It was almost a year ago that Shanna and I were introduced by Facebook message. I've been a huge fan of hers for years and had no idea that that meeting would lead to being a part of this incredible ministry called "Illustrated Faith".†

I've had the joy of working with her on a few projects and this is by far my favorite. I LOVE checking in each day to see what's going on in this "tribe" and community. I LOVE reading the testimonies of what this ministry has unveiled. Most of all, I LOVE seeing so many women in the Word and the joy that comes from that.

This past January, some would say my life was turned upside down... I say that I finally got the nudge (more like kick in the bottom) back on to the path God wants me on. For many many years I led worship in my church, it became my identity. Everyone knew me as the girl on stage. I thought this was supposed to be "my" ministry. This is how "I" serve in my church. But, something inside of me was nudging me that this was not my purpose in this short life on earth.

So, when we were told that there were going to be changes to the worship team, I knew that I could no longer let fear keep me from doing what God gifted me to do. I'm not just a singer on Sunday mornings, I'm an artist. I'm an artist with a purpose. I started to see the big picture for "my" ministry.

I decided I couldn't live in fear anymore. It was time for me to share my art AND my faith. So, I would write my notes on Sundays and then come home and do an art journal page based on the message. Then with the nudging of my friends and pastors, I started posting them on social media. All that fear went away. That was easy! Why did it take me so long to share my faith through art on social media?

Then Shanna started sharing her Journaling Bible, and a lightbulb went on. Why am I doing this art in a separate journal? Why not do it actually IN my Bible?†

I grew up thinking it was wrong for me to doodle or write in my Bible, (not my parents, btw, my peers) I did it anyways. My peers finally won the war and I put the pen down and stopped doodling and writing in my Bible. I thought there was something wrong with me. Why couldn't I love the Bible like them, why was it so difficult to read it and understand it?

A few years ago, at the age of 38, I was diagnosed with ADHD. It was like a million pounds fell off my shoulders. There wasn't anything wrong with me! I just need to worship and study the way God gifted me. All this doodling and art journaling has brought me so much closer to God. I now see his love and grace like never before. I now read the Bible like never before. I now can truly worship the way God intended me to worship.

Matthew 28:19 says "GO and make disciples of ALL NATIONS...", this is the lesson I've learned this past year. God wanted me to "GO" and share my faith and the arts to all nations, through social media.†

I love the Illustrated Faith Facebook Community, but I want to encourage you to think about what your purpose in this short life is. Are you going to keep God's gifts in our Facebook group, or are you going to share it for the world to see the loving Savior?

Thank you for that call to action Heather! I agree, the community is a great place to gather inspiration, and ask questions etc but it is important to share with those around you! Thank you so much for sharing your heart with us this morning!

Heather does and art bible tutorial on Thursdays you don't want to miss!! She has also provided us with this amazing free printable that would work perfectly in any art journal/ journaling bible!

download here

For those new to the idea of using a journaling bible in this way I have a FAQ here and wanted to link you to the bible that Heather is using as well as a few others: NIV Notetakers | ESV Journaling Bible Single Column | ESV Standard Journaling Bible | ESV Leather Bible | Writing in the Margins 

go.be.inspired.

Shanna

Journaling Bible | Becky Novacek

It's Monday, thank you so much for joining us today! Do you have those friends you see online, you know the ones.. you admire their work.. their creativity seems effortless while always being on the cutting edge of AWESOMESS? That's BECKY! So imagine my surprise when she contacted me about this journaling bible wildfire we have going here!

all things

Her pages just take my breath away EACH and EVERY time! So I was excited to see what she would do with her journaling bible!

I have always been a note taker. In school, I would have pages of notes and doodles from classes. I think it's not only because I love to learn, but also because if I'm listening to someone speak, I can't sit still and focus if I'm not engaged with my hands. Taking sermon notes is something that started when I was taking catechism class and it was a requirement. I can honestly say that when my classmates were complaining, I secretly loved it. I figured out quickly that if I wrote down key points, it stuck with me. I can still remember sermons from long ago and I doubt that would be the case if I hadn't taken notes. 

So as time has passed, I had become a little stagnant in my personal Bible study. At the beginning of 2014, I was reflecting on where I was spiritually and decided I needed to get more focused and prayed that God would give me a fresh love for His Word. I started praying each morning before I read that He would really speak to me. He was so gracious and gave me fresh insights almost daily. I started to keep a written record of these spiritual insights and it became exciting again. As I became more excited about His Word, he opened my eyes to our Pastor's teaching and how it is a gift to received such great teaching each week. He preaches the Word unapologetically and he does not water it down to make it more palatable. I think that is rare and I'm finally embracing it and learning so much. 

When I saw Shanna's initial blog post about Bible journaling, I was immediately smitten with the idea. I have basically been doing it with my doodled up sermon notes for years, but hadn't added mixed media or done it in an actual Bible, my notes were all done with a favorite black writing pen. Our Pastor has been preaching from the book of Acts for a few months now and it's been great, but rather than waiting for a new series or trying to go back and do all of the past sermons, I started with his first sermon of a 3 parts on Acts 20. This is my first official Bible journaling page and project. So be kind! I simply used watercolors, stickers, stamps, ink, scrap paper, pen and pencil. 

My approach right now, is to continue to take my sermon notes in my church bulletin and then come home and transfer it prayerfully and creatively to my Bible journal. I'm pretty open-minded about this, so in the future I may use it for my daily spiritual insights too. Right now, I'm in a busy season for photography, so for now, I plan to just use it for my notes, but maybe in the winter when it slows down, I'll change it up. I'm just happy to be able to have a way to keep these valuable notes and insights right in this Bible. 

Thank you Shanna for being so willing to share this process and encourage so many of us to make it our own! 

Thank YOU so much Becky for being willing to put your heart out there and share with all of us! It means to much!! Becky and I worked on a little printable (along a print & cut version) together. I wanted it to be in true BECKY fashion so I even had her cut a couple sayings out for you! They are my favorite!!

you can download this here 

Thank you for stopping by today! If you have any questions please

 feel free to post them below or email me at shannanoelATgmailDOTcom! 

go.be.inspired.

Shanna

Info | Traveling Bible

With all the excitement and new members over at our journaling bible community, I thought it would be fun to have a traveling bible. One that we could all add our own special touch to and share with each other all over the world. If you would like more info please feel free to join our group! 

If it already sounds like something that you want to join in on here is what you need to know for now :) 

1. Please email me (shannanoel@gmail.com) subject: traveling bible - with your mailing address and where you can ship to. I will place you on the list and email you back with info on where you might be on this list. This project could go on for a while, and I think that is OK! In fact, I think it is GREAT!!
2. I will mail you when you are up on the list. With more info and who you will be sending it off to. What you need to do when you get the bible:
3. Work your magic: pick a page, verse, etc that speaks to you
4. Take a couple photos of your work (process) and email them to me ( I think it will be fun to update everyone as the bible travels, I would love to make a little map! )
5. Feel free to share on social media when the bible arrives (etc etc etc) using hashtag ‪#‎travelingbible‬
6. You will have 3 days to finish your journaling and pop that baby back into the mailbox to continue it's journey  (the three days is when you have to work on it, not the MAILING, we all know you have no control over how much time it may take)
7. Please make sure you get a tracking number on this package where possible this way it can help us prevent it from getting lost along the way.
8. Please have an OPEN mind about this, it's a VERY organic process,... if it does get lost along the way we can be thankful for what we learned from the process and hope that wherever it lands someone who needed the bible will find it!
9. If and when it does come to a place where it is "done" we will do a random number generator and send it to one person who participated. That person may choose to keep the bible or donate to where they see fit 

I am SUPER excited to getting this started, and sending it off!!!

Journaling Bible | Writing in the Margins

It's Friday!!!... And better than that it's Friday of a three day weekend (for some of us)! We have family in town and lots of fun to be had, how about you? I was talking with you the other day about some plans I had for the silkscreen in Whitman. I thought it would be PERFECT for my journaling bible, as it would allow the text to show through while still making a statement on the page! I also love that you can play with color, so I got out my color theory paints and dabbed a little at the top of the silkscreen. From there you simply drag the color across the page (you can use an old gift card, or any straight edge for this).

What I like about this process is that you can CLEARLY see the text below, but the graphic is so catchy! What don't like about this process is now I want a dozen silkscreen from Studio Calico, and this is their first one. So I am going to start a petition for more silkscreen LOL! But for real, I love them so!

This week instead of using sermon notes I took one of my favorite songs from this weeks worship and reflected on it a bit. It has been in my head all week, and I love that it works perfectly in 1 Timothy as it also talks about temptation. The text reads; so teach my song to rise to you when temptation comes my way". Isn't that just beautiful?! I love it. 

Supplies: Unforgettable | Journaling Pen | Whitman | Color Theory | Staz-On | Alcott

To join a community of us journaling in our bibles please join us in our facebook group! 

Over the past couple of weeks a lot of you have reached out and shared how the process of being artistic in your bible has changed you, changed you relationship with God, changed your outlook and I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart, those letters mean the world to me! Some of you have also suggested a book called Writing in the Margins by Lisa Nichols Hickman. Naturally I picked up one for myself as well as one for YOU! This book is PERFECTION. It takes every single thing I have been trying SO hard to put into words right there in black and white (with some doodles!!). The quotes in this book will stop you in your tracks as you think this book was a love letter to you personally, because it is. I got it last night and have already highlighted, dog eared and doodles all over it! I can't wait to share it with you! 

There are several ways to enter to win this book: 

1. Enter a comment with a link to where you shared it on instagram

2. Enter a comment with a link to where you shared it on your personal facebook

3. Enter a comment to where you shared it on your personal blog

*please enter a separate comment for each entry (one entry per social media post)

Winner will be posted on Monday September 1st, good luck! 

go.be.inspired.

Shanna

Journaling Bible | Ashley Horton

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I am excited to have an amazingly talented guest with us!!! Ashely is a SUPERstar scrapbooker on such teams as American Crafts, and Echo Park. She has an adorable etsy shop where you will find some of the CUTEST cuts for your digital die cut machine. Come to find out she is not only enjoying her journaling bible, but is doing it such a CREATIVE and INSPIRING way, I just knew I had to have her with us today! Everyone say "HI Ashley!!!" .....

blog | facebook | instagram 

I love that God gives all of us our own individual testimonies.  Testimonies may have something in common, but each one is still our own personal experience.  I grew up in church...like my grandparents took me every Sunday from the time I was a baby...grew up in church.  I was saved at the age of twelve.  As I got older, I did the typical rebellious teenager stuff, but remained in church.  Even though I didn't always stay on the right path, I never strayed from attending church.  I even worked in two different church offices for over 14 years, before I became a stay at home mom!  Our current church is only the 5th church I've ever attended, in my span of 40 years.  I believe in finding a church, staying, and being involved.  I remember sharing in our Bible Study class one Sunday, as we were discussing testimonies, that mine was just a typical, boring testimony...no huge revelation, or transformation from a life of drugs or substance abuse.  Our teacher pointed out, that my testimony was just as relevant as any of the drastic testimonials of being saved, because there are other people out there like me, that need to hear the same story.  That even though we grow up in church, we are still separated from God, until we ask Jesus into our hearts.  WOW!  So, that is why I chose to journal Isaiah 6 as one of the first entries in my Journaling Bible, once it arrived.  This is such an amazing description of God's holiness and our separation through sin, until we realize that sin and turn away from it.  And one of the most powerful verses is 6:8 - "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me.'"  This is the perfect picture of sin separating us from God, repenting, and then doing God's will.  He gives us the tools to go out and share our testimony, when we are willing to say "Here I am!  Send me."

We just started a new sermon series on Building Stronger Families.  My hubby and I are working to instill the Word of God and Christian values in our children.  But honestly, we mess up so many times a day!  I'm not gonna lie..it's not like the Duggar's around here, and we only have 3 kids, not 19!!  There are days of a lot of yelling, or when I feel like putting them out by the road, with a Free Kid sign around their neck.  But, God continues to teach us and help us grow, and I am so glad that our Pastor is sharing this sermon series.  The first week, was based on Matthew 7:24-27, and having our foundation in Jesus.  I can't pray and ask God to make my husband or children perfect.  I need to pray for God to change me and show me how He wants me to be obedient.  And my foundation, can't be my husband or my children.  It has to be Jesus, because only He can fulfill my every need.

Do you have a favorite book of the Bible?  After going through a Beth Moore study of Esther several years ago, it immediately became my favorite book.  Here is poor Esther, who kind of gets thrown into a situation she didn't ask for and ends up having to make a huge decision that not only affects herself, but all of her people.  After going through Esther, I learned that we have to decide to be obedient...always.  It can't be a situation based decision, when God calls us to something.  I don't want to come to a situation, and say, "Sorry God, I weighed the pros and cons of what You asked me to do, and I'm just not feeling it today."  But I also love that Esther took time to fast and pray and had others do the same for her, before she tackled going before the King.  Just because God calls us to do something, doesn't mean we have to go in alone.  I love being able to ask for prayers and help from our church family, and know that other Christians are lifting me up in prayer, when I need i

The last scripture, I want to share from today, is found in 1 Peter 2:11.  It is easy for me to get caught up in the things of the world.  There is always so much going on around us and so much to keep us distracted and busy.  I love listening to Christian songs, that reinforce the message of God's Word.  For some reason, I stink at memorizing scripture, even though I have tried many times.  But give me a song, and I usually know it almost all the way through, by the second listen!  I've always loved Third Day and their song "Alien".  And another favorite is "Where I Belong" by Building 429.  Both of these songs talk about being aliens and strangers here on earth.  I love that these are constant reminders for me, that this home is only temporary, and we can look forward to eternity in heaven.  So sometimes, I have to take a step back from something that I consider soap opera dramatic or too huge for me to handle, and realize that in the grand scheme of things, it's only a teeny tiny fragment of my days here on earth.  Then I can focus on listening to God and how he wants me to handle those situations.  But it's also important for me to remember, that even though this isn't my "home", there is still work to do here and God has a plan for my life and is continuing to work in it daily.

   

Thank you so much for letting me share with you today!  I look forward to the days to come, and the ways God will use my love for Him and crafting to accomplish His will in my life.  Before you go, I have a set of Free Printables for you, and I hope you will enjoy using them, as you journal your way through the Bible!

download here :) 

See, I told you.. she really doesn't let you down does she!? Thank you ASHLEY!! I love how she is so honest and just lays her heart out there. We have had some amazing guests, each one so different but with that same golden heart. If you would like to share your journaling bible & process I would love to hear from you please email me at shannanoelATgmailDOTcom :) Also, we have started a little journaling bible group on facebook and would love to have you, you can be added here :) Hope to see you soon!

go.be.inspired

Shanna

Journaling Bible | Put it in the cup

For those that have been following me for a couple months you know this year started off rough. I took some time away from my online commitments and really took the time to focus on family. During that time, I am not going to lie I struggled with God. My mother in law suggested (ever so slightly) that I listen to a sermon from Doug Fields at Saddleback church. The name of the sermon was "have I got a surprise for you"  and I LOVED it. I think sometimes it is difficult for church leaders to share where they struggle and they do in fact struggle with the exact same things we stuggle with. Doug did just that, in such a HUMAN way. I love that. The sermon was great, and I highly suggest listening to it yourself but my favorite part was when he talked about "putting it in the cup". He talks about how we pray to God, and then we worry. When we really need to hand it all over to God and trust him with our desperate prayers. Of course worrying is natural human process... but allowing God to work in your life  is a learning process (and sometimes harder than others). It was certainly something I PERSONALLY needed (need) to work on in this season of my life.

I wanted to share my start to finish process for this week in my journaling bible.

Lindsay Letters designs some of the cutest stamps for Studio Calico so I pulled those out as I love how they look when stamped in my bible. I also saw this adorable cup sticker that was perfect for the sentiment "put it in the cup".

I LOVE the BE BRAVE stamp and used my staz-on ink (my fave) right under the cup and then journaling "put it in the" with my favorite journaling pen.  I love making sure I add a mixture of my own personal handwriting along side stamps and alpha stickers!  

I have been sort of hoarding these adorable stickers from the Hola kit (sold out, but keep your eye out some cute alpha sticker in the upcoming kits!). Something I kind of think about when adding alpha stickers is how long the word is, and alternating styles (for example traditional or block letters). 

I love seeing how everyone is adding mist (I used Mister Huey's) to their pages and wanted to add a little unexpected color to my pages today. In this photo it is still drying but I wanted to show you all to NOT be afraid to get messy in your bibles! I just sprayed it on there and once it is dry and you close the book the page is still in perfect condition!

One of the last things I always do is add my tab. I try to think of a sentiment short and simple that will remind me what I will find inside. I used one of the tabs from Veronica's amazing (free) printables.  I also added a "2" from one of my favorite Studio Calico alphas from a past kit, but good news, if you missed out on those they are coming out with MORE and you can find them here. 

If you are new to the idea of using your bible in this way, or would like to find a community to find some amazing inspiration and some of the sweetest gals you will ever meet, please come join us on facebook in our new journaling bible group.  I have also taught a class through influence network called journaling bible: the basics. You can purchase the recording and get more info here. Hope to see you there!

go.be.inspired.

Shanna