OK, how has Thanksgiving already come and gone?? Time is simultaneously crawling and flying this year- so weird! Chalk it up to 2020, lol! If you’re in the U.S. I hope you had a wonderful, albeit probably different, Thanksgiving holiday! ❤
Today I am back with another gift guide-this time I’m sharing the items I think would be great for someone interested in, or just beginning, their Bible journaling journey. And I’m sharing some discount codes, so if you’re skimming, don’t miss the end 🙂
I have been Bible journaling for almost five years now and have tried various brands, techniques, supplies, you name it! Not only have I found my groove, but I’ve found what is essential (for me) to have on hand when it comes to creatively documenting my faith walk. Spoiler alert: you don’t need all the things to get started!
Before we get into specific supplies, let’s talk learning. One of the most helpful resources out there, in my opinion, for those beginning to Bible journal is the Workbook Guide to Bible Journaling. And I’m not just saying that because I contributed to it, but it really is a great tool for someone who is 1. not sure where to start 2. finding their own style and 3. looking for a treasure trove of ideas all in one place. And there’s room in the workbook to practice each technique if you’d like 🙂
OK, now that we’re honing in on our style we’ll need to figure out where we’re going to Bible journal. Did you know that it doesn’t necessarily have to happen in a Bible? In fact, before I knew Bible journaling was a thing I used to add stickers and paper ephemera to my faith journal simply because I was a scrapbooker and had supplies that I felt went well with my journal entries. And it looked cute 🙂
Bible journaling can happen in a Bible (I started with this Journal the Word Bible-just enough room to add a few extras and notes, but not so much room in the margin that it’s overwhelming),
or a traveler’s notebook, or a journal,
or a mini-book, a MemoryDex, you name it! There are so many possibilities! But before we get overwhelmed, let’s stick to the first three I mentioned.
A fun addition to the Bible journaling offerings in the last couple years has been the Illustrating Bible. Shanna Noel created it with Bible journalers in mind. Its pages are thicker than a typical Bible page (to hold all of our paint and stickers), its margins are larger (4″) than a typical journaling Bible and it’s spiral bound to make it easier to create in. It is truly a keepsake item.
If you’re iffy about covering the Bible text there are a couple other great options also. A traveler’s notebook is great for those who like to write a bit more than a Bible margin will accommodate. I like to use them for journaling sermon notes too!
And if you’re still unsure about what to Bible journal, consider the My Faith Book from DaySpring. This new book from Shanna Noel is the perfect place to document one’s very own faith walk and includes prompts for listing favorite Bible verses, songs, prayers, testimonies and so much more! It will be so fun to look back and have a record of our faith journey!
Next up- supplies!
Now we know what style we’re drawn to thanks to the Workbook Guide to Bible Journaling and we know where we’re going to journal, so let’s gather some of the fun things to document what we’re learning and what we’re praying!
First, I recommend browsing Illustrated Faith’s Print & Pray Shop (especially now with a spectacular Black Friday sale happening this weekend). The Print & Pray Shop is a digital Bible journaling shop filled with devotional content and beautiful, printable art to use in your Bible or notebook. And it’s instant, there is no waiting for shipping!
For a beginner I’d recommend grabbing a digital devotional and ephemera set from Brianna Showalter or Taylor Rauschkolb. Beautifully written and illustrated, their devotionals will provide a jumping off point and coordinating artwork to document your time in the Word.
Another of my favorite supplies are stamps. I really like to create titles for my journaling pages, but alphabet stickers are a one-time-use kind of item. So I like to use stamps! Alphabet stamps, to be exact 🙂 These are a few of my favorites!
Here’s the thing about stamps (I made a video all about this), we’ll need an ink pad and an acrylic block to mount these kinds of stamps. Fortunately, there is a handy little Bible Journaling tool kit that includes everything one needs to get started stamping and gluing and writing. These are the essentials:
Some other fun things to have on hand are acrylic or watercolor paints, markers and/or colored pencils for a pop of color behind all that journaling!
And lastly, I have loved using this handy organizational bag to hold all these supplies (it will even fit most journaling Bibles!) I’ve traveled with this bag (there’s a pocket for everything!) and I’ve even used it around the house to move from one area to another and have everything I want to use within arms reach, and organizaed 🙂
And while none of these things are required to Bible journal, I have found that these are the items I’m reaching for most 🙂
If you do decide to gift any of these items be sure to take advantage of the amazing sales happening this weekend! DaySpring is offering 35% off site-wide (with some exclusions) with code MONDAY through November 30th. Illustrated Faith’s Print & Pray Shop is offering 50% off all digital products through November 30th with code WONDER50.
And before we go, I do want to share that I am a member of the Illustrated Faith and Print & Pray Shop creative team. But before I was a team member I was a customer (and still am!) I love the quality of these products and sharing them with others. Trust me, not all craft supplies are created equal 😉
Also, some of the links included in my post are affiliate links. All that means is that I earn a small commission on purchases made through these links at no cost to you 🙂 Thank you for your support! ❤
P.S. I have several Bible journaling for beginner tutorial-type videos on my YouTube channel. You can check them out here ❤
Hello Jillsky's Bible Journaling 