I'm ALL In!

Everyday. I. Just. Want. To. Journal!  I've taken small steps and huge leaps simultaneously.  This will be so meaningful to me...I think for a long while.  I've joined several groups on Facebook...Creating in Faith, Journaling Bible Community, Creative Worship Bible Journaling (more on this one later!), Documented Faith, and Bible Art Journaling Challenge.  As Facebook groups, all of these are closed and you have to request to join and be invited.  It's just a way of keeping spam away. The last one, Bible Art Journaling Challenge is sponsored by Rebekah Jones who offers a challenge each month on her blog.  Her current challenge theme is Heaven is Calling.  It's free to join. She will share her own art, techniques, supplies and a video/devotion.  The challenge is then to create your own journaled page(s) in your Bible depicting the verse from the month's challenge.  So once a month, I'll post my rendition of her monthly challenge (first one is on my next post). 

First though, I want to share more about some small steps I've taken.  First, I purchased a Bible specifically for journaling from Christian Book Distributors.and it happens to be on sale now at an even better price when I purchased it.  It's only $20!  Don't walk....run!  That is a true bargain.  (If you think it's too dark, you know you CAN decorate the cover of your Bible).  For my purposes, it's perfect as is.

Then I started gathering my supplies.  I have an embarrassingly huge stash of craft supplies from my card-making days.  I rummaged through stuff (actually not a very small step at all)  and came up with 99% of what I would need to re-purpose those supplies for art-journaling.

(This is not the 99% but a small fraction)

embarrassing

Most people would agree that keeping my supplies in plastic buckets on my dining room table was not a long-term solution to being able to relocate from my basement craft room to an upstairs spot. I searched online for organizing ideas.

(from Pinterest)

 (from Pinterest)

These carts from IKEA were all over Pinterest. And turquoise...you know what happened next, right?

(in my dining room right now)

I'm still taking small steps every day...watching videos, learning, browsing online, ordering, sketching, practicing, ordering...and falling deeper and deeper into this new passion.  I even did this!

I bought a second Bible!  See, I'm thinking that these are heirloom treasures. Really!  I know my sons aren't into the art itself, but they are both sentimental guys...and one day when I'm gone, they are going to enjoy reading my thoughts and being reassured that I loved God, trusted Him in all circumstances and worshiped Him in my private time.  That will give them comfort and they will picture me in heaven with my Jesus and they will smile.  I already know who will get each Bible.  So I'm planning on getting into this thing deeper and deeper.  What a GOOD THING to be in deep...God's Word!

You may or may not be wondering about the huge leaps I mentioned earlier.  I'll share those too...well ONE for right now.  I mentioned moving upstairs.  For years, I've had a really, really big craft room down in my basement.  I used to teach card-making/scrapbooking classes there for as many as 20 people at a time (those were my largest classes, admittedly).  It was a perfect space...but it's a basement...with bright artificial light.  I just have to say...I want to be upstairs with God's light pouring through my windows when I'm journaling now.  And everyone who knows me and believes I can just work out of that little IKEA cart can stand on your head!  So....I'm converting a guest bedroom to an upstairs craft room. Huge leap!  I am not one of these homemakers who rearranges furniture every month (my grandmother really did that) or completely overhauls home decor every couple of years (my grandmother really did that).  I like stability.  I like constancy.  We've lived here nearly 20 years now and I've redecorated twice and I love my home...just the way it is.  (Go ahead, Grandma and roll over in your grave!).  So to make this kind of change for me is monumental.  Trouble is...it will probably start me on another big overhaul...just ask my husband!

We are in process!...(I cannot believe David is actually enthused about this!) I'm notorious for forgetting to take before photos.  They always make me cringe.  This room is about 10 x 12, I'm guessing. Tried a panoramic photo...looks weird.

 

The door by the shelves is a closet and David will build it full of shelves and this....THIS will be my after-picture.  

Pinterest has helped me out again.  THIS is where I'm heading.  I'll take the door off the closet, so all the shelving will be open behind me.  And on the wall to the left, that isn't in this picture, I'll have more white shelves like the one you can see here (I already have those). Isn't this just yummy?! Light, bright, slightly shabby chic and the best prayer closet / journaling nook anyone could have.  This is my dream...a huge leap to actually make a Pin come true!  What do you think?

Small steps and big ones...day by day spending time in the Word.  What could be better?  There are two more pretty big steps I'm taking...but those are for upcoming posts.  THAT is called a crafting cliffhanger.  Hoping you'll come back!  More journal pages coming soon.

Thanks for coming to visit.  Blessings on your day!