Gratitude Documented Day 22 | The Bible [Jeremiah 15:16] | Mixed Media Bible Journaling

We’re three weeks into Gratitude Documented, how are you doing? I want to encourage you if you feel “behind”… take your time. Spend the time truly being grateful for each of the prompts. Some of them have been hard to really meditate and pray on as they are tough topics. I know for me my mom has come up a ton this year and there have been lots of tears as we prepare for our first Thanksgiving without her sitting at the table and preparing our dinner. I already miss that smile she had as she and Dad helped each other and today my Sister-in-love and I will be the ones preparing our traditional turkey dinner and stuffing with Dad.

I’m excited that today’s prompt is “The Bible”… for so many years I struggled to love and even delight in reading it. It felt like such a chore! It wasn’t until I started journaling in a notebook that I really started soaking it up… and then when I started illustrating my faith in my Bible… WOW GOD, WOW GOD, WOW GOD!!!!! I just love soaking it all in now and meditating on it and worshiping through art and prayer. This whole project has made me realize how much I need to not just read it but need the creative worship time even more. Having just scripture prompts really helps me to read the Bible and listen to what God has to tell me and show me rather than a devotional that maybe shows me something different than what God actually wants to show me in that particular scripture… don’t get me wrong, I LOVE devotionals and Bible studies. I just feel like it’s a good practice once in awhile to read and listen yourself.

Sometimes, I find that God has to send me reminders that it’s about my time with Him in the BIBLE rather than the art… and today would be one of those days. I went a little crazy with the paint and ink and then I stopped and was like, “well this is a hot mess!!!” So, what was supposed to be a mixed media tutorial is turning into, “how to fix this hot mess!”

So, first I highlighted the passage with the new Highlight It washi tape, using a paint card to “cut” the ends.

Then I scraped on pink and mint acrylic paint using the paint card.

Next, I stamped the texture stamp in random directions… first in “pistachio” and then in “teal zeal”.

Then I was like, “whoa that’s a little busy”… so, after the stamp ink dried I scraped on some white acrylic paint to tone it down a little bit. I especially wanted to tone down the pink.

But then I stamped the “thankful” stamp and it didn’t stamp completely… ahhhhhh!!! So, I took a Faber Castell Big Brush that matched and filled it in.

Then I started adding the title and I didn’t like that I had cut up and split “The Bible,” so I carefully peeled it all up and re-positioned them.

When I don’t like a background I go and grab some die-cuts. I pulled out all the ephemera I liked and just started positioning them to fill in gaps and to cover up all my “mistakes” until I was happy.

Someone from the community asked me last week, what I do when I hate a page… my answer, “keep adding layers of either paint or stamping or die-cuts and stickers until I’m happy… and then I remind myself that it’s not about the art, but it’s spending time in my Bible and in meditation and prayer with God.” Can I get an AMEN?!