Cheap Bible Journaling Ideas

 

Cheap Bible Journaling ideas

Bible journaling has taken off, and there are fantastic products on the market. While our eyes are enticed, our budget might balk at another crafty expense.

I’d like to show you some creative ways this year of using cheap (or free) things to create your pages!

This tutorial will go over how to create simple flaps with washi tape and cardstock. We’ll also cover the basics for applying acrylic paint as a backdrop.

Then, I can’t wait to show you a SUPER easy way to create floral designs with a cotton ball!

Before we get creating, I recorded a casual video for you. It goes over a concept my friend Sharra and I have been thinking on, about incorporating Wabi-Sabi into Bible journaling.

 

 

 

Cheap Bible journaling supplies

Today’s page is inspired by a cardstock phrase from a scrapbooking kit. The design looked perfect for trying a new Wabi-Sabi paint technique.

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself. This post may contain affiliate links that at NO additional cost to you, may earn me a small commission to help support this blog. Read full privacy policy here.

First, gather the supplies. I’ll list suggestions if you want to buy these online, but feel confident to use whatever you have!

You’ll need:

• a journaling Bible
• (or a regular journal)
• a few acrylic paints (can get for under $1 at craft stores)
• an old gift card/hotel key
• a piece of waxed paper
• washi tape (can buy individually at Hobby Lobby, watch for 50% sales)
• colored pencils or markers
• cotton balls
• a cardstock phrase

It is really useful to keep a package of baby wipes on hand when using acrylic paints. If wiped quickly, it can help remove layers of paint, among many other crafty uses.

 

 

Prep your Bible surfaces

Put a piece of regular waxed paper under the pages before working on them.

This prevents paints from bleeding through to the next page, and makes for easy cleanup.

You don’t have to, but I prefer to put a thin coat of clear gesso onto the page to help prevent bleed-through, and to give the paper a bit of sturdiness.

 

 

Paint The bible journaling Base

At my first class on Bible journaling ever, Shanna Noel from Illustrated Faith taught us to enjoy painting with this simple technique. Put a thin bead of paint along the edge of a card…

Flip the card over and spread the paint randomly over the page. Depending on what kinds of paint you use, the text might still show through but experiment on another scrap paper first!

Some paints are much sheerer than the ones I’m using here, but also expensive. Because I’d like to keep the budget in mind for tutorials, this one uses acrylic craft paints that are about $1.

 

 

Highlight The Focus for your bible verse

Next, choose a complementary color to highlight the main text focus on the page. My colors are based on the cardstock I’ll be inserting.

Put a TINY bit of paint on the corner of your card and gently swipe across desired text area.

 

 

What If You Make A bible journal Mistake?

Should you put too much paint on, as I did, grab a baby wipe and gently rub off some off. This might make your page too wet to work. Let it dry completely before moving on.

Depending on the moisture saturation, use a heat gun or hairdryer on low, to dry out both sides of the paper.

Don’t worry if the paper wrinkles a bit. It’ll be fine in the end.

 

 

How To Attach The Cardstock to your bible

Attach the cardstock with Washi tape (thin paper tape). This is a very easy thing to do, but a few tips make it more successful.

Put the tape on the cardstock before attempting to attach it the thin Bible paper.

 

 

It will look like this…

Leave enough (about half of the tape) free to bend over the paper.

 

 

I find it easiest to lay the cardstock down, and flip the Bible page over.

Line up the edge of the paper with the seam of the cardstock, and fold the remaining tape onto the backside of your work-in-progress.

When you turn the page back, you’ll wind up with a flap that lifts up to view the Scripture.

 

 

Paint Simple Flowers With Cotton Balls

This is a great “cheat” to make flowers without much artistic training.  First, dab small amounts of the lightest paint down in random places.

That is the Wabi sabi, just having fun and moving quickly without too many analyzing.

Repeat the process using a slightly darker color of the same palette. I used two shades of pink. Experiment with slightly turning the cotton, seeing the effect of a slight swirl with the paint.

 

 

 

 

Adding The Details

Using a colored pencil, draw leaf shapes.They can be as detailed or loose as you like.

To add more detail, I chose to mimic the white dots from my phrase card. I used this pen, because I already had it. BUT you could also use white paint and a Q-tip to create circles.

Even  White-out will give the same effect!

 

 

Using the same pen, I drew little “letter C’s” to give the impression of petals on the flowers.

Colored pencils could be used with a similar effect.

The focus text can be further highlighted by drawing a few lines, a circle, or box to draw the eye in.

 

 

 

Wabi Sabi Worship

That is it! Within a short amount of time, you’ll have a beautiful page and have mastered a very easy way to create floral designs.  And the flaps are always fun ways to add detailed elements.

My favorite thing about this method is incorporating the imperfect. Using what you have creates beauty in the imperfect.

 

 

P.S. Check out a few sites I like for further inspiration. Share this post with a friend who’d like to try Bible Journaling on a budget. Be blessed, create, and enjoy worship with art!

Rebekah R Jones has fantastic ideas!

Visual Blessings

Growing Meadows

You can also find many artistic sorts sharing ideas on my Bible Journaling board on Pinterest here