Natalie and I were on the Studio Calico team together, I have always been drawn to her eye for design so when she started using a journaling bible I was SO excited to see what she would do with it. She has THE MOST adorable family, including a very funny husband, if you have a chance go check out amazing blog!
When I’m doing my Bible Journaling at home I create a giant mess! I typically take over the entire kitchen table as I spread out possible supplies before me. I reach for my stash of stamps, numerous old scrapbook kits, my entire paint and ink collection, a tub of pens…. well you get the idea!
But Bible Journaling on the road is of course an entirely different matter. We regularly travel to see family on the weekends and whilst I cherish the time with them, I’m not going to neglect my time in the Word so I’ve learned to pack a few basic supplies that will see me through. I limit myself to only carrying my Bible, whatever I can fit into a small bag, and my phone in order to look up a daily devotional if I feel I need a specific prompt.
My bag of supplies is no bigger than my bible itself and I can easily fit both into my handbag, but it’s surprising how much you can actually pack into one if you do it right! Here’s what’s in mine this week….
Working clockwise I’ve got some Studio Calico Color Theory Ink as well as Prima Chalk Inks, 2 tubes of Color Theory Acrylic Paint, scissors, journaling pen, water brush, my stack of Peerless Watercolour Papers, adhesive, washi tape, a zip lock bag filled with labels, printables and die cuts, a small acrylic block, two small sets of alpha stamps and some alpha stickers to finish it off. Now you could definitely work with less, but given the scenario I described at the beginning and what I’m used to working with, this is definitely a big improvement!
Now just to prove to you that it’s totally do-able, why don’t I show you how I made a page using only these supplies?
First I get some basic colour down onto my page. I use both the acrylic paints and the Chalk Ink to swipe a thin mixture of haphazard gold, orange and yellow. I use an old credit card to do this. It’s tucked into my bag as well; it just didn’t make it into the photo. When you scrape it on very thin like this not only is it still easy to read the text underneath, but it also dries really quickly so you can get on with the next step pretty much immediately.
Next I use my water brush and water paints to highlight the verse that’s speaking to me today. I also splatter some more of the pink across the page too, because if you know me then you know I add ink splatters to everything!
I Bible Journal in different ways at different times, but one of the ‘techniques’ I keep coming back to is to simply copy out the verse word for word in the margin. That way as I flick through my Bible, all my favourite verses are highlighted and easily readable. My verse today is from Job 19:25 which reads “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth.” At the very least I know that I want to get down the phrase ‘my Redeemer lives’ so I start off with that, stamping the words with Color Theory Ink. Next I added a feather from the stash of die cuts – admittedly not because it has anything to do with the verse, but mainly because it’s pink and I wanted to balance out the pink paint! I think it’s sometimes ok to add decoration just for decoration sake without it having any hidden meaning!
Now I could stop there and leave the room at the top of the margin for another entry on another day, but I decided to keep going and stamp out the beginning of the verse as well.
To finish off the page I use my black journaling pen to outline all the letters to make them stand out even more. I add a few more brief words above and below the stamped verse, and underline the actual verse in the text.
And there you have it, a completed page with very minimal supplies. It’s not hugely fancy, there are no great techniques here, but it’s bold and bright and you can easily recognize The Word and for me that’s what it’s all about.
Thank you Natalie, I have to say I just love your style and the beautiful page you created with your on-the-go kit!! Have a fantastic day!
xo- Shanna
Travel sometimes on the weekends to see grandson….great post. Thanks for the tips!!
You’re very welcome!
Perfect! I too fill my whole kitchen island when I work and totally need to do a little traveling kit like this! Thanks Natalie!
It’s fun to think of it a bit like a personal challenge too. Try to create an entry with only supplies you can fit into a small bag! I think it makes you a little more creative and more purposeful with your chosen supplies. :-)
Where did you get your bible?
LOVE IT! I travel a lot for work and I have to take things with me all the time. Love the tips and tricks. I actually don’t have a box, but I keep all my items in the box that my Bible came in. I take a lot of the same things but I also have a bunch of tags and flat letter stickers because I love using those things.
That’s a great idea. I usually use a bunch of alpha stickers as my go-to supply too, but I just don’t have a lot that will actually fit into this bag (and that was kind of my challenge to myself, to limit it to what fits!)
this is lovely!
Thank you Kelly!
Love this. Thanks for sharing your products. I need this for an upcoming trip. Can’t exactly take my loaded Harbor Freight Rigger bag. Well…I could….but the hubs would think it was excessive. ;)
Ha! NEVER!!!
Might be just… a little…. over the top?! Ha!! LOL!
great tips and blog post-thanks
You’re very welcome Barb :-)
Thanks for sharing your travel kit Natalie. This will really come in handy this summer when hubby and I spend time at our cabin. Your page is beautiful!
Thanks. I think it’s fun to see what you can make with limited supplies ….. on occasion. Other times I just want to use EVERYTHING!! ;-)
Just getting into art journaling in my new journaling bible. We are missionaries and we travel a lot so this post was very helpful! What size of bag do you use for traveling?
I’m interesting in the watercolor cards!
Great ideas! I’m getting ready to go away for a few days & had no idea how to pack light; thank you!!