Do You F.R.O.G ?: Blue Jean Bible Book Cover

Do You F.R.O.G ?: Blue Jean Bible Book Cover: Blue Jean Bible Book Cover This will take you back to a time when you cut off your Winter jeans to make Summer fringed shorts. ...

Blue Jean Bible Book Cover

Blue Jean Bible Book Cover

This will take you back to a time when you cut off your Winter jeans to make Summer fringed shorts.

I have been wanting to find a way to make the Bible more personalized for the older Kiddos that I serve in Children's Ministry. A cover seemed like the answer. The Enduring Word Bible is not the Bible that we use in Children's Ministry. This Bible belongs to my 9 month old Grand Daughter..more about her later on in this post.

My plan was to come up with a way to recycle blue jeans ....(a boy/girl friendly fabric) and create a way to cover the Bible without needing a sewing machine or supplies that would only be used for this project. I want this cover to be kid friendly and quick in the making.

After playing around with the front, back and the leg of the blue jean I think I have come up with an easy and unique way to cover any Bible or journal using only the back hip side of the blue jean and the waist band. Supplies needed are scissors, fabric glue an iron and iron on patches.

The great part about this cover will be that each child will be able to make it their very own...and that will be another blog post.
I hope these brief instructions inspire you. Bible, books, journals can be covered with paper or fabric and gives the opportunity for one to express themselves in a unique and creative way.

Photo Instructions

1. Cut the waist band completely off of the jean leaving the finished seam that is now the top of the fabric.
2. Measure the Bible length and add 1 inch to that measurement. If you would rather have a finished edge for the bottom of the cover and not a fringed edge , add 2 inches for a turn under hem. Mark the length with a marker and cut the legs off.
3. Remove the back side from the front by cutting up each side leaving the finished side seams.

4. Open the Bible and place the back spine on the center seam of the fabric. Fold the front and back sides on top of the front and back covers to form pockets for the covers to slip into. My pockets needed to be 3 inches wide. Close the top and bottom seams of the pockets with fabric glue.
5. If you want the bottom to be finished and not fringed you need to turn that hem up before you glue the pockets..make sure the cover is just a tad longer than your Bible.

6. Take the waist band and with it buttoned, cut it into 2 pieces. Bring the two ends around to the back of the cover and continue to cut off the excess until the two ends meet.
7. Glue the ends to the pocket with fabric glue. Let dry for about 20 minutes.

8. I chose this cute flower iron on patch to cover where the waist band ends meet. I found this patch at Hobby Lobby. Simply follow the directions on the package for application.

There is plenty of room between the cover and the closer and if you are using jean fabric that has some stretch in it the band will expand a little if needed.

And plenty of room for tabs on the Bible pages.

Fringed bottom edge hangs just a tad below the bottom edge of the Bible.

The cover really doesn't need the closer belt. It could be left off. 

This is our sweet  Grand daughter Charleigh Willa. She is 9 months old and has the bluest eyes you have ever seen....and red hair ta boot.

This is my first post in her Enduring Word Bible documenting her gender reveal and folks that attended one of her baby showers.

I worked on this page while her mother was in labor. Happy Birthday Charleigh. In October I will be documenting somewhere in her Bible the celebration of her 1st birthday. Each year I will add a birthday post.

An iron on flamingo on the inside pocket is the first personalized decoration. Why you ask?

It was a Flamingle gathering to celebrate her birth!

Find some jeans and repurpose them. Make Bible, book and journal covers. What a great gift for that special someone going away to school....a birthday gift , oh , and Christmas is coming! 

Follow for updates . I will be sharing how the children in our weekday small groups personalize their Bible covers.

When Your Plan Is Not His Plan!

When Your Plan Is Not His Plan!

A story of when prayers were needed more than hanging blinds!

This is my husband. I used an app on my phone called Cartoon Picture Converter to color him with water color pencils for his privacy. 

This photo shows him setting up Church Call Committee shop on our dinning room table preparing for a meeting, reading info about Pastors who have agreed to be considered for a Divine Call.

My plans for the afternoon was for him to help me in the guest bedroom hanging new hardware for the new blinds..and wash the top half of the windows.

Waiting for Mr. B to finish what he was doing, I sat down in the family room and checked email, and my social media accounts. That is when the plan for the afternoon changed. 30 minutes turned into an hour. I wanted to be quiet because I knew that he was reading every printed word , making notes,  making piles of yes, no, maybe. As I was looking at IG posts I came across a beautiful illustration of Philippians 4:4-7 " The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Our home is a very long cottage style ranch and on the back side of the house is our long galley style kitchen that separates the dinning from the family room.

I looked over from where I was sitting, watched him for a couple of minutes and I new that I should be praying for him and his process, rather than vacuuming or putting in a load of laundry while I was waiting for the blind hanging to begin.

The cross with flower doodles is the result of my quiet prayer time for my husband.

Research shows that visual and kinesthetic process is helpful for learning and focus. The slowing down or pause allows time for dealing with distractions and giving our thoughts to the Holy Spirit, keeping the focus on the need.
 I worry. I over think everything. I doubt. I have fears. Doodling words and objects gives me a healthy place to put my emotions.

I also find much comfort in illustrating in my Bible.
Romans 12:12 " Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

Sometimes my prayers look like this. I painted and doodled this prayer card as I was preparing for an upcoming Visual Faith Ministry workshop several years ago. I think that this card is the only one that I have a photo of. I should take photos of all prayer cards as a reminder of God's presence and the work of the Holy Spirit in his people.

Prayer- that is, talking with God is a precious privilege.

So back to reason for this blog post. As the hubby was doing the Lord's work at one end of the house, I was quietly cheering him on with prayer doodles at the other.

My Call Committee Prayer Doodle with have a place in my Bible tucked between the pages of Nehemiah , Chapter 1 Verse 5 and 11. " O. Lord let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of our servants who delight to fear your name."
The white space around the cross will be a place for the names of the committee, and written prayers during this Call process

This car tag belonged to my in-laws. They were married at Concordia. In fact, the 5th generation of our family was brought to the baptismal font at Concordia in January.
I give thanks that my husband loves the Lord and the church where he grew up. I am proud of him for serving on our Call Committee. Praying for my husband was the most important work that afternoon.

Tell The Story

Tell the Story and Be Part of the Story

I love photo albums. I could look through them all day! 

Each photo has a story. We may not remember the date or the day but we remember the who, the what and the where.

I enjoy making these mini albums. Creating doodle picture frames around the photo. Pairing it with a scripture verse. As the next generation flips through the books they will not only see a capture of special days but they will see reminders of God's grace and love. In my own doodle handwriting they have a snapshot of favorite scriptures where they can find hope, comfort and love.

Some Supplies

This small notebook with black pages can be found at Michaels in the isle with the planner notebooks. It is the perfect size for a 2x3 photo and room for text.

I enjoy using these white gel Uni-ball Signo pens. They can be found at all craft stores, Target and on Amazon. Fine point chalk markers work well too. Using one color of gel ink keeps my mind from going into the clothes dryer effect ... with my mind tumbling over and over trying to decide what colors to use .

I love my HP Sproket mini printer for my phone.  I can print 2x3 prints. The back peels off to expose a sticker surface that allows me to place directly in the mini album without needing glue or tape. 

There are many versions of mini printers for phones. Check them out.

I love using the Apple app VRSLY to add text to my photos. Pic Monkey is a photo editing program that I use as  well.

Doodle frames around photos and text gives the page a fun look.

Doodle lettering is very forgiving.  Large lettering catches the eye. A simple frame gives the message a home.

Adding color to the doodle gives a dimensional look. Happy letters!

I am adding a cloth cover to this mini album.

This is how I draw flowers...I doodle them. They always end up somewhere in the project.

And so we tell tell the next generation of the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders he has done. Psalm 78:4

Print some photos. Place them in an album. Start small. Use your own handwriting to share the who, what and the where. Give it your own special touch. Tell the story. Be part of the story.

Praying the Stitches -The Fall Version

My Grandmother stitched.

My Mother stitched .

My Grandmother made crazy quilt blankets for couples as a wedding gift. 

It was on her sewing machine that had a place on the kitchen table that she allowed me to try my hand at sewing rows and rows and rows of squares. I loved it. I never created anything with all of those rows, perhaps my Grandmother did, but I remember having so much fun cutting out the squares and sewing them together on many a summer day. She patiently showed me how to wind a bobbin and thread the needle and how to use the seam guide to help me sew in straight rows.

My mother sewed for living working as a sewer in a furniture manufacture plant. At home, she made many beautiful things from fabric including curtains, tablecloths and such.

When I was in high school I learned how to sew on buttons and hem jeans. In the 70's it was very cool to have some kind of embroidery on your jeans such as ...hearts , peace symbol, flowers, and your initials or your boyfriend's initials. I had lots of fun with my embroidered jeans. I wish I still had them! I wish I could still wear them!

So sewing and stitching is part of my childhood past.

Sometimes our plans are not God's plans . My plan was to have a Summer Bible Study that included a fun stitching project. Schedules, a new ministry program and an unexpected surgery put this Bible Study on the bottom of the totem pole. 

Praying the Stitches will begin soon but the hands on project will come first.

Over the next couple of weeks I will share with you how stitching can put your mind and soul into a state of calm. Praying for those things that are heavy on your heart. Slowing down . Finding peace and comfort in the moment.

So gather up some fabric, scraps of fabric, lace, trims, buttons, patches, the old dishtowel from your grandma's kitchen....and we will learn how to make fabric collage covers for our planners, small notebook, Bibles and a Memory Maker Smash book ( this is another project in the works.) Watch for it!

A bag to keep your project supplies is a requirement ! 

This is the fabric collage cover for my travelers notebook planner. 

This beauty contains my personal and ministry calendars, daily devotion reflections, visual prayers, project planning, and a daily gratitude dairy. 

Each piece of fabric has a special meaning and a prayer as I stitched it into place.

Each day when I pick up my planner I have a visual reminder of prayers lifted up and prayers answered. It is almost like having a secret code. Nobody knows the meaning of it all but me and the Big Guy!

The process I will share can be used to cover anything that has a cover!

The cover for this small scrapbook has been measured, cut and pinned . After the seams have been stitched , the fun collage work can begin. This small book is for my grand daughter. I will be using the fabric from pieces of her clothing that she has outgrown to be part of the collage. 

I have another grand daughter due in October and I will be working on a fabric collage cover for her Enduring Word Bible.  I love this fabric and it will be perfect to stitch and layer other fabrics to it. Oh the prayers that will go into all of the stitches.

Your finished cover will roughly be the same width of whatever you are covering.

If you have a sewing machine or know someone that does, you can take scraps of fabric and sew them together to make one large piece of fabric for our project. 

You will need a piece of wool felt to stitch to the wrong side of the fabric. This helps to give thiner fabric some body.

Lay what you are going to cover on top of your fabric and open the front and back covers to measure for the length . Add 2-3 inches on each side for the side pockets for the covers to slide into. 

Turn up the edges on the top and bottom of the fabric to create a seam. Use needle and thread or fabric glue or iron on hem tape to give the edges a finished look.

 The process is the same for a smaller cover.

Front cover pocket.

Back cover pocket.

You can even create your own fabric prints. Try it on paper first.

Created your own collage objects with fabric and stitches. These circle flowers are very easy and give the covers a dimensional look.  I made this one using 4 different sizes of circles. A button holds them all together.

Patches remind me of my childhood and my grandmother.

Another way to add layers.

These red stitches give the heart a 3-D look.

Simply adding a touch of color can make an object stand out.

                                  

Find calm and clarity.

 There is a story about the rainbow. Notice how the stitches are very imperfect. Yeah, just like you and me. More about the imperfect rainbow in the Praying the Stitches video. Keep reading! 

So, you may be very overwhelmed by now and think you could never do this. No worries. I will walk you through this project in a series of Praying the Stitches videos. Be sure to follow @beebeebost on Instagram and on the Do You F.R.O.G. Facebook page ( like the page to see notifications)