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The house is finally quiet and you’re scrolling through your Instagram feed when a beautifully hand-lettered quote catches your eye. The artistic whimsy of the words on the screen draws you in, allowing your mind a moment to mull over the truth contained in the image.
You think to yourself, “I’d love to create like that, but I just don’t know where to start.”
There’s an abundance of hand-lettering pens available on Amazon, but what about the paper? I’ve recently been introduced to the line of Ellie Claire gifts & paper expressions. Ellie Claire journals provide one location where you can practice hand lettering or just keep your thoughts in one place.
Ellie Claire graciously provided three different new journals for me to show you a sneak peek of each:
- Faith & Lettering Journal
- The Illustrated Word: An Illuminated Bible Coloring Journal
- Illuminate Your Story Journal
These journals all offer an interactive way to get creative in your quiet time but are each unique in style and function.
Faith & Lettering Journal
My favorite of the three, the Faith & Lettering Journal features:
- Thick, sleek paper
- Sample hand-lettered quotes in color
- A variety of types of pages, including: lined, graph, and dots
- Specific examples of hand-lettered quotes, including a section to trace and two areas to practice
- A flat-lay design
- A textured cover
- A loop on the spine to hold your pen
Since I’ve been looking for a place to start with hand-lettering, this journal meets me right where I am and provides plenty of space for practice.
The colors are rich and the variety of types of pages allow for flexibility in types of hand-lettering practice. I have been intimidated to start, but the sample pages are the perfect way to let you dip your toes in the water. Also, I love that the journal provides a specific place to practice, instead of practicing on random scraps of paper.
Dating the practice pages also allows you to view your progress as you grow in skill.
The Faith & Lettering Journal would make a great gift for a friend who has mentioned wanting to try out hand-lettering!
The Illustrated Word: An Illuminated Bible Coloring Journal
Better for those interested in coloring rather than hand-lettering, this journal provides full-color illustrations from the archives of the Museum of the Bible along with coloring pages for those who want to try their hand at creating their own masterpieces.
The Illustrated Word Journal features:
- a thick, sturdy textured cover with gold foil lettering
- a flat-lay design
- coloring pages with the full-color image on the opposite page
- thick tan paper
- lined pages for note-taking or journaling
My 6 yr old son is actually going to use this journal, so it’s very versatile!
He was intrigued by the detailed coloring pages and he is planning on using the lined pages for writing down what he’s thankful for or his prayers.
Illuminate Your Story Journal
This journal is specifically for hand-lettering as well, in the style of “illuminated” letters. These types of letters were used in manuscripts that are hundreds of years old and the ones in the journal are inspired by ancient lettering traditions.
The Illuminate Your Story Journal features:
- a thick textured cover
- a loop for your pen
- a history of illuminated letters
- ideas for supplies
- a special pocket in the back for Keepsakes
- an elastic loop to keep the journal closed
This journal is best used for specific practice with individual letters. Each letter has a two-page spread with 7 step-by-step examples of how to go from a basic letter to a full color illuminated letter, along with a spot to create your own version of each letter.
Interspersed with the letter instruction pages, you’ll find step-by-step instructions of how to make illuminated versions of owls, geese, and other flourishes.
There are also a few quotes about slowing down and enjoying the moment, reminding us to use our God-given creative expression in the day to day.
Thank you to Ellie Claire for providing these journals for review!