Alexa and I dove head first into our very first issue of By Design Journal. We were two women with a little bit of experience but a whole bunch of vision and dreams – and we made it happen, quickly, at that. In all honesty, we have been blown away by the support and encouragement from our readers. Your response to the Spring 2020 Issue fueled our fire for a bigger, even better second issue!

Issue No. 02 will be available for pre-order on Monday, July 13, 2020, with an official launch date of August 1st to follow! We have increased the page count by 20, have more-than-doubled the number of guest contributors and added new content types! You will still find eight devotional entries and hand-lettered prints to tear out and display along with hand-lettering practice sheets. However, we also added three delicious recipes and a tutorial on acrylic pour painting (and so much more)! If you liked the first issue, I am certain you are going to love the second!

the theme

Each issue of By Design Journal is focused around an individual theme. The theme for our Summer 2020 Issue is Embracing Community. As we face a global pandemic, our idea of community now looks different and there could not be a more fitting topic. I began writing the devotionals during the strictest time of the Stay Home. Stay Safe. mandate, and I will not lie, I really struggled with feelings of loneliness and isolation. You will see throughout the issue how God used those low times and what felt like a destruction of community to minister not only in my life, but in the lives of ladies we are honored to feature as guest contributors.

You will read stories of women who stepped up to serve their communities by sewing hundreds of masks or pulling together essential items for mothers and babies in need. You will read how important my inner circle of friends and my prayer mentors became as I battled fear and anxiety over the uncertainty of the future. And you will read how despite a global shutdown, two women are tackling the devastation of human trafficking in two different ways.

However, you will not just find articles related to COVID-19! You will be inspired by women pulling together community focused events centered around colorful city murals and connecting over the raw realities of motherhood. One woman shares her heart (and tips) behind hosting a gathering for friends, while three others share their passion (and recipes) for feeding others.

Note: Keep scrolling to see the faces of the many women who have contributed to this issue!

our prayer for you

It is our prayer that the pages of the next issue bring you encouragement and inspiration. We pray that as our world shifts and things look slightly different, you will recognize the power you have as a daughter of the King to impact your community for the better. As you flip through the pages, we pray that you will connect with the writers who resonate with you and that you will begin to build new relationships and friendships. We pray that God will use this issue to trickle encouragement throughout the world as the stories land in the hands (and hearts) of all our readers.

We thank you for joining our community as readers and supporters of By Design Journal. You will always find us just a message away on Facebook and Instagram @bydesign.journal! Sister, we are so happy to have you in our circle.

Filled with love,

Alison


“Encourage one another and build each other up, just as you have been doing.”