Monthly Archives: November 2017

Southern Charm: Art Festival & A Book Event Weekend!

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Weekndd event iI had a really great weekend with two events on Saturday. I attended an art festival and a book event- that included four southern authors. At the art festival I was delighted to see so much local talent. My good friend Elizabeth and her husband had a booth there to sell their Knits & Prints. I admire their work! Big fan here. I also met a new artist who I will be talking about more in a later post. Saturday was the perfect day for an outdoor festival. A neighborhood in Marietta, Georgia-close to the square- holds this event every year called the Cherokee Heights Arts Festival for those of you who are interested. Everyone there was friendly and full of enthusiasm and charm.

 

Weekend evet IIAfter that event I headed over to The Book Exchange for a four-author event of southern writers. When they talked about their books and read excerpts from their stories, I was completely captivated by these extraordinary writers and what they have written about.  Recently I have been thinking about showcases southern writers and they have inspired me to go ahead with this project. Each week I will be showcasing a southern author and will be talking a bit about their work. The authors at this event were Deborah Mantella, Bren McClain, Sheryl Parbhoo and J.C. Sassen. Be on the lookout for those posts. I highly recommend these ladies stories.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and thank you for visiting Layered Pages!

Stephanie M. Hopkins

Vintage Art & Historical Fiction

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Image two vintage

This week’s vintage art collage/card turned out great! I had a lot of fun with this project and reflected on its meaning for my life and the lives of others. The month of November is one of my favorite times of the year and this piece shows much of my creative side. Many of you will recognize the mix-media I used for this craft. Among the supplies are Tim Holtz products and The Paper Studio. The background is heavy card stock and pattern paper I punched out into small squares. As you can see, I used layers and added metal and brads.

By Gaslight

I’m not sure I will have time for art this weekend. I have several social functions to attend to and I want to get a little bit more through, By Gaslight by Seven Price. This story has over seven hundred pages! Ahem, that is a lot of pages for someone who has a backlog of reviews a mile long and has a millions other things going on.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and thank you for visiting Layered Pages this week.

Stephanie M. Hopkins

 

Cover Crush: Becoming Mrs. Smith by Tanya E Williams

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Cover Crush banner

I am not a cover designer but I can agree that cover layouts play an important role in the overall presentation of stories and I must admit, often times I first judge a book by its cover.

Cover Crush is a weekly series that originated with Erin at Flashlight Commentary.

Becoming Mrs. SmithBecoming Mrs. Smith by Tanya E Williams

Paperback, 110 pages

Published October 10th 2017 by Rippling Effects Writing & Photography

Not all of war’s destruction takes place on the battlefield.

Violet’s heart flutters from the scarlet fever she survived as a child, and it beats faster at the sight of John Smith, the man she plans to marry. America is entrenched in WWII, and when John enlists, Violet is certain she won’t ever forgive him for dashing their dreams. As the realities of war slowly overtake her life, Violet’s days are filled with uncertainty and grief. She struggles to maintain her faith in John, as the world as she knows it, crumbles.

Becoming Mrs. Smith is the inspiring, and at times, heartbreaking story of a woman’s struggle to reclaim what she lost. War stole the man she loves, and childhood illness weakened her heart—perhaps beyond repair. While guns rage in Europe, the war Violet faces at home may be even more devastating.

My thoughts:

I usually go for sharper colors in my cover crushes but every once in a while I come across softer colors I like. I love this cover and observing the cover before reading the book description, I feel immersed in the era already. Oh and the fact that there is an image of letters drew me in…

Stephanie M. Hopkins

Other great book bloggers who cover crush:

Flashlight Commentary’s latest cover crush HERE 

Heather @ The Maiden’s Court

Magdalena @ A Bookaholic Swede

Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired Books

Colleen @ A Literary Vacation

Meghan @ Of Quills & Vellum

Stay calm and support book bloggers

 

The Color Blue & New Projects

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Blue Books

Lately I have been on the color blue. Not sure why but I like it and there are really great shades of blue to use in art or in other mediums. Art along with books and photography are passions of mine and over the last three years I have been wanting to focus in expanding these mediums.

As many of you know, I am busy working on starting up two new businesses and one will be starting soon and the other-Novel Expressions-will be starting in January 2018. Flashlight Commentary and I will be co-owners of Novel Expressions and we have come up with a new concept of blog tours for Historical Fiction. As a Historical Fiction lover, I am thrilled to be coming up with a new concept for this endeavor. We are in the process of building the site and more updates of the project will come soon.

Have a wonderful Wednesday and thank you for visiting Layered Pages!

Stephanie M. Hopkins

 

Art & Bookish Things

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Me outside October 2017

Good morning or what’s left of it! I hope everyone had a great Monday. I was able to get a few things done yesterday and over the weekend I got some reading time in and an art project almost completed. I’m already outlining or planning-if you will- the next art project I’ve had in my mind for a while. I’ve always been fascinated with trees and drawing them. There is a tree on a farm that my daughter and I pass quite often right outside our neighborhood that has always drawn me in. The tree is a pine and the branches are uniquely curved and it gives a haunting look to the observer. I am going to do my best to capture its essence in the new art project. As for the other art projects I have been working on, you shall see those soon.

On September 17 I posted an excerpt review of Origin by Dan Brown. That was my first time writing that kind-of review for a book. Now I am currently listening to the whole novel on Audible. I can’t wait to share my final thoughts of the story to you all soon. Be on the lookout for it!

Thank you for visiting Layered Pages!

Stephanie M. Hopkins

OriginOrigin (Robert Langdon #5) by Dan Brown

Published October 3rd 2017 by Doubleday Books

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence.

As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.

Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace itself . . . and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery . . . and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us.

 

A Weekend of Reading & Art

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Fall reading display 2017

I am having a lot of fun with my Fall time displays this year. This is the first year I have really been proactive in sharing them with you all. I am hoping to do this on an ongoing basis as part as my blogging journey. One must explore their creativity and recording these mediums will heighten the cherish memories even more. This weekend I will be finishing a couple of art projects and I want to get some reading time in. Please feel free to share what you will be doing this weekend!

I hope you all have a lovely, creative weekend! See you on Monday!

Stephanie M. Hopkins

Cover Crush: Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan

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Cover Crush banner

I am not a cover designer but I can agree that cover layouts play an important role in the overall presentation of stories and I must admit, often times I first judge a book by its cover.

Cover Crush is a weekly series that originated with Erin at Flashlight Commentary.

Saving Fish from DrowningSaving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan

Paperback, Ballantine Reader’s Circle, 472 pages

Published September 26th 2006 by Ballantine Books

San Francisco art patron Bibi Chen has planned a journey of the senses along the famed Burma Road for eleven lucky friends. But after her mysterious death, Bibi watches aghast from her ghostly perch as the travelers veer off her itinerary and embark on a trail paved with cultural gaffes and tribal curses, Buddhist illusions and romantic desires. On Christmas morning, the tourists cruise across a misty lake and disappear.

With picaresque characters and mesmerizing imagery, Saving Fish from Drowning gives us a voice as idiosyncratic, sharp, and affectionate as the mothers of The Joy Luck Club. Bibi is the observant eye of human nature–the witness of good intentions and bad outcomes, of desperate souls and those who wish to save them. In the end, Tan takes her readers to that place in their own heart where hope is found.

My thoughts:

This week’s cover crush is dedicated to my daughter Savannah. She is a big fan of Amy Tan’s stories and she loves this cover! I would have to agree with her that it’s a great cover. The overall design and colors are stunning! The premise looks interesting!

Stephanie M. Hopkins

Other great book bloggers who cover crush:

Heather @ The Maiden’s Court

Magdalena @ A Bookaholic Swede

Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired Books

Colleen @ A Literary Vacation

Meghan @ Of Quills & Vellum

Stay calm and support book bloggers