Category Archives: #Art

Journal Rework

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Have you ever taken a journal apart that you wanted to transfer into one signature journals or you weren’t happy with the volume? Yep, that’s me. I love this journal so much and I’ve been working in it for over a year and a half now, I guess. I’m just not happy with how chunky it got and I still want to do lots more journaling in it. My solution was to take the signatures out and make each one individual journals. There are five signatures in all and I can’t wait to create covers for them and show you more. Let me know if you’ve ever done this.

People rework art works all the time. Why not journals, eh?

I’m working on so many projects that I have neglected my blogging a bit. Today I am playing catch up and It was nice to take some time to recharge. Blogging is seriously time consuming but in a good way. Just be sure you are taking care of yourself and learn to pace yourself.

This coming Friday and Saturday, I’m selling more ephemera packs with my paintings and I have a lot of my tags available for purchase over at my Instagram! My mini tags sold out in less than five minutes last Friday! So, be sure to follow me for the chance to snag one or more sets before they sell out.

Stephanie Hopkins

Journals and Ephemera Kits for Sale

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On Fridays and Saturdays, I will be selling art, journals and ephemera packs on Instagram. I’ll eventually open another IG account for my products. The journals and ephemera will be sold once or twice a month depending on my inventory. All products are homemade by me. The ephemera packs are great for journals, card making and other craft projects. If you are not on Instagram and would like to purchase an item you see, please email me at layeredpages@yahoo.com and I will reserve your item.

My Instagram LINK

This weekend Listings:

Small Ephemera Packs with Painting

More pictures will be on Instagram.

Thirty-one pieces in a pack.  

1.2″ x 2″ Original Acrylic painting on Fabriano Watercolor Painting.

Each pack may vary on the images, color and fonts. The pack size it a little over 3”x 5” inches.

Junk Journal Ephemera Paper Kits with Original Painting

More pictures will be on Instagram.

A lot of the Paper dates from the 1920s through the present. I want to include as many decades as possible. There are 51 pieces in this series.

3″× 4″ Floral Acrylic Painting on Fabriano Watercolor Paper/Original Art by Stephanie Hopkins

Each pack varies on the images, colors, paintings and fonts. See pictures for an “example” of what to expect in the packs.

Mini Tags for Art and Journal Projects

More pictures will be on Instagram.

12 Tags per pack.

Each pack varies on the images, colors, paintings and fonts. See pictures for an “example” of what to expect in the packs.

The tags are mini and the sizes vary. There is hand stitching on a few of the tags. Lots of fabric and paper collage on the tags. There is room for a little writing on the back of them.

These tags are sturdy and great for art, craft, gift and journal projects.

Mini Keepsake Journals

More pictures will be on Instagram.

3’ x 4’ Mini Journal.

The size is about a centimeter–or a couplebigger- than size mentioned.

The covers are a cross between a soft and hard. They’re sturdy and flexible. Fabrics are on the cover and inside cover, along with a tag and ephemera pieces. There are two vintage papers added to each signature from a children’s book and a music book. There is a little hand stitching on a page.

*At this time, I’m only shipping in the United States.

Stephanie Hopkins

Art in Motion Glue Book

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There are so many pages you can create with a glue book. The purpose for this medium is to glue things to a base to make a collage. You decide how you want to design your layouts and what book(s) you want to use. It can be a blank book, altered book, notepads, blank art books or anything thing you see fit. There really are no rules to this creative endeavor. It is for your wish alone to come up with your own ideas. That is the wonderful thing about glue books.

I made this glue book, that I altered, using a magazine by cutting it in half through the middle. Then I folded the pages to create a base for my layouts. This book is getting chunky and grungy! Love it! Sometimes, gluing paper to a page is the best medicine. What do you like most about collage work? Have you tried this form of medium before?

Check out my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art gallery here at Layered Pages! My wish is for you to be inspired and encouraged.

(Images are subjected to copyright. All book reviews, interviews, guest posts, art work and promotions are originals. In order to use any text or pictures from Layered Pages, please ask for permission from Stephanie Hopkins.)

Stephanie Hopkins

Art in Motion: ATCs

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I belong to two ATC swap groups and I thought I would share the latest cards I created for these swaps.

The cards with the pumpkins on it, are for an October swap and they’re as Halloween as I’ll get.  I love how they turned out and can’t wait to see which artists receive them and their thoughts.

The cards with Butterflies are also for an October swap for the second swap group. As you can see, I didn’t use the Halloween theme or a fall theme. Each background is painted, inked and stickers are added for the final touch.

The cards with the hand sewing on them was for a September swap and I’m looking forward to seeing how these cards were received. I really enjoy looking at all the details on these cards and the sewing inspired me to create others with this technique. -Stephanie Hopkins

Check out my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art gallery here at Layered Pages! My wish is for you to be inspired and encouraged.

(Images are subjected to copyright. All book reviews, interviews, guest posts, art work and promotions are originals. In order to use any text or pictures from Layered Pages, please ask for permission from Stephanie Hopkins.)

Art in Motion: Artist Trading Cards

Journal Life: Morning Journaling

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“Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding.” – Jen Williamson

As many of you know, I keep journals and notebooks. I’m constantly taking notes and writing my thoughts or things I’ve learned or want to remember. There are many types of journals and I enjoy exploring new ways in creating them. I find the more you journal, the more ways you discover new techniques and ways to use them. I’d have to say that journaling is a very important part of my life and it has helped me develop new ways in expressing my thoughts and feelings better.

For the last eight weeks, I guess it was, I shared a morning journal on Instagram that I made out of small envelopes. Small index cards I used for journal cards, fit perfectly in the pockets. Each week I decorated a new page and each pocket represents a week’s worth of journaling. Despite it only had six pockets, I managed eight weeks because of the decorating… I use a ribbon to keep the journal closed when I’m not using it. I’m surprised how sturdy it is and the compactness of how the envelopes ended up with all the ephemera and journal cards I added. The envelopes are from the Dollar Tree. I believe there was forty to the pack and the brand is Mead.

My morning journals consist of my morning thoughts, encouraging words, prayers and things I want to get done for the day. I’m pleased with how this one turned out and will be using this style of journaling more often. Do you use a morning journal? How has it impacted your life?

There are a lot more images of the journal on my Instagram! Be sure to follow my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art Gallery here at Layered Pages!

My wish is for you to be inspired and encouraged. 

Stephanie Hopkins

Mini Junk Journal: Part IV

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Today is part four of my mini junk journal series. In this series you will discover ways to use recycled materials to make pretty journals without breaking the bank. It is possible to make pretty journals with junk!

I love taking things you would normally throw out and use them for my crafting projects. It’s a fun, creative, rewarding and a cheap way to craft. Junk Journals are books made through found objects, and recycled materials.

I have an insane amount of scrap paper from various craft projects. I’m constantly trying to use them up until there is nothing left to use instead of throwing them away. Well, I have way too many that are little bits of paper that have been recycled many times over. I collected a pile and say them on my desk to either create one more craft with them, or throw them away. I’ve been wanting to make little dollhouse journals for a very long time and thought the scraps would be perfect for this project! Sure enough, they were and these little journals turned out great!

I can’t not express enough how much these little books were fun and rewarding to make. The biggest challenge, will be to decorate the inside pages. This endeavor is a worthy one and will no doubt, show how creative one can be. I did, however, decorate a page on one of the journals to show you how they can look. Of course, there are thousands of ways to do this.

The trick is to fold the papers in half and join them together as a signature. Once you have done this, then you cut to size and added it to your journal cover. Then take paperclips to hold it together so you may start the binding process. I mostly used staples to bind the spin. Then added trim along the spin to cover the stable. Only two of the spins are bind with thread and are shown om my Instagram.

These little journals would make great gifts and they can be used for various reasons. Part five and the final post of this series will be a journal made out of junk mail, and plastic food wrappers and mail packaging!

Meanwhile, be sure to check out my other blog posts in this series. The direct links are provided below.   

Stephanie Hopkins

Mini Junk Journal: Part I

Mini Junk Journal: Part II

Mini Junk Journal: Part III

Check out my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art gallery here at Layered Pages! My wish is for you to be inspired and encouraged.

(Images are subjected to copyright. All book reviews, interviews, guest posts, art work and promotions are originals. In order to use any text or pictures from Layered Pages, please ask for permission from Stephanie Hopkins.)

Art in Motion: Artist Trading Cards

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I belong to two ATC swap groups and I thought I would share the latest cards I received in the mail. These are such a blast to create and trade with artists around the world. This year, I believe I have already received over sixty cards from artists around the world. At the end of the year, I would like to list and blog about each country they have come from. The talent of both these groups are truly inspiring to one’s craft and collection.

ATC stands for Artist Trading Cards and measure 2.5″ x 3.5″ in size. Back in May, I blogged about this very subject and I have been recording my journey in this endeavor over on my Instagram account.

These two swap groups are open with how you choose to create your cards. I usually create collage as my background and work from there. I have created a few of my floral and landscape paintings for the swaps. These cards are for trading only, and conducted via mail from online groups.

What a wonderful and worthy pastime and community to belong to. Aren’t these cards beautiful?!

Stephanie Hopkins

Check out my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art gallery here at Layered Pages! My wish is for you to be inspired and encouraged.

(Images are subjected to copyright. All book reviews, interviews, guest posts, art work and promotions are originals. In order to use any text or pictures from Layered Pages, please ask for permission from Stephanie Hopkins.)

September Bookmark Swap

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Our September 15th bookmark swap is quickly approaching and I couldn’t be more excited! Our group is growing and I’m always blown away by the raw talent of our members! The bookmarks you see in this post is a little sneak peek at what is to come. This group is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people from different places in the world and what a joy it is to receive happy mail to put a smile on your face. There is not a required theme, we just create what inspires us and enjoy the process!

This group swaps bookmarks in the shape of tags and the standard shape. I’m currently accepting US crafters and will open more spots internationally soon.

We are swapping 4 bookmarks a piece. You can not only use them for books, but for your journals and notebooks! I’m also including a bookmark holder, an extra bookmark and extra fun ephemera to craft with in each set going out to our members.

For those who would love to join, you still have a little time to get your bookmarks turned in but, if you can’t get your bookmarks turned in on time, do not be dismayed. Our next swap is in December and we would love to have you join.

The due date for this month is September 15th.

Our hashtag on Instagram: #stephslpbookmarkswap The lp in the hashtag stands for Layered Pages.

You can DM me at my IG @stephsartjourney or email me at layeredpages@layeredpages

My wish is for you to be encouraged and inspired.

Stephanie Hopkins

Creative Way to Journal

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Altered Book for Journaling

I find joy in saving books from the landfills and giving them a new life. This is an inexpensive and creative way to journal and gives you the opportunity to be mindful of materials we often take for granted.

A few days ago, I made new spread in one of my working journals. This journal is an altered book I’ve created from thrifting damaged books a while back. I love journaling in them, paper-crafting and what-not. Often times, I’ve created collage around passages that stood out to me on the pages.

As I turn each page in my altered book, I read the words coming from the pages and at times, surprisingly, they’ve given me inspiration for what I want to journal about. I’m constantly thinking about things and planning, so keeping a record of my thoughts really helps with organization and from keeping my mind from getting cluttered.

  • Hidden Pocket
  • Added Interest
  • Label Spot for Title

The butterfly postcard you see on the left page is a hidden pocket to stow a tiny leaf of paper that I’ve written my thoughts on.

  • Collage Journal Cards

A few days before I created this spread, I made journal cards by using collage for my backgrounds and I finally decorated a few of them for this past weekend of journaling. They turned out great and I have added them to this altered book. Later on, perhaps I will show you how I used them.

Be sure to follow out my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art Gallery, here at Layered Pages!

My wish is for you to be inspired and encouraged. Stephanie Hopkins

Journals are Treasures

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I genuinely don’t know what I’d do without my journals. Do you journal or keep a notebook? Do you feel the same way? This leather-bound journal was gifted to me by my daughter in 2017 for my birthday. I mostly reserve the pages for special moments and an occasional art spread. I still have many pages left to fill and this past Saturday, I felt compelled to collage and used this journal for the task. The center piece on the left side is a secret pocket where I can tuck in a sheet of my writing.

I have even painted and added mixed media textures to a few of the pages. I don’t work in any particular order in most of my journals, except for my morning journal.

Journals are treasures to cherish. They’re the keepers of your innermost thoughts, memories to cherish, prayers, biblical studies, dreams, and trials you may face. They are your best friend, your confidant.

Be sure to follow out my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art Gallery, here at Layered Pages!

My wish is for you to be inspired and encouraged.

Stephanie Hopkins