Tag Archives: #Art

Cover Crush: The Seamstress by Allison Pittman

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Cover Crush The Seamstress

The premise sounds intriguing, great title and I love the cover design! Adding this book to my to-read list -Stephanie Hopkins 

A beautifully crafted story breathes life into the cameo character from the classic novel A Tale of Two Cities.

France, 1788
It is the best of times . . .

On a tranquil farm nestled in the French countryside, two orphaned cousins—Renée and Laurette—have been raised under the caring guardianship of young Émile Gagnon, the last of a once-prosperous family. No longer starving girls, Laurette and Renée now spend days tending Gagnon’s sheep, and nights in their cozy loft, whispering secrets and dreams in this time of waning innocence and peace.

It is the worst of times . . .

Paris groans with a restlessness that can no longer be contained within its city streets. Hunger and hatred fuel her people. Violence seeps into the ornate halls of Versailles. Even Gagnon’s table in the quiet village of Mouton Blanc bears witness to the rumbles of rebellion, where Marcel Moreau embodies its voice and heart.

It is the story that has never been told.

In one night, the best and worst of fate collide. A chance encounter with a fashionable woman will bring Renée’s sewing skills to light and secure a place in the court of Queen Marie Antoinette. An act of reckless passion will throw Laurette into the arms of the increasingly militant Marcel. And Gagnon, steadfast in his faith in God and country, can only watch as those he loves march straight into the heart of the revolution.

 

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How Painted Papers Evolve

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This pass Saturday I created mixed media homemade ephemera with my painted papers I made with left over paint, inks and gesso from various art projects. Then I cut out different shapes using file folders for the base. The paper dolls and lettering and number 5 is by Tim Holtz. I forgot who the ribbon is by. I love blending abstract with vintage themes and seeing how they come together. This is a great craft for meaningful imagery for your art projects and journals. -Stephanie Hopkins

“I begin with an idea, and then it becomes something else.” -Pablo Picasso

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Start Living Today

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“Who you are tomorrow begins with what you to today.” -Tim Fargo

“Keeping a journal of what’s going on in your life is a good way to help you distill what’s important and what’s not.” Martina Navratilova

Art Journal Pages by Stephanie Hopkins

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

Daily Art Therapy

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Last night I sat down and created two new pages in my Mixed Media Altered Book. I love how they turned out and how much it helped me to end my day on a positive note. -Stephanie Hopkins

A Art Pages Edited

“Imagination is tapping into the subconscious in a form of open play. That is why art or music therapy, which encourages a person to take up brushes and paint or an instrument, and just express themselves, is so powerful.”
― Phil ‘Philosofree’ Cheney

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

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

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This is one of many Collage Art Journal pages I created in April. It holds a lot of meaning to me and its powerful. I really enjoyed creating these two pages. The image of the girl is from a art magazine I subscribed to a few years ago. I believe she had a British flag image where I placed the Liberty Bell Stamp.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Art Journal Pages by Stephanie Hopkins

A Life Liberty II Edited

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

Cover Crush: Ordinary Hazards by Anna Bruno

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Ordinary HazardsI adore images of birds and this one is fantastic! The colors, texture and composition is beautiful. Normally I’m not a fan of fonts over-whelming a book cover however the large fonts of the title and author’s name doesn’t take away from the bird image and I feel it adds depth. -Stephanie Hopkins 

Ordinary Hazards by Anna Bruno

Atria Books

Pub Date 18 Aug 2020

Description

It’s 5pm on a Wednesday when Emma settles into her hometown bar with a motley crew of locals, all unaware that a series of decisions over the course of a single night is about to change their lives forever. As the evening unfolds, key details about Emma’s history emerge, and the past comes bearing down on her like a freight train.

Why has Emma, a powerhouse in the business world, ended up here? What is she running away from? And what is she willing to give up to recapture the love she once cherished? An exploration of contemporary love, guilt, and the place we call home, and in the tradition of Ask Again, Yes and Little Fires Everywhere, Ordinary Hazards follows one woman’s epic journey back to a life worth living.

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Mixed Media ATCs

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“Form itself, even if completely abstract … has its own inner sound.”
― Wassily Kandinsky

ATC Cards 4-19-2020

 

Today I’m sharing a few of my new ATCs I’ve made recently. I was running short on art embellishments for my journal projects and decided to make ATCs. These cards are at the top of my list of favorite DIY Art projects. I’m really pleased with how they turned out and I love the abstract look of the backgrounds.

I took a few playing cards and added Gesso on the front and journal paper on the back. Having done that, doesn’t that make them now jouranling cards? Anyhow, for the front of the cards I made the backgrounds using a few of my scraps from my collage master boards and painting master boards that I created for my mixed media projects.

After I applied the paper I used oil pastels to highlight the edges and used a few embellishments and then applied some stencil patterns and wording to complete the cards. If you want to create art using DIY Master Boards and not sure how to get started, feel free to ask me and I would be delighted to give you pointers. It is a lot easier than it sounds and you can be really creative with them. Actually, I think they are a great way to discover your creative vibes-if you will. -Stephanie Hopkins

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

 

 

Creativity Takes Courage

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“Creativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing. Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea. Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone. Creativity makes life more fun and more interesting.” ~Edward de Bono

Here are pages I worked on this past weekend in my Mixed Media Art Journal. I’ll be adding wording on the pages to the left and might leave the brighter color pages to the right, blank. Creating these pages was so calming and freeing. I love the abstract feel to the one on the right and I used acrylic paints and added water to them to give a watercolor look to them. The pages on the left are colors that remind me of the ocean and the butterfly represents a new beginning as I have said on previous posts. I tend to use butterflies a lot in my journals. -Stephanie Hopkins

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

 

Cover Crush: Hush by Dylan Farrow

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Trust Your Heart

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A Thrust Your Heart EditedCreating this page was more about having confidence in my art journey. To trust my process and growth in creating from the heart. Trusting myself to be authentic, and to reach further in my exploration of art.

I thought adding the image of the people Kayaking was perfect because that is one of my favorite water activities, which I rarely get to do anymore and its fitting to the background image.  -Stephanie Hopkins

 

“Artists are people who make art. Art is not a gene or a specific talent … Art is the unique work of a human being, work that touches another … Art is who we are and what we do and what we need. Art isn’t a result; it’s a journey. The challenge of our time is to find a journey worthy of your heart and your soul. “ -Author Unknown

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