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
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
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!
I’m thrilled to be sharing with you all this week’s ICAD’s. The abbreviation ICAD means, “Index Card A Day.” This challenge was created a few years ago by artist Tammy and her challenge has really grown over the years. Below, is her IG account where you can find out more about her and her art.
Day 48
Day 49
Day 50
Day 51
We are getting close to the home stretch of this challenge and I must say I’ve enjoyed it a great deal! I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to store the cards and I usually go with an acid free photo box to store my little creations. Right now, they are sitting in a ceramic basket on my bookshelf. I might keep them there for a while. I love walking by and stopping to take a look at them.
I look forward to sharing the rest of this week’s challenge and the following week with you next Saturday! My wish is for you to be inspired and encouraged. Have a blessed weekend! -Stephanie Hopkins
Check out my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art Gallery here at Layered Pages!
I’m thrilled to be sharing with you all this week’s ICAD’s. The abbreviation ICAD means, “Index Card A Day.” This challenge was created a few years ago by artist Tammy and her challenge has really grown over the years. Below, is her IG account where you can find out more about her and her art.
Day 41
Day 42
Day 43
It is absolutely wonderful to see the collection of cards I’ve made thus far. I have them sitting pretty on my bookshelf in a ceramic basket. Where is the picture? I’m going to share it on the last post of this challenge. I can’t wait! Like all the previous weeks, I love this week’s cards!
I look forward to sharing the rest of this week’s challenge and the following week with you next Saturday! My wish is for you to be inspired and encouraged. Have a blessed weekend! -Stephanie Hopkins
Check out my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art Gallery here at Layered Pages!
I have dozens and dozens of magazines and catalogs that I’ve harvested for images. Once I was done with them, I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away. They still had quite a few pages in them. I’ve been trying to decide what I want to do with them and recently I came across a Youtuber who makes mini glue books out of them. I was thrilled to discover Nicole’s channel! I did know other ways to create with them but I wasn’t thrilled with the sizes nor did I feel inspired. Making mini glue books out of them is such an inspiring idea, a way to use your scraps, and they make great travel companions!
But what is a glue book exactly? A glue book is a collage journal. You take any book you to glue any sort of images, everyday items and pattern papers to the pages. Anything goes, really and you can create any sort of theme or no theme if you so desire. I love this way of creating. It is so relaxing and freeing! I’ve decided to use this glue book for random layouts for inspiration.
Nicole’s instructions on how to turn a magazine into a glue book is easy to follow. She has two videos for you to watch. If you have limited time, she has a short video on how to fold & cut the magazine, but I highly recommend watching both.
This craft project is great for kids as well. Happy gluing!
Next week, I will be blogging a craft haul that are new products to me and will be reviewing each item. Be on the lookout for that post!
My wish is for you to be inspired, and encouraged. Blessings to you and yours.
Check out my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art Gallery here at Layered Pages!
Today I’m am sharing a new craft organization I’m implementing in my crafting endeavors.
I’ve always made my own ephemera packs with various supplies I have on hand and I put them in gallon size Ziplock bags or large make-up bags. That system is not working for me any longer. I want to simplify to make it easier to manage and carry in a smaller to- go tote. I can honestly say that reducing my craft kits in size to little leaves of goodness, makes all the difference and inspires creativity.
I like to work with a good deal of colors and different styles, so I sort every pile with a little of everything. For instance, some crafters like to-do strictly vintage style whereas I like to blend contemporary, grunge and abstract with vintage. Juxtaposition, if you will. Then I secure them with baker’s twin or ribbon. This method reminds me of how the Victorians secured paper and letters. I’ve decided to store them in a photo box and when I want to close the lid, I layer them flat in the box. This box sits nicely on my craft table or desk. Later on, in another blog post, I will show how I store and tote them when I’m crafting on the go or in another area of the house.
Do you make ephemera packs? What ephemera do you find adding to them the most? Scraps of collage paper, tags, flowers, butterflies and my homemade painted papers are my go-to.
One can create all sorts of things with these mini packs. For example: Embellishments, journal cards, collage, tucks, belly bands, tags and pockets. The ideas are endless!
One other thing before I leave you until next time. I’m also gearing up for the first giveaway in my bookmark swap group at Instagram on starting July 1st! There will be four giveaways between July and September! The first giveaway theme colors are pink and purple.
This giveaway is for the members of the #StephslpBookmarkswap group. DM about the details on how to join. Next bookmark swap is September 15th. We would love to have you!
There are two spots left available for people who live outside the US to join.
I’ve really enjoyed this week’s ICAD and seeing everyone’s cards. There are so many talented artists out there!
Day 13: Life is a journey into the unknown-I love the thoughts of taking a long road trip and deciding on an unknown destination. Exploring the possibilities and discovering something new.
Day 13
Day 14: Live Intentionally- I love working with collage. Gluing down the papers is so relaxing.
Day 14
Day 15: Peace- I placed the floral upside down because I liked the shape of the ephemera much better this way. You can’t really tell unless you look closely and of course because I mentioned it.
Day 15
Day 16: Neighborhood – I had a ton of scraps on my craft table so I decided to make another collage of houses. They are so much fun to make!
Day 16
Day 17: Hope- Painted background. More vibrant colors pulling together to make the foreground stand out. Love when everything works together in harmony.
Day 17
Day 18: Weekend Vibes -I love how all the vibrant colors pulled together.
Day 18
Day 19: Florals In Tea Cups – I used an envelope window for this piece. I love how it turned out. It reminds me of the Victorian era a bit.
I look forward to sharing the rest of this week’s challenge and the following week with you next Saturday! My wish is for you to be inspired and encouraged. -Stephanie Hopkins
Check out my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art Gallery here at Layered Pages!
On days 6,7,8, I wasn’t feeling the prompts and it was showing. So, I decided to go off prompt. I feel more myself when creating this way. No rules, and no pressure. Just letting go and being in the moment and allowing to go where the movement of the paint brush takes me. Creating art intuitively is my jam.
Day 6 – Canoe: This one really frustrated me. I was having a day…That said, I do like the placement.
Day 7 – Garden Shed/One Staple Collage: I do love the challenge of the one staple collage, so I was quite please with the shed I created using that technique. My only beef was the twist marks I used in the landscape and the landscape itself wasn’t my best. As a whole, I felt lazy with this one and wasn’t putting my heart into it.
Day 8- Umbrella: Despite not feeling this prompt on the day I creating the Umbrella. It’s not a total wash. I do like the abstractness of it and the placement of the Umbrella.
Day 9 – Off Prompt/Mountain Air: So happy with this piece. Definitely more my style.
Day 10 – Off Prompt/Sea Bathing:It’s hot and humid in Georgia. One could use a little sea bathing.This was a fun piece to create. I love the different hues of blues and how they work together.
Umbrella
Mountain Air
Sea Bathing
Day 11 – Off Prompt/Butterflies: I have a thing for butterflies and I knew I wanted to create an abstract background as well. Yep, feeling good vibes with this piece.
Day 12 – Off Prompt/Abstract: I had a lot of thoughts going through my mind with this piece. Such as, being authentic, you matter and you have a voice. Cancel culture needs to go. Loving the colors and textures with this abstract.
I look forward to sharing the rest of this week’s challenge and the following week with you next Saturday! My wish is for you to be inspired and encouraged. -Stephanie Hopkins
Check out my art journey on Instagram and at my Mixed Media Art Gallery here at Layered Pages!
Today, I’m exploring abstraction and this post will be my last in the exploration series. I enjoyed this adventure and I’m looking forward to exploring new upcoming series coming soon to Layered Pages.
Abstract art is seen as peculiar by many but I can assure you, it makes more sense than you realize. Abstract art is not meant to represent-if you will-an accurate image of the subject. But instead, exploring shapes, colors, form, and marks to create depth, to achieve the implied. I have observed through this medium, that abstraction helps one’s critical thinking and will heighten your sense of appreciation for simplicity and wonders in the world around you.
Sketch: Water’s Edge
The sketch to the left is not finished. I’m constancy referring to my sketches and looking for new details-like movement, lines and shapes. They help give me a new start for my actual art pieces. They are my doodles for inspiration-if you will. This particular sketch is from different landscape paintings that I collage into one piece. My mixed media art gallery shows more of my work inspired from these sketches.
When creating abstract, I am among those who do not do it for the sake of creating art, but to explore the many avenues of expression and where it leads me. Art should tell a story and moreover, the artist’s emotions often show through their creations. What we see, hear, think, feel and touch is channeled through our craft.
Acrylic Painting on Paper: Reflection in the Water
More times than not, I tend to use influences of Impressionism in my art. There are those who look at abstract in a Geometrical form, like in the tradition of Cubists artists such as Picasso and Braque. They depend more on order and calculations. They are creating rhythmic shapes- like music. While I find all that rather intriguing, I’ve noticed my art doesn’t often sway that way. Though ti might one day. Never say never.
Lately, I have been exploring the movement of water, and how objects and nature glide or reflect on the surface. The pictures in my sketch book above and the photos below, show my interest in abstract and gives me inspiration to expand on those ideas.
Geese Water’s Edge/ReflectionReflection
There is an extraordinary amount of meaning to abstraction, to explore and discuss. If you are not familiar with this style of art or do not have in mind the purpose of the medium, I highly recommend studying for yourself. You will be surprised how this form of expression will open new doors for you. I hope you enjoyed this series and I want to encourage you to explore mixed media art and the value it will bring to your life. -Stephanie
Original Artwork by Stephanie Hopkins
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