I love the concept of smash books. I'm a
collector, like many of you, and have drawers full of cool stuff like stickers,
postcards, tapes...well, you get the idea. When something grabs my attention and
is flat, I save it for my smash book. Since I'm also very fond of mini books, I
create my own smash mini albums to preserve "schtuff" besides pictures... I think
that's the fine creative line that keeps me from going overboard from collector
to hoarder.
Since one of the sections in Mixed Media Scrapbooking is titled "Around the House" and talks about using found items in your scrapbooks, I thought CK Summer Camp would be the perfect time to give you a peek inside my smash book. Be sure to also check out the Creating Keepsakes editors blog today as well so you can learn about how take a novel "found item"--a mason jar--and turn it into a mini album.
I like to use spiral bound mini books
for smashing. When I smash, I don't overthink. Usually, I stick a piece down
and start to work around it--a little paint, maybe some doodling and some
journaling.
On this page, I started with a fortune from a fortune cookie. I painted around it and added my journaling.
This page started with an appointment reminder postcard from my eye doctor. I trimmed off what I didn't want, stuck it down, colored around it with color pencils, and added a note to myself.
Here, I used a business card and a coaster from one of my favorite restaurants. The journaling follows the shape of the coaster and explains why I added it to my book.
Now, it's your turn to challenge
yourself to create your own SMASH mini album with stuff you have been collecting for
a while!
--Mou Saha, CK Contributing Writer
Challenge
For today's challenge, create a smash-style page or spread in an album or mini album. Incorporate one or more found items and a color medium such as paint, colored pencils, or markers. Everyone who participates earns the right to "wear" the Found Items merit badge (at the very bottom of this post), and we'll draw one lucky winner to receive this a prize chock-full of goodies from American Crafts, Clearsnap, Die Cuts with a View, EK Success, Elmer’s, Faber-Castell,
Pink Paislee, Vintage Street Market, and Westcott.
If you'd like to participate in the challenge, here's what to do:
- Create a layout based on the challenge above.
- Upload a photograph or scan of your layout to the Club CK gallery. (how to upload to the gallery)
- Leave a comment below with the URL link to your layout in the Club CK gallery; for example, your comment could look like this: "Thanks for the great challenge! Here's my project: http://clubcreatingkeepsakes.com/media/p/31086.aspx."
Note: Previously created layouts are not eligible; images and comments must be posted on or after July 23, 2012, to be eligible.
Your images and comments must be posted before 9:00 am MDT on Monday, July 30, 2012, to be considered for the contest. We apologize, but we are unable to ship internationally. If you are chosen as a winner and do not have a U.S. address, you will be offered a year subscription to Creating Keepsakes magazine instead of this prize.
For More Info
To get more fresh and funky ideas on creating mixed media mini albums like SMASH books, check out the following articles.
Found Items Merit Badge
Participate in our challenge to earn your Found Items merit badge! Just right-click and save to your computer, then add to your signature file.