So a while back, I came across this blog after I came across an image from her post about her SMASH books on CraftGawker. I was on the hunt for a different kind of planner for my upcoming school year, & thought that maybe this would be the answer. It wasn’t, but I am so glad that I came across her blog about these amazing books.
Basically a SMASH book is a scrapbook for your everyday life. It’s a journal full of scrapbook pages, as well as various list pages – it has a pocket in the back, & comes with a pen/glue stick. You can buy a variety of accessories for your SMASH book, such as tabs, pockets, washi tape, etc. at Michaels, or online. The blog owner I linked above used hers as a creative organizer, which is a wonderful idea. You can organize ideas from magazines, the internet, & other places. I’m excited about mine because I want to use it as I described it originally – a scrapbook for my everyday life.
They come in a variety of sizes, colors & styles. The ones I have recently come across include a retro-themed book, an eco-friendly book, a wedding-themed book, a baby-themed book, & the pretty pink book, which is the one I purchased for myself. My book arrived at my door less than an hour ago, & I’m already thinking of the possibilities for every book I’ve ever seen.
My first SMASH book will be simple. I’m about to start my final year at my undergraduate university, & it should be an intense & action packed year. I want to use this book to document the journey. This is the year I’ll be applying to & [hopefully] getting accepted to graduate schools, as well as finishing up my research & traveling to conferences to present it. I already have big plans for specific pages in my book – I want to use the “Things to do” page to make a list of what I hope to accomplish this year, & I can check them off when I do! I want to use the pages that look sort of like the old date cards in library books to keep track of the books I complete this year, because I’m an avid reader & I’ve never attempted to keep track of them. Finally, I want to use the “Top Ten” page next summer, after the year has ended, to write in the “Top Ten” events & memories of the year. All the pages in between will hopefully be full of ticket stubs, pictures, & receipts from the fun I have with family & friends.
So that’s my latest adventure in crafting & creativity. Go find your inner-scrapbooker & buy yourself a SMASH book – I don’t think you’ll regret it. :]