Smashbook: 100 Things I Love

I was never a scrapbooker. Something about the technicality of it, the things you can and can't do, is very unappealing to me. If I have an urge to create something, I don't want any rules to stop me from making it my best! That is why I love SMASH* Books by K&Company! Smash*ing is the total opposite of scrapbooking. There are no rules... you have the complete freedom to do whatever you want on the pages of your books. You won't find any layout templates, rules for what adhesive or pens to use, or anything telling you what not to do! You may come across some handy tips, but definitely nothing giving you restrictions on how far your creativity can go.

Although SMASH* books are what you can call a "Fad" now, the concept of smash*ing is not something new to me. Starting from childhood, I kept journals (I still have the ones from 1990, when I was about 10 years old), and I didn't just write in them. They were full of photobooth strips, stickers, magazine clippings, paper ephemera from the time, little tags & mementos, family photos, etc. Back then, they didn't have a name for this type of "Art." Now it's called SMASHing! I guess I'm a natural....

I pretty much use my SMASH* books the same way I did when I was 10 :) Except now, my books are full of much more meaningful life experiences... and definitely more creative! I've only been SMASHing for about 6 months, and when I first started I found some wonderful women in a Facebook group called SMASH*aholics. It's amazing how women of all ages, from different cultures all over the world, and from all walks-of-life, can come together in one place to inspire each other and share thoughts and ideas, because we all share the same love....SMASH* books.

Back in October of 2012 I posted a pic of my "100 Things I Love" spread up in group. I wasn't expecting to get such a huge response to it, but I did. To date, it has close to 200 likes and over a hundred comments, and also inspired many other women to create their own rendition of it. I love seeing their creations, and it still amazes me how one "idea" can be interpreted or carried out in totally different ways based on that person's own personal Smash* style.

There were so many requests and questions in SMASH*aholics about this spread. So today, I want to share it with you here. It's one of my favorites because of the simplicity of it. Very few embellishments were needed. The only supplies I used was a pencil and eraser, a black pen, some markers, a few number and alpha stickers, some tiny icon stickers...and my brain. My brain did most of the work trying to figure out how in the world I was going to come up with 100 Things! So, I made a list to help me...

You're going to compile a list that will eventually add up to 100 "Things" You Love. For journaling, you can even give an explanation for each of the things you add to your list. To create it, I started out with a basic writing prompt list I found, and modified it to work for my needs. I also added things that were better suited for me and my style. The end result is what you see below...

• 15 Activities, Hobbies, Items/Things
• 15 Characters (Fictional), People, Places
• 10 Stores, Restaurants
• 10 Foods
• 6 Drinks/Beverages
• 4 Desserts/Sweets
• 10 Games, Books, Movies, Shows
• 10 Websites, Blogs, Apps
• 10 Favorites (Color, Season, Day, Holiday, Music, etc.)
• 10 Writers, Authors, Directors, Actors, Celebs, Photographers, Artists

*Feel free to make adjustments to my list to better suit you.

TIP: A great way to get you brainstorming is to start out listing things you can't live without and that you absolutely love...then my list should help you from there.

The majority of your time will be spent making your list and figuring out the placement of your "things." I have some OCD habits, so those steps (especially the latter) took me longer than normal. To save me from ruining my pages, I made sure to do everything in pencil first. All of the writing you see on these pages are my own handwritten fonts. Most of the little "icons" are my doodles as well.

Once everything was right where I wanted them, I went over the whole page with my black zig pen/marker, and erased all of the pencil marks. I then colored in the little icons with markers, and used tiny stickers from my Smash* Stash for some of my "favorites". I also used some pink thickers and white alphas in my title.

Now it's your turn to create your version of "100 Things." Don't do exactly as I did, bring a bit of "yourself" into this spread. If you're an artist, show your artsy side. I love handwriting and penmanship. So I naturally went for the different handwritten fonts and doodles.

This was such a fun spread for me. I think I'll be doing it every year in whatever Smashbook I'm working in at the time. I think it really helps you get to know yourself better. But most importantly, it makes you appreciate life for all of the little things too.

I hope you leave here feeling inspired to add something like this to your pages.

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Are you a SMASHer? Thinking about joining SMASH*aholics on Facebook? Tell them I sent you! What do you think of this spread? Did you make pages like this with the help of my list? I would love to see it! Are you a blogger that used my list and posted about your "100 Things" pages? Please credit me and link me up. I can't wait to read about it! Any questions, thoughts, or comments? Please let me know. Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by!