Smashbook: Prompts & Doodles

Aloha! I would like to send Mother's Day wishes to all of the wonderful Mommies out there in the world. We are all someone's "hero." I hope you had a blessed day ♥ It's been a long time since I smash*ed in my pretty pink book. And feeling inspired by the love from today, I finally picked it back up and created something beautiful again.

As you can see, I spent my much needed "Me Time" during this Mother's Day weekend with writing utensils in hand. I don't know what urged me to turn the original "Top 10" prompt into a full spread, complete with a "Currently"  list and Doodles & Zentangles. As I worked, I kept having flashbacks from my high school days. Seeing notebook after notebook full of colorful journal entries and drawings. It's amazing to see how much my style has been consistent but yet evolved to what it is now.

Believe it or not, I was suffering from a KILLER migraine this whole weekend! I had to find something to get that awful pain out of my head... I turned to my SMASH* book. I remembered how relaxing and peaceful my last Zentangle session was. [See my "Zentangle Fairytale" post.] So I knew it was the perfect remedy now. I gathered my supplies, and let my thoughts and ideas flow... 

I flipped through the book searching for the perfect pages. I came across a set of lined "notebook" paper with a "Top Ten" prompt on the left side. If you know me and follow my blog, you know that I love writing and penmanship. I take full advantage of the chance to play around with different fonts. It's a passionate detail that I love adding to my books! Always starting out with pencil first, I freehand the various fonts using the lines as a guide. Then I go over the pencil using my black zig pen/marker, and erase all of the pencil marks. I usually make one more pass with the black pen to finish it off. I decided to leave each "fave" black since there was already so much color from the numbers and my doodles.

I guess it was only appropriate to turn this fully lined paper into my "Currently" list. I started out with Amy Tangerine "Journal" thickers for the title. The simple and slim letters fit perfectly into the space next to the (date/time/place) label already there. I didn't want to use only my writing on this page though. So I used some large Hero Arts wooden alphabet stamps for the prompts. It's okay to have the letters and words look a little imperfect. I think it totally compliments the randomness of the doodles and zentangles :) I added some sparkle with journaling using my metallic purple sakura gelly roll pen.... *Don't mind the little white "splotches"...it's white-out. I had to fix a couple of things because my toddler kept bumping me. The joys of "Motherhood." ;)

I left the best part for last! As far as the doodling and zentangles go, that was all done freehand too.  After I knew how much space I had, I used a mechanical pencil and just started drawing. Working in sections and using a mixture of fun shapes and designs paired with simple repetitive patterns....my work came to life. I outlined each section with the black pen twice and erased all of the pencil marks. I started filling in the  zentagles with touches of black, and added pops of color using a set of really chunky art pencils with different colors blended into each one. I added the different elements and designs as I went, slowly filling in the empty spaces. 

I love the way it turned out! I really hope you enjoyed this post and feel inspired to create your own Zentangle pages in your books. Once you get the hang of it, it only becomes more enjoyable. I like how incredibly relaxing and peaceful it is. Did I mention it also cured my 3-day migraine? Yup. It honestly did. I had nothing to focus on but my art and the paper in front of me.

Interested in trying another fun SMASH* book entry? How about a "100 Things I Love" spread? I even provided a list I made to help get you started on yours. Click here for my "100 Things" post. Wanna take a peek into my pretty pink book? You can find it here. Looking for more SMASH* inspiration? Check out my "SMASH* & PL" pinboard on Pinterest. It's full of hundreds of ideas, inspiration, DIY's, and printables. I know you'll find something you like! Want to stay updated on my recent posts and projects? Be sure to "like" my new fan page on Facebook! 

Do you SMASH*? Have you tried Zentangles yet? What do you think about it? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? Let me know. Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.

Thanks you for stopping by!