Smashbook: "Rainbows"

Aloha! I hope you are having a wonderful week. As for me, I feel like I've been neglecting my SMASH* books a lot this year. I guess it's for good reason, since I'm slightly obsessed with Project Life at the moment. But it's okay... although I haven't been working in my SMASH* books for 2013, I'm happy to share some of my old creations from last year here on my blog.

What I love most about SMASHing is that I can do whatever I want in my books. They are a huge reflection of myself, filled with a mix of different spreads representing what I was feeling at that particular moment in time. Some of the pages hold photos and memories documenting everyday life or special adventures, but other pages have no photographs at all. Being able to step outside the box of typical "scrapbooking" to find new and different ways to spread my creativity is truly invigorating. 

I love flipping through my book and seeing all of the different spreads. And I have to say the ones that don't hold a single photo are some of my favorites. From "100 Things" and "Words of Wisdom" to "Zentangles & Prompts" and "Our Love Song." Believe me, running out of photos or tangible things to SMASH* can be a very good thing... there are so many other ways to create something beautiful in your book.

Today I'm sharing my first mixed media art spread that I created last summer in my pretty pink book. In every SMASH* book, there is a single white page. I thought that it would be the best place to do an art layout. The one in my pink book is followed by an image of birds and clouds. It was the perfect inspiration for a spread about "Rainbows" using one of my favorite quotes!

I started out by drawing a sun, and used a Dear Lizzy chipboard cloud as a template for the cloud shapes, then I outlined them with my black Zig marker. I filled each cloud with different doodles and designs and added the chipboard cloud as another layer. Then I used a mix of Prismacolor Scholar and Zig markers to create the rainbow and add color to the clouds and sun. For the remaining white areas of the page I chose a grayish-blue shade of Pearlescent Watercolor Paint by Yasutomo.

The quote I chose for this spread couldn't have been more perfect. Since handwriting and penmanship is a passion of mine, I decided to write the quote by hand instead of using alphabet stickers. As another element, I used standard school glue with a bottle of Doodlebug Sugar Coating loose glitter to create some raindrops. I also added a few rain themed stickers.

I love using magazine clippings in my SMASH* books. As a matter of fact, I actually have an accordion file full of different images and words. When I came across these cute "Mommy and Daughter" rain boots, I had no idea what I would use them for. I'm so glad I snipped them, because they work great for these pages! I think they're the perfect finishing touch to my "Rainbows" spread.

I hope you enjoyed my post today and leave here feeling inspired to create something beautiful in your books. Remember, photos and journaling don't have to be the only things that fill them. Have some fun and mix it up a bit! I'm sure you'll enjoy the variety when you are flipping through them years down the road...

Want to take a peek into my pretty pink book? You can find it here. Looking for more SMASH*ing inspiration? Be sure to check out my "Smash* & PL" pinboard on Pinterest. It has hundreds of links to  DIY's, How-To's, free printables, tips, ideas, and inspiration for everything SMASH* and Project Life.

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Are you a SMASH*er? Have you done a mixed-media spread yet? What elements did you use? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? Feel free to drop my a line. Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated!

Mahalo for stopping by!