Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope you're having a wonderful week so far. It's been a long time since I've had the chance to work in my Smashbook since my new obsession with Project Life has taken over. So as a fairly new blogger (about 5 months) I figured I would go ahead and share my creations from last year here with you.
Today I have a spread that I created last summer when I was new to Smashing. I was slowly starting to develop my own style, and applied many elements and techniques I used when I was a kid working in my old school Smashbooks [altered comp books]. Those 20 year old journals are chock full of magazine clippings, doodling, cutouts, ephemera, stickers, photobooth pics, notes from friends, and lots of journaling. I had no idea back then that the cool way I was documenting my life would turn into today's trend! I definitely knew that I wanted to carry on these things into my Smashbooks.
I also wanted to do something new and fun with it, so I included lots of interactive elements. Flaps that flip open to reveal hidden journaling and ephemera, a handmade envelope (using a page from a magazine, just like when I was a kid!), and a pocket full of lovely goodies.
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| Hauls & Happy Mail -- Full Spread |
I thought it would be great to record my new adventure with Smashing by showcasing a couple of my favorite things... Hauls & Happy Mail. On this journey, I discovered new supplies and websites to enable my addiction to Smashing... Washi Tape and Scrappy Online Shops. It was my very first time ever shopping at some of these places, so I decided to document my experience.
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| Keep pretty packaging and add them directly to your book! |
Going back as far as I can remember, in regards to paper and packaging, I never threw anything pretty away. And the same thing applied to the recent orders I received. I kept the pretty paper bag (filled with packaging slips) that my washi from Downtown Tape came in. I tore off a strip from each new roll and taped them to the bag. They serve double-duty by keeping the bag closed and they also give me a visual note of the designs from my purchase.
Under that paper bag I have the handmade envelope created from magazine paper. It holds receipts from my in-store shopping hauls for the month. I used a tiny binder clip at the top of the page to hold everything together.
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| Interactive Flaps Created with Washi Tape |
I also ordered more washi as well as some fabulous handmade goodies, created by my girl and fellow Smash*aholic sister Cathy, from her shop Paper Addict. [You should also check out her blog, she's been such a huge inspiration to me for the last year. I love her work!] There was no way I could throw away any of the cute packaging and paper tidbits that came with my order. (Ok... I threw out the actual mailer that everything came in, but I did cut out the cute sentiment that was stamped on the envelope!). I also used the new washi I purchased from her to create the flaps. I really consider Cathy's packages more like Happy Mail rather than an order, because she puts so much thought into everything she sends. They always make me smile!
I've also been involved in monthly swaps for the last year with 3 lovely ladies. I look forward to it each and every month. Love it! Best part, we've become such great friends. I decided to add a photo snippet from one of the packages I received, as well as a snapshot of some of the recent postcards that came in. Simple but sweet memories worth documenting.
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| A Pocket Full of Goodies with Washi Tabs for Easy Access |
The last of my interactive elements is a handmade pocket. My book is full of them! This particular one, with notes from my monthly Happy Mail buddies, is a free printable that I found a year ago. I've also made my own custom pockets using scrapbook paper. So easy! I fill them with photos, notes, cards, ephemera, and other special things. Since my 4 year old daughter loves flipping through the pages of my book and interacting with everything, I had to childproof it! She especially loves pulling the goodies out of my pockets, so I added washi tabs to all of the little bits and pieces. This way she doesn't have to dig into them and end up ripping one apart. To the pocket, I added a couple of other free printables like the mustache and label. The "smile" sentiment is a rub-on from my stash.
For the rest of this spread I used alphabet stickers and cutouts from my magazine collection, some new stamps from a shopping haul, more rub-ons, as well as the SMASH* roller date stamp. It came together beautifully (apart from my backwards ampersand... ignore it ;), and was super simple to make. I'm really looking forward to creating and sharing my next Haul & H.M. spread in a brand new book!
I hope you enjoyed today's post and leave here feeling inspired to create something beautiful in your book. Wanna take a peek at my pretty pink Smashbook? You can find it here. Looking for some inspiration and the free printables I used? You can find them on my "Smash & PL" and "Printables/Templates" pinboards on Pinterest. You'll find links to hundreds of free printables, DIY's, How-To's, ideas, tips, and inspiration for everything SMASH* and Project Life.
Also, if you would like to stay updated on my recent posts and projects be sure to follow me here and "like" my new fan page on Facebook. So why not head over there now and show some love ♥
Do you SMASH*? Have you tried a spread like this yet? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? Please drop me a line! Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.
Mahalo for stopping by!
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