(Photo by K&Company: SMASH)
I was lucky enough last week to receive the above journal in the mail from K&Company. Smash Journals
aren’t exactly scrapbooking, more like scrapbooking for those who don’t have time or patience for actual scrapbooking. (Although I’m sure experienced scrapbookers would have fun too!) The premise is to have a place to collect all of the memorabilia: tickets, post-its, doodles, notes, clippings, photos, and other life ephemera.
The journal itself is pretty, with a nice weight cover featuring an embossed pattern and a colorful binding. Mine is pink with flowers, but there are a variety of colors available. It’s a good base for further decorating, but also pretty enough to stand on its own for a more subdued look. Inside, the pages are beautiful, scrapbooking style cardstock, featuring a wide variety of images and styles. Some pages feature suggestions for content, like “Highlights of Today” page, which offers space to list highlights or the opposing pages “some kinds of wonderful…” and “some kinds of crazy…” which feature columns to describe things. Of course, most of the pages just feature base images or patterns for you to use as jumping off points.
The folks behind the Smash Journals have created something that is instinctive and easy to use. Whipping out the accompanying pen/glue pen, all I had to do was pick a page to start creating my journal. I had plenty of fun arranging items from my fairly large collection of keepsakes and ephemera.
(No judging my page! It’s a work in progress.)
The Smash product line also includes lots of fun little tie-ins, like tiny note paper, pretty stick on tabs, paper pockets, fancy tape, and etc that coordinate with the journals to add a sense of harmony to your work if you’d like.
Smash journals offer a unique opportunity to create a personal scrapbook without investing in a lot of paper and supplies. The journal comes with everything you need to start, and supplies and journals are available at major craft stores, Target, and now Wal-mart. If you’re the kind of person who wants to scrapbook but doesn’t have the time to invest in a whole other hobby or doesn’t know where to start, this is the answer. It would also make a great present for students embarking on the next phase of their life–the simplicity means it would work for those starting high school, junior high, or college. Fun and enjoyable, I can’t find much to complain about.
You can pick up a journal of your own at most craft and hobby stores, Target, Wal-mart, and online at K&Company’s website. Or you could check in here tomorrow and learn how to win one!
I disagree with your assessment of a Smashbook as not being “actual” scrapbooking. In my opinion, Smashbooks are reaching to the roots of scrapbooking as it was originally done. I have several of my great aunt’s scrapbooks from the 1940’s and they are full of ephemera and photos. No patterned paper or premade embellishments for her! Smashbooks are really just updated covers for people who want to keep their memories without creating huge layouts that often take away from the photos they are trying to document.
I have always kept a journal, and they have always been a “smash book”. Imagine my surprise when I saw it marketed all ready to go! I have purchased one for a friend and even though they are really nifty looking, I haven’t splurged for one for myself…..YET.
My daytimer is a big ol’ smash book, too!Always has been, I purchase my planners coil bound, one page per week with Lesson Planner and Menu Planner pages in the back.
I keep all my magazine clippings of great ideas or recipes taped in ,programs from events, church bulletins I need for a specific reason, and all kinds of this and that of my daily life. At the end of the year I store them in a magazine holder – and when I think “I wonder where that clipping, idea, or phone number…..” is – I just get out that years daytimer – and relive some old memories and visit some old ideas.
I made a scrapbook of my daugther and when she was at school she did not like it at all. Today she loves it!
I completely agree with Tina S this product is a flash back.. but a good one. There is so much emphasis put of the “perfect” scrapbook layout that so people become intimidated to start and completely miss the purpose of having a record of their memories.. bad photos an all. I began one with my 8 year old daughter that focuses on our family vacations. Its perfect.. slap some pictures in and some memorabilia and we’re good. I do wish they would alter their patterns a but more. They are a little uninspiring.
I LOVE this pink Smash book! I have been doing
Smashing of my own kind in all kinds of journals for years! I also Love keeping planners! I love adding b-days of new friends each year! I have books mostly of word arts too! Lots of just plain non-fancy notebooks would love to upgrade my style and have a special Smash Book! Thanks for coming up with such neat ideas!
This would definitely be a fun book to get involved with. Thank you for the opportunity!
I love these books ~ they are really cool how they have different pages in them already. I love the pink one! Nice giveaway!
What a fantastic idea! I could make Smashbooks for all of my kids to help replace some of the memories we lost in a fire. I am just always too busy to sit down and do it for them!
I love the idea of a journal with pre-printed background pages, although I’d add zentanges, magazine clipping and paint to personalize them. If I had one I’d make it a theme for the bautiful place I live. I’d add pictures, drawings and found objects from my walks. Lovely memories.
I am extremely thrilled that I came across this giveaway. I had been wanting a SmashJournal so bad! I think they’re awesome and oh so creative, just like me! haha. Well, the first thing i’d smash would be a very colorful entry of how I obtained the SmashJournal and the amazing wesite I won it from. Along with a few pictures (: I am really excited to see if i’m chosen! Thanks so much! Smash on! haha
I just love to be creative and collage. I’ve tried keeping jourals and diarys, but they were mostly doodles and pictures pasted inside them. haha. So winning this smash journal would be the bomb! The first thing i
d smash would be How I got the journal and maybe an intro about myself. With, of course, a few pictures here and there! Pick me!