Ever since we discovered SMASHbooks, we’ve been OBSESSED. We love everything about them: preserving memories, their organic nature (aka – freedom to be messy), and the way they make us feel. We like to say they are “scrapbooking for people who don’t have time to scrapbook.” You may remember the SMASHbook we made as a gift for our friend Melanie and her son Caleb who moved from Brooklyn to Virginia. Since then we’ve been saving flyers, ticket stubs, and even Georgia’s first McDonald’s fry carton to “SMASH” into a book. Somehow we haven’t found the time to glue, tape, or staple these items into one of the 3 books that sit empty on our shelf. While we have accepted we are those people who don’t have the time to scrapbook, we refuse to admit we don’t have an afternoon to at least SMASH these memories for eternal preservation.
As we try to carve out time in our calendar to get this done, we thought of another genius way to get our SMASH on. Introducing… The SMASHcard.
This is a great way to capture the memories from a specific trip or an important occasion. A SMASHcard can also make the perfect thank you gift!
We recently had the honor of visiting my cousin, Kate, during her Freshman Family Weekend at Boston University. We had a blast! I also went to college in Boston (shout out – Emerson!!). Being back in the city where I established my true independence, while my oldest cousin was just beginning her adventures was something I will never forget. And now with the help of our first SMASHcard hopefully she won’t either.
Going into this trip, I knew we were going to make this card so I discreetly pocketed several tangible mementos. These included: ticket stubs to the Museum of Fine Arts, Duck Tour Stickers, the claim ticket for our stroller, a receipt from Newbury Comics, and our Charlie Card for the T (for those of you who aren’t from Boston – that’s our metro card for the subway).
There were quite a few other memories we wanted to include that we didn’t have anything physical to use, so we simply Googled and printed the images.
We also chose a few select photos from the weekend and printed them out at CVS using the mini-print function.
We then gathered any and all art supplies that fit the theme of BU and/or reminded us of Katie. This decorative tape is spot-on to Katie’s personality.
On the front of the card we collaged a mix of the photos, mementos, and stickers to create a joyful aesthetic. We also jotted a chronological list of the events that took place. We used bold address stickers for the letters “BU”. We made a simple flap down, using decorative tape, which provided us with room for both a photo from the weekend and the Duck Tour sticker. We added a pocket on the front of the card for the Charlie Card so she could easily remove it and use the money that remained on the card. This also gave us the opportunity to incorporate a surprise element with a photo of Merlin behind the card. The claim check tag was a perfect length to slip over the entire card, helping to keep it closed.
Inside, we did more collaging. Some alphabet stamps and red ink allowed us to incorporate the last name we will always share. To jazz up the receipt from what I think is now Katie’s favorite store, we used watercolors to paint a rainbow of colors. There’s really nothing like a college dorm room and this photo of Kate giving the double thumbs up summarizes exactly what living on your own feels like.
Don’t forget the envelope! We think it’s always fun to let your friend know they are about to open something fun by decorating the envelope! We used the same address stickers from the front of the card to spell out Kate’s name, some more decorative tape, and another Duck Tour sticker to keep it closed.
Because Kate is in college and we strongly believe in care packages, we had to put one together. While we were visiting we passed a Trader Joe’s, but didn’t have time to stop in. Kate had never been inside and we thought we’d send her a compilation of our favorite unique and tasty snacks as an introduction. Trader Joe’s is hands down our favorite grocery store. They have the most delicious, healthy food and their employees couldn’t be happier. In the box we sent to Katie, we included: Roasted Seaweed Snacks, Dark Chocolate Covered Cranberries, Mini Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Chocolate Covered Raspberry Sticks, Dark Chocolate Edamame, Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins, Organic Fruit Wraps, Gummy Tummy Penguins, and Chili Spiced Mangos. We repurposed a piece of a Trader Joe’s brown paper bag to write a quick note explaining why we chose these goodies!
We really enjoyed making this card and we can’t wait to hear what Katie thinks of it. We hope this inspires you to get creative and preserve some memories. Whether you make it as a card for someone to say thank you or send it to yourself as a time capsule it’s a fun way to get crafty without taking up your entire day!
Enjoy!!