Today is the first day of July.  And there’s no better time than to start those handmade Christmas projects than now. I’m trying very hard not to wait until the last minute with gifts this year.  I have two nieces and four nephews who will love these smash books.   

I’m going to post updates as the project progresses all the way up till their completion.  I invite you to create one along with me. Give one as a gift or a keepsake for yourself.

There is a few things that I would like to say before we get started.  

First, if you Google smash books you will get a wide variety of options to look at.  There are several ways to create one.  Some may call them a scrapbook or a journal.  I like Smash Book.  I’m sharing my ideas with you for inspiration.  There is no wrong way to make one.  Let your imagination flow.  I’ve seen some that focus on one particular subject or event.  My creations are going to be collection of photos and oddities that my nieces and nephews will enjoy.  They will all be signed and dated.  As I type this I’m envisioning in my head that this may turn into a yearly gift from their Aunt Jennifer.

We are living in a world full of technology.  Agree?  It’s nice to have something tangible to track your footprint.  Are you with me?

Second, I’m not promoting any of the product boxes that you see in this post.  I’m recycling everyday products that we all have in our homes.   

Let the creativity begin!

The core of this project revolves around recycling.  I’ve been collecting and saving all sorts of boxes for quite some time.  Cereal, crackers, Mac & Cheese, fruit snacks, etc.  If I can find a way to reuse something I’m happy.  Another bonus is your production costs is low.    

The Secret Life of Bees.  Have you seen it?  I’ll be watching this tonight while I start this project.  Perhaps I’ll order a pizza also.  Too hot to cook and I don’t dare turn the oven on.

The beginning is the most time consuming part.  If you own a large industrial paper cutter than you can breeze through the prep work.  I only use my paper cuter for cardstock, so using a pair of scissors will get the job done.  

I’m taking all of the boxes and cutting off the sides, top, and bottom.  Those will get set aside for use later.  The front and back will be used for the base pages of the books.     

I’m taking all of the cereal boxes and cutting them in half.  This will be the general size of the pages for each book. Do I measure each page to make sure they are even?  No.  Once you get to know me, you’ll find that I don’t measure anything.  To eyeball it works just fine for me.  I have some ideas for combining various sizes in the same book.  I’ll share that later when I get to it.

That’s all for now.  A Sunday evening with a movie, pizza, and a pair of scissors.  My next update will come when I’m all done cutting.  I have six books to make so I want to get the most gruesome part done all at once.

If I can inspire you to make one, you are awesome!  If your here to read along, you are awesome!  My muse sings a river of ideas to me daily.  And if I can create something interesting and inexpensive, then I want to share it with you.

I would love to hear (see) from you if your participating in this project.  Leave me a comment below. You can also communicate through my Eightymillion page on Facebook.