SMASH Portfolio and Accessories by K & Company
Reported by Julie Tiu
SMASH. "Your Life. Your stuff. Your book." The SMASH line of products by EK Success is HUGELY popular in the crafting world. How else would you describe an item that has people putting their names on a waiting list for journals at their local scrapbooking store? It happened to me.
Craft Critique wrote about SMASH in January - and fans were eager for it to hit the stores. K & Company promised more supplies this summer, and they delivered:
- SMASHpad: 30 sheets of inspiration for writing down random thoughts
- SMASHpockets: for stashing clipped pieces and other doo-dads
- Captions, Tabs and Flags: for embellishing your journal
The line contains 34 products in total, including mini journals, calendars and the original journal (7.75" x 10.25").
Here's my brand new Retro Blue SMASH Folio.
Folios come with a SMASHstick - and the glue works great!
What is the allure of this journaling system when so many people like DIY-journals? It saves some time. The ready-made pads, captions and tags can guide your journal entries. SMASH Folios are handy: they come with a SMASHstick (a fine-tipped, acid-free pen and glue stick), they're portable, and the pages are pre-printed with kitschy graphics.
"Live it UP. Glue it down & SMASH it in." It can't get any easier than this. For the veteran scrapbooker who enjoys precise layouts and design, this might be a way to unleash the not-so-organized, wild-child within. For the non-scrapbook or journaling person, consider this another medium to play with. Maybe you'll be able to start that "one page" you've been wanting to, but haven't figure out how. SMASH is liberating!
From something utilitarian like home decorating…
to some documenting from a long time ago (1999, for real. I've been hanging on to stuff).
Clippings, business cards, maps from a trip to Montreal.
Cool tabs! (Yes, I'm crafting in my car.)
Chocolate candy bar wrappers can be art too.
It's a work in progress really, and oh so nice to use. I can't wait to pick up a Date SMASHstamp, more tabs and captions. This product is simply SMASHing!
Pros:
- Folios are very portable and well-made.
- The glue stick and pen combination - fantastic. Glue worked well on regular weight paper, light cardstock and all the SMASHpad pages.
- Themed collections have great graphics.
Cons:
- Stores may run out of stock due to popularity.
- DIY-ers could be turned off by SMASH's "all-in-one" type of system.
- I only had trouble with the tabs (heavier cardstock) adhering to the page. Used some double stick tape when my glue stick wasn't working as well.
SMASH Folios cost approximately $12.99 (MSRP) and accessories start at $1.99.
How do you SMASH? If you're new to the product, what would you use it for? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment!