what the crap is smashbooking?

Tuesday, May 21, 2013


I get a lot of questions about what smashbooking is, why I choose to smashbook and why it's a form of what I call "process therapy". Here's my attempt at answering some of the FAQs about why I do what I do, and how I got to happen upon this form of art therapy. If you've attended a teleclass or smashthepark event, you're familiar with most parts of this. :)

In 2010, I was in counseling therapy for about a year. A lot of people have an idea of what counseling therapy is.. the fainting couches, the "spill your guts", the boxes of tissues, the big bills... it was mostly true. Okay.. maybe not the fainting couches, but most everything else.  During a particular session with my therapist, she asked me, "What makes you happy?" I didn't have an answer. Seriously. I sat there for 15 minutes before I told her really quietly, "art... I think art makes me happy." 

For me this was a revolution. I grew up HATING art. I've always been creative, but I literally cried in a third grade art class because I hated it so much. It was awful. So for me, admitting that art actually made me happy... and that it was literally the ONLY thing that I could think of... was insane.

She told me to pursue it. She told me that I needed to "document" my feelings by doing art. To be honest, I was seriously confused as to why she wanted me to do this.

This is where my story started.

The drive back to my house from my therapy session was interrupted by a trip to the grocery store. I bought a spiral notebook, like the ones you use in school. Nothing fancy. I went home and printed out a bunch of pictures, glued them to the cover and then taped over them with packaging tape. Then I took to the inside. I was feeling really pissed off that day. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I took a big red colored pencil and scribbled with reckless abandon in the front cover. I was pissed and I wanted to show it. What better way than angry red thrashing scribbles, right? Right!

A few days later, I found a tube of acrylic paint. I wondered if I "could" put this in my journal. Being the rulebreaker I am, I squirted a drop of paint into the journal, closed the journal on itself and then opened it again. And that's when I got addicted. I did it over and over and over with different colors of paint, marbling them together and making glorious mixes of colors, swirls and patterns. It was beautiful. Beautiful ART that I was proud of. What in the world?

I continued working until the paint was what I wanted it to be. I let it dry and then found sharpies. I wrote over the paint how it felt to experience art... something that I loved... without the rules, the teacher over your shoulder, the lines to color in. I was creating for me. I was doing it the way I wanted to do it. Colors, textures, shapes, swirls... everything was my choice.

I created art. I didn't "do" art. 

Fast forward to 2011, and this blog was born. I started posting pictures of some of my journal pages/spreads online and people took notice. I thought I should share things on an internet space where people could see them if they wanted to... that way I wouldn't trigger anything for other people that were processing trauma. To this day I'm still cautious and don't post anything with potential trigger words-- that is on purpose. 

Fast forward to 2013. The Smashbook (blog) is growing steadily. It is my hope that this internet space continues to grow and influence people to "create" and be, instead of "doing". It's my hope that this space on the internet will be a refuge for those of you who are struggling, whether or not you are sharing that with anyone. This is a space to find ideas to help you heal. Ideas to help you process. 

I don't process your trauma. I don't process YOUR life events. If we work together via e-course, or teleclass or email/skype consult, I don't ever ask you what your trauma is. I don't record classes. I don't record teleclasses. I don't even ask to know names. I respect your space and your story. I am here to help you get ideas to celebrate your story and process through the yuck AND the awesome. 

A lot of you have asked how I'm qualified. Truth be told, I don't have a degree in counseling, therapy or art. I don't have even two years of college under my belt. But you know what? I love people. And I love art. 

My life has been full to the brim with crazy stuff-- marriage, divorce, suicide, miscarriages, loss, grief, abuse of many kinds... I have my fair share of YUCK, trust me. I know what it's like. My goal is to share my stories with you so that you know you're not alone... and to know that there is still an incredible amount of JOY to suck out of life's moments-- both big and small. 

I do work closely with a group of counselors that I will refer you to if you ask me to. They are available for professional help if need be, so there is that option available to you. 

I offer teleclasses for groups of people, whether that's two people or five hundred. I offer e-courses here on the blog from August through May. I also do private sessions via skype and telephone. 

Most of all, I'm here to help you celebrate YOU.
The yuck and the awesome. 

It's all you, and it is ALL worth celebrating.

xo, c

** e-courses will resume enrollment post-summer**
**teleclasses can be booked via email. click here to email me**



smashthepark version two point oh!








for those of you that couldn't make it, the second smashthepark was on this past saturday!

we had so so much fun and so much amazing art was created! i'm super excited that more people are coming each time-- and this time I got to meet some pretty rad new people!

isn't their art just fantastic!? 

the third one will be announced soon, taking place at the end of June. :) 

there were lots of you that participated in the prompt friday from last week (which tied in with my guidance at the smashthepark event). I absolutely LOVE hearing that you're participating in these prompts along with me and other readers!

if you do participate in them and tweet about them, use the hashtag #smashpromptfriday so I can see them all! I'll pick a few every week and feature them in the recap! :) 

xox, c

weekly recap!

Monday, May 20, 2013





wooohoooo! who's excited that it's monday?! I fell asleep watching episodes of 1987 shark week, so that means today has GOT to be golden. also, it's raining in Denver which means I'm in yoga pants and a thin hoodie. favorite weather ever!

what awesome stuff happened for you this weekend?
here's my recap:

I met some seriously amazing people this weekend. Pretty stoked.

the 2nd smashthepark was on Saturday! I will post a recap tomorrow with lots of photos! if you participated in prompt friday and would like to have your page(s) included, send me a picture by linking to it in the comments or @ reply me on twitter.

I have been listening to "Good Feeling" by JP Maurice on repeat all weekend. put it on really really loud in your car and dance down the street. now you know what I looked like all weekend. ;)

drinks with my girlfriends on Friday night = best ever. I tried a strawberry mojito for the first time and it was delish! So delish in fact that I forgot to take ANY pictures. such a blogger fail! ;)

talking over some amazing upcoming projects with some AMAZING people... I will share details as soon as possible. trust me, this is rad.

ingesting dr. pepper. always a win. ;)

flowers that have lasted OVER A WEEK on my desk! The sweet guys at church last week had mothers day flowers left over and asked if I wanted them! a girl never turns down flowers! as of today they've been on my desk for eight days and they're still going strong! love love love love!

I found this craze to be totally worth it... seriously my lips are the softest they've ever been, I think. Plus it smells/tastes DELICIOUS. happy, happy happy!

what AWESOME filled your weekend?

xo, c

prompt friday, baby

Friday, May 17, 2013



prompt friday, beeches!

it's that time! this weekend, the second SMASHTHEPARK is being held at Clarkson Park in Littleton, Colorado. it's FREE and FUN, so if you're coming, rsvp via facebook


we're going to be talking about setting an intention for summertime and what you want your summer to look like. a lot of times in yoga, meditation or through lifecoaching/therapy, we set intentions to do a lot of different things. you can set the intention to be calm, to be happy, to be more mindful of your words, or to be sweeter to yourself.

think about your summer. think about what you envision your most blissful/rewarding/most authentic summer. what do you see? who are you with? what are you doing?

envision:
the time of day
the location- where exactly are you? a hotel? a specific beach? a hammock? a train station?
what do you hear in that place?
who (if anyone) is with you? 
what are you wearing? note the colors, the fabrics, the ties, buckles and snaps.
what are you feeling in this moment? remember, this is your BLISSFUL summer.
where are you going? why are you where you are?

then I want you to document these things in your journals.

document what you're wearing-- if you're in blue, include blue in your page.
do you feel sand in your toes? glue some sand into your journal.

my summer looks like nail polish, pedicures, peach green tea, awesome makeup days and cookies! 


make this page a tangible reminder of this intention-- make what is in your head translate to that page, so that when you come back to it throughout the summer, you will be translated back to this intention!

I am so excited to see what comes with this!

I will be sharing mine, as well as pictures from SMASHTHEPARK on tuesday next week. 

hope to see you there!

xo, c




awkward & awesome

Thursday, May 16, 2013


every thursday I share the most awkward and awesome moments of my week....
click here for the rest ;)

awkward:

<<< drinking this during lunch.. at work... and your bosses give you a high five. best job ever? yes.

<<< having various people/Siri misspell your name... it's great. (see here and here and here)

<<< posting a picture of a tattoo stenciled on me, and then people think they're looking at my bare butt instead of my arm... le sigh. 

<<< when your cart at the grocery store consists of dr. pepper, booze, nail polish and a chick flick. yeahhhhh, i'm headed for great things. 

<<< singing in the shower ... then coming downstairs to find that there are other people in your house. super fun times.

awesome:

<<< the outlook that everyone is your friend. that everyone in the world; everyone that crosses your path is there to help you and support you. even the cashier. the postal service worker. the guy selling you wine at noon on a wednesday. they're all there to help. :)

<<< magic things happening in life. the right things happen at the right time. it's all about being, not doing. i'm learning... slowly but I'm learning. 

<<< becoming a Julep Maven. basically this means that there's a lot of daily nail pictures coming. it's pretty much gonna be awesome. instagram is the place for those, so that I don't clog up this 'ere blog with photo spam! ;)

<<< writing this blog post after a mani and watching The Holiday. seriously, Jude Law is so danged attractive. he needs to work on his arms... but seriously. hey-ohhhhh.


little known factoids

Tuesday, May 14, 2013


in no random order, some little known factoids:

the smell of coffee wakes me up. I don't even need to drink it. 
I always try to keep fresh flowers on my desk.
I journal gratitude every morning. things I'm thankful for. it has been a transformative practice in my life. my lifecoach told me to start it... and I'm really glad I did.
I had cereal for the first time this morning since last year. 
drama always happens before magic. always. i'm getting better and better at seeing through the BS.
i love lists. if that's not evident already, you must be new around here.
▲ moscow mules > mojitos.
▲ I have a thing for polka dots. 
▲ I tan really easily. thanks, genes. you're the bestest. 
my word for 2013 is authentic.
my iphone is shut off from 8pm to 9am. yeah, buddy.
i live for iced peach green tea
i love tattoos. have three and plans for more (this weekend)!
neighbourhood's "sweater weather" has been making love to my eardrums all week.
i'm wearing coral to happy hour this weekend. boom.
I believe in self care, self love and believing that EVERYONE is your friend. the grocery store clerk, the guy that is in the car next to you, the barista, the crazy clients.. they're all your friends, wanting good things for you. 
I've been told I "do life differently". that's rad, I think.
I want to get married in a teal dress. in bali. barefoot. just me and my superhot husband. (yeah, I already know he's a total hottie. trust me. I know these things.)... and some cute fishies, too.
my favorite outfit is leggings and a tank top with a zipup. 
and scarves. i love them in the winter. 
i drink all my drinks at home out of mason jars.
▲<<<this little triangle thinger is pretty sweet
i love my DSLR. too much. and that = photospam on this 'ere blog. ;)
I have started giving out fake names when I go places due to the fact that people can't spell or pronounce my name correctly. see here and here.
if it rained (and was still warm) monday through friday and then was 85 degrees and sunshine-y every week, I'd be the happiest camper ever. and I don't even camp.
if you're in denver, you should come to THIS and meet me! saturday!

xo, c







weekly recap & enrollment freeze announcement!

Monday, May 13, 2013









this weekend was wonderful.
an especially wonderful weekend because it was mothers' day sunday, which means I got to spend the day with my favorite person on the planet. seriously, I adore her.

also enjoyed this weekend:

cheesecake from whole foods (it's a weakness...) // funny faces outside with my brother // sunshine, blue sky and tan lines // the smell of sunscreen // my mom's affinity for spray paint (that's totally where I get it, if you were wondering...) // smashburger for lunch // we built an orange chevron trellis for the yard // I cut off 4" of hair // starbucks still doesn't know how to spell CHARISSA // new notebooks, projects, storyboarding and planning!

additionally-- due to the upcoming release of new e-courses, I will be freezing the enrollment for the Jumpstart Me e-course from weds 5/15 through 8/1. the course will be available for enrollment again in August-- I am just taking the summer in a different direction; you'll hear more about that soon! if you enroll, you will have lifetime access to the course and still be able to participate fully-- there just won't be new students added! :) click the "learn something" link above to read more about the course or to enroll before wednesday!


xo!







may group giveaway

Sunday, May 12, 2013

some of my wonderful sponsors and I are hosting a giveaway! :) I'm so excited!

here's what's up for grabs... and remember one winner takes all!
contest ends 5/30/13! 










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