How to Pick Images and Text for Your Smash Book

So you’ve got a pile of magazines, a pair of scissors, and that delicious sense of creative possibility — but now comes the hard part: what the heck do you actually glue into your smash book?

Whether you’re brand new to smashing or you’re already elbow-deep in paper bits and glue sticks, here’s a fun guide to help you choose images and words that make your pages feel magical, meaningful, and uniquely YOU!

How to Pick Images and Text for Your Smash Book

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Picking Images For Your Smash Book Walkthrough Video

Here are some of my favorite tips and ideas for picking images and text for your Smash Book!

1. Do You Have a Theme or Are You Going Full Chaos Gremlin?

There’s no wrong way to smash. Some people love having a theme — like “Springtime Nostalgia” or “All Things Purple and Weird” — and some of us just want to play and see where it goes. ( Hi, it’s me.)

If you’re curious about themed smashbooks or junk journals, I’ve got a whole post on junk journal themes here.

But you don’t need a theme to get started. Your only real rule is: does it make you happy?

2. **Do the Images Fit? (Or Can You Make Them Fit?)**

Some pictures are big. Some are tiny. Some need a little creative cropping or slicing to get them just right.

Pro tip: If you love an image but it’s awkwardly sized, ask yourself:

Can I crop it into a shape I like?
Can I fussy-cut it to give it more dimension?
Could it become a background instead of the star?

3. **Does the Image Mean Something to You?**

One of my favorite finds was a wild-eyed lady that instantly made me think of moms in the 1980s — including my own. It tickled me so much I had to include her.

Even if no one else gets it, if it sparks a memory or makes you laugh, it belongs in your book.

This is the heart of storytelling in collage and glue books. You can check out my post on using storytelling in your pages here.

4. Words Matter — or Maybe They Don’t!

Some pages are image-only masterpieces. Others are full of snarky cut-out captions, handwritten notes, or single, powerful words.

Options to try:

Cut out whole words or phrases that pop off the page.
Find a font you love and build your own words from scratch.
Mix handwriting, sticker letters, and magazine cutouts for texture.

In my own smashbook, I almost always add some kind of word, even if it’s just a tiny caption that makes me giggle.

5. To Fussy Cut or Not to Fussy Cut?

Are you a chop-and-glue kind of smasher? Or do you love sitting down with your teeny scissors and cutting out every flower petal and bird feather?

Me? I’m firmly on Team Fussy Cut. But if that’s not your vibe, go minimal and let the paper do the work. Smashbooks are for joy, not perfection.

6. Mixing Words and Pictures: Let It Flow

You don’t need a perfect plan. You might start with a phrase and then build the imagery around it… or find a background you love and build from there.

Some days I’m all about florals and bees. Other days it’s scorpions, weird ladies, and rocket ships made of lunch meat (yes, really).

The magic comes when you let your imagination lead!

Final Thoughts: Just Start Gluing, Friend

At the end of the day, your Smash Book is YOUR space to play. Let yourself be weird. Be sentimental. Be chaotic. Smash that stuff in there and see what happens.

And remember: you don’t have to use every single thing you cut out. Save the rest for another day. Your next idea is always just one page away.

Here are some more great posts you might love!