Want to junk journal but don’t know where or how to start? Read on to find out the materials you need and junk journal ideas to get started.
I never thought junk journaling would be my thing.
But once I started, I was hooked.
It’s actually pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way possible. It’s forced me to let go of my perfectionism and just create freely, messily, and without the overthinking or overwhelm.
Similar to journal writing, there is no right or wrong way to do it, other than doing it the way that feels good to you.
So today I want to introduce you to junk journaling.
You may have heard of it, been on the fence about it, or wondered if it’s for you because it looks like a highly artistic craft online. Whatever brought you here, you’ve come to the right place. I am going to share what junk journaling is, how to get started, and why it might just become your new favourite creative outlet.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What Is Junk Journaling
- Why Junk Journaling Is More Than Just Craft
- Junk Journal Materials And Supplies
- 5 Junk Journal Page Ideas To Get You Started
- Start Your Junk Journal Today
What Is Junk Journaling
Junk journaling is exactly what it sounds like: a journal filled with junk.
Now before you click away — hear me out.
“Junk” here means the everyday bits and pieces of your life that you’d otherwise throw away. Receipts, tickets, wrappers, tea bags, magazine cutouts, old calendar pages, packaging, dried flowers, scrap paper. Anything and everything.
Think of it as a scrapbook, a visual diary, a collection of your life in physical form. Some people theme their pages, while others compile everything they collected that day. Some like to build their page slowly over weeks, adding one small thing at a time. Others go all out with washi tape, stickers and embellishments.
There is genuinely no right or wrong way to do this. As long as it feels good, that is the way to go.
Why Junk Journaling Is More Than Just Craft
“Your journal is like your best friend. You don’t have to pretend with it, you can be honest and write exactly how you feel.” ― Bukola Ogunwale
Junk journaling isn’t only about creativity, though it’s absolutely that. It’s also a form of self-expression, and a mindfulness practice. Best of all, the page doesn’t need to be perfect or well crafted.
When you sit down with your notebook and your collected bits and pieces, something slows down. You’re not on your phone. You’re not showing up for anyone else. You’re just creating simply for you.
It also gives you a record of your everyday life and things you’ve encountered along the way that photos sometimes can’t capture. The tea bag from the hotel you stayed at. The receipt from that birthday dinner. The ticket stub from the concert you almost didn’t go to. These small things carry more memory than we give them credit for.
Junk Journal Materials And Supplies
What you need to get started with junk journal is very little. The barrier to entry is almost zero.
Here’s all you actually need:
- A notebook — old or new, any size. An old diary or agenda that’s past its year is perfect. Nothing goes to waste.
- Something to cut with — scissors work completely fine. An X-Acto knife if you want cleaner edges.
- Something to stick things down — a glue stick, double-sided tape, a stapler, even regular tape. Whatever you have.
- Something to draw or write with — this one is optional. A quote, a short passage or a drawing can add an extra touch to your page.
- Your junk — receipts, wrappers, magazine pages, packaging, anything you have, you’ve been collecting, or would normally bin.
That’s it. That’s genuinely all you need to start.
If you want to go further (optional):
Washi tape, decorative stickers, stamps, pens, markers, special scissors, and specialty papers can all add to the experience, but but none of it is necessary. And please, take what you see on social media with a grain of salt. Those accounts often show highly styled, hours-in-the-making spreads. That’s one version of junk journaling. It’s not the only version, and it’s certainly not the standard. So don’t let the aesthetics stop you from having fun.
The only rule in junk journaling: It must feel good to you.
Everything else is secondary. If it feels stressful or overwhelming, then you’re likely doing it wrong. Take a step bad, tap into your own inner creativity and try again when you’re ready and refreshed.
5 Junk Journal Page Ideas To Get You Started
Not sure what to put on your pages? Here are 5 junk journal ideas to get your creativity flowing.
Think of these as starting points. Go with what feels right, and do what matches your aesthetic, style and comfort. Take as long as you need, or a short 5 to 10 minutes if that’s all the time you have.
1. Everything from one day
Create a junk journal page of anything and everything you’ve collected in one day. It’s basically a snapshot of your day.
Your collection could be your coffee cup sleeve, a receipt from the gas station, a wrapper from something you ate, a random doodle you made at work, or a post-it message from your co-worker.
How to style this? Your choice. You can break things up, stick them in order with a timestamp next to each one, or even write an inspirational quote at the top to represent your day. No rules. Creativity and self-expression only.
2. A trip or experience
This is one of my favourites. It’s very much like a travel scrapbook.
You will pretty much need to save everything, or at least the things that meant something to you, from your trip. This could be your boarding pass, travel itinerary, hotel notepad, restaurant receipts, a map from the museum, a ticket stub, a leaf you picked up, a matchbox from the restaurant bar, and anything and everything else you collected.
Once you’ve compiled and stuck everything together, it should look like a travel page that actually captures how it felt to be there. And don’t forget to add some travel photos too.
3. A monochrome page
Have you seen those color hunting posts trending on Instagram? You can do the same thing for your junk journal page.
Depending on your schedule, this might be a one-day or one-week activity to fully collect everything you need in the same colour.
Pick a colour, gather everything in that shade, and build a page from it. Materials could include magazine cutouts, packaging, scraps of paper or even photos from your phone that you’ve printed out.
4. A coffee, tea or page
If you’re a tea, coffee or match person, this one’s for you.
Used coffee cups, coffee cup sleeves, used tea bags, tea bag wraps, and anything related to the drink works very well. You can even cut out logos or label designs, or put your own unique spin on it.
If you make your own matcha, consider sprinkling or smearing some matcha powder on your page and put some clear tape on top to seal it. Add some words like “green magic” or “matcha mania” and a cute drawing that matches your aesthetics.
5. A random page
Not every junk journaling requires a theme.
You could stick things together that have no relationship with each other at all. Maybe it’s a random pin you found while cleaning your room, a paper bag from your grocery run, or a cutout from an old magazine. They don’t need to make sense. Compile whatever you have, enjoy the process, and let the final result surprise you.
For more journal page ideas, be sure to check out our popular 88+ Journal Page Ideas For Every Type Of Journaler!
One important thing to note: your pages don’t have to be completed in one sitting. Unlike what you might see online, a junk journal page can be something you build over days or even weeks, adding one small thing at a time until the page feels done to you.
Start Your Junk Journal Today
The only thing standing between you and your first junk journal page is starting.
You don’t need special supplies or artistic talent. You don’t need to follow a trend or replicate someone else’s aesthetic. Your junk journal is for you and yours only. It’s a reflection of your life, your taste, your way of seeing the world.
And here’s what I’ve found: the act of creating something with your hands, with no audience and no agenda, is one of the best forms of self-care there is. It pulls you back into your own life, slows you down, and turn your attention inwards, back to yourself.
If you’ve been holding back because you’re worried it won’t be good enough, this is your sign. Start with what you have because that’s all you really need.
p.s. I’ll be sharing my own junk journal pages soon. Sign up to my newsletter so you don’t miss it — plus you’ll get weekly journal prompts and reflections delivered straight to your inbox.
