If you’re like me and follow a lot of crafting sites, you may have noticed something called “junk journaling” popping up in your feed. While it’s not exactly a new trend, it seems to have become more popular over the years. What I was seeing really intrigued me and pushed me to learn more about it.
I’m still at the beginning of my junk journaling journey, but I decided it was time to give it a try! Before I share my first attempt, I want to tell you a little about what I’ve discovered and, more importantly, my personal take on it.
What Is Junk Journaling?
From what I’ve seen, junk journaling is a form of memory keeping that is a little less structured and a lot more free-form and personal.
That’s not to say traditional memory keeping isn’t personal—of course it is! What I mean is that junk journaling seems to focus even more on giving the creator a place to express themselves rather than preserving memories specifically for others to enjoy later.
To me, junk journaling feels like a combination of scrapbooking, journaling, collage and personal creative expression.
And one of the things I love most about it? There really doesn’t seem to be a “right” way to do it!
So Why Try It?
Think of it as a creative outlet where you’re allowed to be messy, use up your scraps, embrace imperfection and tell your story your way.
It can still be a form of memory keeping, but instead of focusing primarily on what happened, as we often do in traditional scrapbooking, it can focus more on how you felt, what you noticed and what the experience meant to you.
You might include little bits and pieces that would normally be discarded—a receipt, ticket stub, packaging, a handwritten note or even that photo that isn’t quite “perfect” enough for your scrapbook page.
Sometimes it may simply be a collage of colors, words, textures and items that mean something only to the person creating it.
While junk journals can still be beautiful and fun to share, they can also be incredibly personal. Much like a traditional written journal, they give the creator an opportunity to express themselves—but with both words and pictures.
What Else Is Different?
The things that go into a junk journal are only part of what makes it different. Another fun aspect is the opportunity to make the journal itself an experience, rather than simply flipping through pages in a book.
We’re actually seeing more of this in traditional scrapbooking too, and Stampin’ Up!’s Flip Flaps are a perfect accessory for this type of memory keeping.
Junk journals are often filled with pockets, tags, hidden journaling, fold-outs and other interactive elements. There can be lots of layers, textures and dimension, creating thick pages and chunky books that don’t necessarily follow traditional scrapbook formats.
I also noticed that some junk journals have a very specific focus—a trip, holiday or special season of life—while others are much more open-ended. You might find journals filled with favorite quotes, gratitude, everyday moments, creative experiments or simply whatever inspired the creator that day.
Size and Structure – One of the other differences I noticed is that most junk journals are much smaller than traditional 12″ x 12″ or even 8½” x 11″ scrapbooks. They tend to be closer to the size of a notebook or journal you might purchase. The journal itself can take many forms, too. Some are made from purchased journals or old books, while others are handmade from individual pages held together with ribbon, binder rings, stitching, or other creative methods. One thing you’ll quickly discover with junk journaling is that there really isn’t a specific mold or “right” way to create one. The size, structure, pages, and binding can be as unique as the person creating it.
That freedom is part of what intrigues me!
So, What’s Next?
As I’ve searched for more information, I’ve found myself thinking about how I can incorporate some of these ideas into what I’m already creating.
There are elements of junk journaling that fit beautifully with scrapbook pages, fun fold cards and especially mini albums—which already include many of the same interactive characteristics.
I’m looking forward to learning some of these techniques and experimenting with how they can transfer back and forth between different types of paper crafting, while still maintaining my own personal crafting style.
I hope you’ll enjoy exploring right along with me!
Want to See My First Try?
During my live, I created my first junk journaling project from scratch, so you can follow along as I experiment with the process and discover what works for me.
I chose to work with Beautiful Ordinary Life and the Extraordinary Life Bundle because I felt many of their elements fit naturally with junk journaling while still allowing me to give it a more modern twist.
In fact, I think the Extraordinary Life Scrapbooking Workshop Kit could be really fun to transform into a junk journal. That may have to be another experiment!
Starting Small
Before jumping into my journal, I decided to practice some of the techniques on a card first. The card features many of the carefree, layered elements that I incorporated into the junk journal cover I created during my live. This gave me an opportunity to try some of the ideas on a smaller scale before moving on to a larger page with even more elements.
As I worked through the creative process, I discovered a few things I wanted to share.
Give Yourself Plenty to Work With
Because this was completely new to me, and I chose to work primarily with one suite rather than combining lots of different products, I started by cutting and stamping a variety of random pieces using the dies and stamps from the suite and bundle.
This gave me a collection of elements to pull from as I started creating both my card and my journal cover. Instead of stopping every few minutes to stamp or cut another piece, I could simply play with what I had and see how the different elements worked together.
Don’t Be Afraid of a Busy Background
Another thing I noticed while watching junk journaling videos was how often the creators started with a fairly busy patterned background. Sometimes they used patterned paper, while other times they created their own background with random stamping.
For my project, I chose to focus on random stamping because there are so many great images in the suite and bundle that worked perfectly for this.
Rather than worrying about creating a perfectly balanced stamped background, I could simply add images here and there knowing that much of it would eventually be covered by additional layers.
Add Some Blending
I also noticed blending brushes being used quite a bit. Blending ink around the edges can help create that worn, weathered or vintage look you often see in traditional junk journals.
Even though I was going for a more modern look, I really liked what the blending added to my project. It softened some of the pieces, added depth and helped all of those different layers work together.
Embrace a Little Creative Chaos
One thing I commented on several times during my live was that the process felt a little chaotic—but not in a bad way. It was actually kind of freeing!
Once I had my background created, I started laying pieces down and moving them around to see what worked together. Instead of following a specific layout or worrying about exact placement, it became more about getting a feeling for what looked right and what allowed me to express myself.
Interestingly, I went through this process once before the live and then again during the live. Since I chose not to glue everything down during the video to save time, I had to recreate the layout afterward—and the final journal cover ended up a little different again!
I think that’s part of the fun. There doesn’t have to be one exact finished design you’re trying to reproduce.
Add Pockets & Little Surprises
One other element I really wanted to focus on was incorporating some of the pockets, tags and elements of surprise that I had seen in other junk journals.
I shared my basic plan during the live, but I didn’t completely finalize how everything would work until afterward.
Because I ended up placing torn elements behind the area where my main pocket was going, I used foam adhesive strips along with an additional piece of paper to fully turn it into a functional pocket before attaching it to the page.
I also attached some of my torn paper pieces only along the sides and bottom, which created another little hidden pocket for one of my tags.
Those small changes gave me additional interactive elements while adding even more dimension to the project.
So…What Did I Think?
I honestly had more fun creating this than I thought I would, and I can definitely see the appeal of junk journaling now.
It’s still outside my comfort zone, but I think that’s part of what made it so much fun. It gave me permission to create differently—to layer more, worry less about perfect placement and simply see where the project took me.
I’m looking forward to exploring junk journaling more and seeing how some of these ideas can transfer across the other forms of crafting I already love.
And I’m not stopping there!
Be watching for this month’s Scrapped! episode, where I’ll turn the experiment around and explore how I can take some of these same junk journaling ideas and bring them back into traditional scrapbooking.
I have a feeling the lines between cardmaking, scrapbooking and junk journaling might not be quite as defined as I once thought!
Create It Your Way
Whether you choose traditional scrapbooking, mini albums, junk journaling, card making—or a little bit of everything—the important thing is finding a creative style that speaks to you.
There’s room to preserve the big memories, document the everyday moments, save those little pieces of life that might otherwise get thrown away and simply create because creating makes you happy.
No matter how you choose to preserve your thoughts and memories or let your creativity shine, I hope what I share inspires you to sit down, create and feel the joy it brings.
And since I’m learning too, I’d love to hear from you! Have you tried junk journaling? What do you love about it? Or, if you’re new to it like me, what would you like to learn?
No matter where your creative journey takes you, I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s learn, create, connect, and grow together—one project at a time. 🦋
Stampin' With Candice 