Junk journaling is the new big thing on the crafty side of social media, and for good reason. Merging bullet journaling and scrapbooking, junk journaling allows for full creative expression. The year has just begun, so it is the perfect time to pick up a new hobby.
Journaling, traditionally, is the practice of recording your inner thoughts by writing them down. This allows a space for reflection and documentation of your younger self. This element remains in junk journaling but gets amplified through visual elements. Junk journaling also embraces the positives, with creators redesigning their Spotify Wrapped and noting their favorite movies of the year.
At its core, it is about giving life to things that would otherwise be discarded. Some items to collect are receipts, paper bags, stickers, and packaging. This differentiates junk journaling from the similarly named scrapbooking, which does not always reuse materials. However, these definitions are fluid, with popular creators printing and buying the things they include in their journals.
Junk journaling also represents a history of female creativity. This contemporary craft calls back to commonplace books, which were commonly created by women hundreds of years ago. These books contained quotes, illustrations, and information that they found important to hold onto. Junk journals are more ornate versions of this practice but still link us to our memory-keeping ancestors. Additionally, junk journaling falls into the category of analog hobbies, a selection of activities that don’t require devices. The popularity of analog hobbies, and specifically journaling, reveals an idealization of the past and a desire to reduce our modern reliance on technology by creating physical items.
journaling inspo
Junk journaling is truly an easy and forgiving craft. The only necessary supplies are a journal and a glue stick; everything else is optional.
Some people swear on Moleskine, Hobonichi, or Leuchtturm1917 journals, but any will do. If you don’t like waiting for your work to dry, craft stores sell double-sided tape dispensers as an alternative to glue when affixing your creations. My journaling bag also contains Tombow brush pens, Posca paint markers, Micron pens, and assorted highlighters for adding color and text to my spreads. The beauty of junk journaling is that you can be as creative as you want and use any combination of materials.
If you want some inspiration for your own junk journal, there are many types of spreads to start with.
My favorite spread, which I remake every year, is a bookshelf tracker, where I log and rate everything I read. I like to use different markers for each star rating, as the colors are a fun way of seeing how successful my reading year was and can help me shape my TBR.
Another page I love to include is a travel spread. Whenever I visit a different state or country, I collect maps, tickets, and pamphlets. Journaling these bits of paper allows me to condense my junk into a smaller space while holding on to the memories from my vacation.
Snail mail is also a cute addition to a junk journal. I love ordering prints and stickers from small businesses, so I also keep the packaging and notes they sometimes include. Unlike larger businesses, small shops are more likely to personalize your order, which makes for great journaling material.
I saw a sticker graveyard online and knew I had to make one. It is easy to amass stickers, but often difficult to use them. I wait for the perfect moment and end up leaving them tucked between book pages or hidden in random drawers. As such, this spread gives purpose to any stickers you aren’t sure how to use.
Junk journaling is the perfect form of expressing yourself, by containing mementos and keepsakes in a sheet of A5 paper. Its nature makes it an accessible and simple craft that always results in something beautiful.