How to use a junk Journal
How to use a junk Journal
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Junk Journal - a handmade book of recycled, found materials and ephemera.
But what is a junk journal and what would you use one for?
Let me tell you!
What is a Junk Journal?
What is a Junk Journal?
A junk journal is literally that - a journal made from --> junk.
In other words - it actually a fancy handmade notebook from recycled materials - to be used like any other notebook, diary, journal etc.
Originally this term of junk journaling was coined by those creating a journal purely from junk items that you would normally throw away -->
food/tissue boxes,
envelopes,
junk mail,
magazines,
newspaper,
old books,
any other paper that was headed for the bin,
notions that fell off their original item and
pretty much anything you would consider junk, trash, rubbish.
Think about how much we throw away.
Paper, cardstock, cardboard, boxes, packaging, junk mail you throw out of your home, office, from children's school books, old books and notebooks, and anywhere else paper, card, packaging is received and then discarded.
It's a lot!
🛑 Does it really have to be discarded?
♻️ Is it really recycled once it leaves your home?
Junk journaling gives all this paper and card about to be discarded a new life with a creative twist. And now...not all junk goes to the bin - junk journals have sparked a creative interest with creative souls across the world.
It's actually quite an eco friendly craft when you think about how much paper pulp is rescued, reused in this way.
🌳
Save the trees.
Make a junk journal!
📖✂️✍️
I made this journal for my personal use with:
pages from one of my favourite magazines,
empty pages of my old expired passport,
pretty paper draw liners I found at Vinnies,
some gold paper doilies,
hand tea dyed coffee filters (unused),
fabric from my sewing scraps pile,
and other papers such as old notebooks I hadn't used up, brown paper and more.
Junk journals and notebooks are not a new concept
Whilst it can be said that junk journaling was born from scrapbooking, card making and other such papercrafts, from my learnings on my own journey into this craft, we have all done junk journaling in some way, shape or form.
You may have tried your hand at junk journaling in the past if you have done any of the following:
Your school books and those doodles and or gluing in pictures;
Drawing or colouring in on spare paper and then putting it away in a book or sketchbook;
Collecting recipes and sticking them in a recipe book;
Collecting children's drawings and putting them in a box, in a book, in a draw, somewhere;
Collecting newspaper or magazine snippets for various reasons;
Photo albums where you stick the photo in, write a caption and or add additional keepsakes;
Stamp collecting albums;
Card collecting albums (sports cards and the like);
Personal or work diary;
The list goes on.
These are all forms of collecting junk, ephemera, keepsakes, scraps, notes and more and putting them somewhere to look at later or re-use in a new way - or even give as a gift or hand down to the next generation.
The current take on creating junk journals stems from all of these past versions of collecting useful or useless items and creating something with them to again be useful, attractive, functional or decorative use only.
I prefer my junk journals to be created from thrifted items with minimal new purchases to be used. There are an abundance of supplies available if you know where to look and what to look for.
Combine old or new --> papers; card; fabric; glue; magazines; food, shoe, tissue, packaging boxes; envelopes; other packaging; books; music sheets; magazines and or newspaper and notions you have lying around and a unique journal or notebook will come alive in your hands as you go.
And there are Glue Books.
There is also the concept of a ''glue book'' - you can find plenty of video's on YouTube for these. A glue book is any book that you essentially just 'glue' things into, ephemera, keepsakes, photos, notions, notes, reminders, tags and more.
How to use a Junk Journal?
How to use a Junk Journal?
A Junk Journal is a handmade book.
Use however you like - such as:
write, draw, paint, write lists or to do lists;
to get off your phone and into a more analogue life and write it down;
record memories, quotes, thoughts, ideas, inspirations;
as your trusty personal companion (memory helper);
a diary, bullet journal, art journal, health journal, travel journal;
plan personal projects;
just to scribble in when at your desk, on the lounge to get that idea, reminder, words out of your head and down on paper;
photo, receipt, bits and pieces holder;
glue in every day ephemera that you want to keep for just in case and don't want to lose;
and so much more.
The ideas are endless and it really is up to you how you want to use a junk journal or notebook.
Consider what the typical notes you may write down and where you write them down or what don't you write down and wish you had of.
Write it down!
With the age of technology progressing
and attempting to take over our lives,
I am purposefully returning back
to as much analogue living as possible
and that includes creating and using my own
journals and notebooks to write
where possible rather than
using my phone or other devices.
💡 Great video for converting to a paper phone here 📱
Journaling Methods
Journaling Methods
Do you know what type of journaling suits you?
Are you getting started or have been journaling for a good while?
Are you interested in trying a new method?
Have you considered documenting your life?
There are many ways to journal and a plethora of instructions, videos, articles, books, podcasts on "how to journal" - YouTube is fantastic for learning - along with the diverse range of benefits to journaling (think psychology, neurobiology, neuroplasticity, and more).
I won't go into too much detail on 'how to journal' because I'm not the best expert on journaling consistently with any particular method but I can offer you the below list of journaling styles if you would like to look into many different ways to experiment with - to find what works for you. Search online and or YouTube for more information, inspiration and examples.
Personally I use a variety of different methods - with different journals - and that works for me.
I know I need colour, variety, diversity of types of paper, pages, writing instruments and a different notebook/journal for each category of purpose to write it down. Each journal as its own category for a part of my inner world.
Different Types of Methods to Journal
Different Types of Methods to Journal
Morning Pages / Stream of Consciousness: writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness - unfiltered flow of thoughts, memories and feelings - immediately upon waking to clear the mind.
One Line A Day: each day you write one line to record the most memorable or noteworthy thing about that day.
Month in Review: a way to journal at the end of a month - to reflect what is important to you, key events, accomplishments, lessons learned, and memories and more.
Bullet Journal: a customizable, analogue organization system of journaling that combines a planner, to-do list, goals, tasks, project, diary and or more into one notebook
Gratitude Journaling: Recording things you are thankful for to improve mood and reduce stress.
Reflective Journaling: Analysing daily experiences, emotions, or personal growth.
Memory Keeping: recording moments, mementos, souvenirs, photos, images, keepsakes in a journal.
Faith Journaling: a hybrid between a journal, a prayer notebook, and a spiritual scrapbook. It is a personal way to deepen your relationship with God, the divine, your path to consciousness, your chosen spirituality.
Art/Visual Journaling: Using sketches, doodles, and colours to express thoughts visually.
Goal/Productivity Journaling: Outlining tasks, actions, and milestones to stay focused on objectives.
Dream Journaling: Recording dreams immediately after waking to explore the subconscious.
Travel/Memory Journaling: Documenting journeys, memories, and experiences with mementos and collected ephemera whilst on your travels.
Food/Health Journaling: Tracking daily food intake, nutrition, and physical health.
Prompt-Based Journaling: Responding to specific questions or prompts to guide self-discovery.
Letter Writing Journal: Writing letters (sent or unsent) to people, which can be used to process difficult emotions.
Glue Book journaling: the simple act of gluing found images, paper scraps, and ephemera into a book - just because or because you enjoy the process of this type of creativity.
And I'm sure there are many more styles.
You might like to create your own - that perfectly suits you.
Document Your Life
Document Your Life
If you pause to think about it - everything humanity knows, shares, discovers, experiences
has been documented (and often lost) in some way shape or form
over the course of our existence.
Sure - not everything has been documented and preserved but a lot has been - go to any library, museum, art gallery to see a glimpse of what humanity has documented in all sorts of ways throughout known or hidden history.
And to also acknowledge - yes a lot has been/is passed down via verbal or other such non documented means.
How much of what you know today, in your life - is because someone documented that information that then came your way either by school, books, visual aids, art, craft, cooking, learning something new with a form or medium to learn from and learn with?
Cave drawings, books, manuscripts, letters, paintings, gardens, clothing, photos, stitching, diaries, letters, art of all styles, recipes, music and so much more is a form of documenting something - beyond just writing it down in a few words.
Many of us still appreciate the beauty of vintage and antique books and other ephemeral items. Handwritten, printed, the smell of the old paper, the different types of pulp used for pages, the colours, the text fonts and so much more. There is just something viscerally tactile about books, letters, receipts and paper from days gone past.
Have you ever flipped through someone's old diary, log book, grandma's receipe book, photo album with handwritten notes from last century. Many are now discarded and unappreciated but the world of junk journals treasures these items to keep them alive in new ways.
One day, with the decline of handwriting and documenting our lives on paper, we may not be leaving such treasures to age beautifully for the generations to come.
Why We Should Document Our Life
(click here to read full article)
"One thing I have come to appreciate and admire about our ancestors was how they painstakingly took time to document everything with the aim of leaving a legacy for generations to come. For centuries they’ve passed down deep insights and knowledge covering all aspects of their human existence whether it is through photo albums, letters, writings on the walls, artifacts and even family traditions."
Simply put - it is less about what method
of journaling or documenting your life to use
and more important to discover and flex
with the style that suits you, and it may change over time.
How I use my own Journals
How I use my own Journals
I have made myself quite a few journals now and I've only been doing this for over a year.
I wasn't much interested in using a diary or specific notebook (other than for my corporate job) as I relied on my memory, scraps of paper, sticky notes, and my phone. That's changed.
After seeing several videos online about junk journals I remember the day I was inspired to try my hand at my own - with no particular purpose in mind other than seeing if I would enjoy this craft purely for creating something from nothing. Surprisingly my small paper supply and leftovers in various old notebooks was more than enough to create my first 3 signature journal.
Once I made my first journal (it's been my most unattractive journal I've ever made but love all the same) I really enjoyed the process and having my own chunky journal that I had no real idea what to do with. Since then I seem to make more and they each have their own purpose and life of their own.
There is so much more personality, appeal and engagement for me to write down something of use or no use in a fun, bespoke, colourful and personal journal or notebook.
I realise now my objection to diaries, notebooks or journals in the past was the commercial design, neat and tidiness of store bought mass created, printed and cut notebooks with no unique personality.
I prefer shabby, a tad messy, handmade and certainly not commercially produced notebooks.
The many journals I've made myself and use:
2026 Diary
I have again made my own diary for 2026. I'm not an avid diary keeper but I do like to have one so I can note down what I did on a particular day and of course reminders for upcoming events, due dates etc.
There are blank pages for scribbles, quick notes for when I'm on the phone, reminders, lists for the future and more or I just need that piece of paper to write down something in a hurry at home.
If I collect business cards or other paper ephemera that I might want to refer to down the track, I'll store it in the diary for 'just in case'.
This is my 'catch all' book/diary for the year.
5 Year Month in Review Journal
Inspiration from My Abiding Journal on YouTube.
My Paper Phone - for shopping lists and quick notes. It is slim, light, easy to carry, has a pen loop to hold a slim pen to write on the go. It can hold bank cards if needed so it can also be a wallet.
Many a time I've wanted to revert to my EDC or another little notebook but this one seems to win the day every time I leave the house.
My Mini A7 Junk Journal supplies notebook
In this cute journal/notebook I write down anything I think of for supplies I might like to collect, curate, purchase to top up or try out for my junk journaling creations.
2025 Diary
This is the first time I've made my own diary in junk journal style and set it up for the year ahead.
Each month is a calendar view over 2 pages (month on 2 page spread) and I've dedicated pages between the months for notes, lists or logs for health, aspirations, significant purchases I want to remember/recall, ideas to remind myself of and much more.
Includes 2x signatures, a writing board, 2x DIY pen holders, blank pages, fun pages, stickers, stamped pages, page tabs for specific pages/sections of categories of notes I want to take, pockets. All made from items I had in my stash. Nothing new purchased specifically to put this diary together.
It's not quite bullet journal style but customised to how I hope to use it consistently and with simplicity.
Wallet and EDC - Travellers Notebook passport size
TN - Travellers Notebook (TN is actually a brand of notebooks)
EDC = Every Day Carry
I've made myself a few versions of a TN EDC/wallet. This is my latest one all handmade by me from rose gold sparkle cardstock and lined with paisley fabric with metallic gold shimmer, sealed with waterproof varnish for additional protection and strength.
The closure is a button from a stack my mum gave me from a dress she bought and wanted to replace the buttons on, a pearl brad, rose gold elastic and some beads along with my favoured Tiffany & Co silver charm given to me by a dear friend with my initial K on it.
Inside contains a junk journal style passport size notebook, handmade bank card holder, a purchased TN zip lock case for emergency items and coins and a few more handy dandy items such as a paper tape measure, mini scrap notepad, band aids and some other bits I may need to declutter.
Personal / Self Reflection Journal
My very first junk journal.
It's not the prettiest but it has been useful and I'm more than half way through using it up. It is pretty chunky with 3 very generous signatures.
I use this one to write down notes from healing/therapy sessions, dreams, insights, quotes - more for my healing and self reflection journey to look back and peruse at some time in the future.
Documenting your life can be very useful, therapeutic and interesting. Having seen vintage diaries and notebooks from previous eras it is always interesting to peruse or read what someone recorded in their life from a time gone by.
Why not do that for your own life? With the rise in digital documentation - I think it is sad that we will have less and less hand written ephemera and documentation from loved ones to discover in years to come.
My Ladies Handbook
I love this one. It's my ladies companion that I use to write down those inspirational quotes, reminders, notes or things I heard on a podcast that I don't want to forget but have nowhere else to write.
I often leave it by my side when I'm watching or listening to something so I can write down whatever it is I want to remember or learned for my personal recollection. This is not for 'lists' or 'to do' or typical 'journaling'.
Business use - Junk Journal Cover - A5
I can insert up to 3x A5 signatures with elastic jump bands or take them out.
Currently I'm using this with 1 signature for business notes, tips, ideas and more.
My Travellers Notebook - Standard size
I use this specifically for travel/holidays/camping trips, packing lists, to do lists before we leave, place to eat or visit while away etc.
I wasn't sure if a standard size TN would work for me and didn't want to buy a genuine leather one from Travellers Notebook Company until I trialled this size - so I made my own.
This was my first go at faux leather from kraft cardstock and I actually really like how it turned out. I included pages in the signatures from thrifted books and magazines with travel related images. I think it turned out great and I enjoy using it and viewing the images which make me want to go on holidays.
It can hold 3x TN signatures, a pen or two, little list notebook, folded brochures, business cards and more.
Craft Project Journal - A5
This one I made from a pink Country Road paper shopping bag. I'm sucker for keeping good paper shopping bags and couldn't resist finding a way to make something from the paper bag.
The removable signatures in this contain craft ideas and projects, dimensions for various items I have created or need a template for. I keep any receipts in here for items I've purchased related to craft, sewing and other such projects.
It's like my craft admin filing cabinet for bits and pieces.
Leather Travellers Notebook - A6
I made this cover from a scrap of leather my dad generously gave me. This was for a time my TN EDC - everyday carry and wallet.
I made the A6 signatures and folios within. I don't use this one at the moment as I change my covers depending on my mood. I love the smell of leather and wanted to see how easy or difficult it was to craft a cover from genuine leather. It was actually pretty easy even with no proper leather craft tools.
And...
I've also made myself a Christmas list notebook - to write down gift ideas for myself and the family. It's a small one, but still has its functional and dedicated purpose.
There are many more journals I've made and or not yet completed. I love the process of creating something. There is a lot you learn about yourself, your creativity, new techniques to learn, colours you prefer, problem solving, thinking outside the box, mediums you like to work with.
There really are no rules and you get to make it up however you want.
What do you do with a journal once it's completed?
I haven't yet completed a journal so I'm yet to figure this out for myself.
I don't use all of my own journals each day, they get used for their specific purpose when the time calls for it. Some will be used for a year like my diary, others year on year until they are exhausted of space to write or store my own life ephemera.
I'll most likely store completed journals for a while and or even re-use some of the ephemera or pages (if blank within) to add to another journal in the future. The options are endless.
Whilst junk journals and ephemera
are unique handmade items,
they don't have to be kept forever.
You do whatever you want with them.
Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
- however you want.
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