Getting Started with Junk Journaling

Time to turn your everyday scraps into something more personal and creative! With junk journaling, you can use anything from bus tickets, food packaging, and even old receipts to create one-of-a-kind journal spreads. If this sounds like something you’d like to try your hand at, this guide covers the essentials to help you get started, from craft supplies to DIY ideas.

Set Up Your Junk Journal

Junk journals will look chunkier and bulkier as you go, so your best bet is to use spiral-bound or mixed media notebooks. Look through your notebook stash for possible options, or you can check out these picks.

JetPens (US) carries the 6×6-inch Bee Paper Super Deluxe Mixed Media Sketchbook that works perfectly for dry media, watercolor, ink, and acrylic paint, so feel free to explore your artistic side as you make your collages. If you’re interested in other sizes, they also have the sketchbook in 6×9 and 4×6.

Or if you want to keep track of the little things as you go, Washi Wednesday (SG) has the Traveler’s Company B6 Paper Pocket Spiral Ring Notebook to hold your ephemera envelope-style. You can still decorate the paper pockets with stickers or scraps, or add some diary pages into each pocket.

Yellow Paper House’s (US) 9×7 Junque Journal is perfect for unleashing your most creative self. No two notebooks are the same, as each one is made up of a mix of assorted papers, from watercolor and black paper to cardstock. If you’d like it a little more compact, they also have the Junque Journal in 8×5 size.

For a vintage feel, My Artful Melange’s (US) handmade mixed media journals come with an assortment of papers as well as unique covers with patterned fabrics and adorned with ribbons & trims.

Junk Journaling Buys & Supplies

As mentioned in the intro, you can pretty much use anything from tickets and receipts to create your junk journal spread. I personally love using food packaging, so much that I almost always take something home to wash & dry. Friends who know me well enough even give me packaging to use for junk journaling whenever we meet! It might sound silly at first, but why not ask them to keep some ephemera for you for next time, especially if it’s something they know you’ll love? It’s also a fun way for them to remember you in the little things.

Here are some recent ephemera I gathered when I went out with loved ones: sweets wrappers, receipts, tissue from a café, and keychain & can badge packaging. I’ve also included a few photos of my old food journal at the end of this post.

Plus, you can also use “free” journaling items for seasonal themes, such as candy wrappers for Halloween and gift wrappers for Christmas or holidays. If you’d like to grab some additional supplies for your junk journal, here are some shopping picks that you can explore.

The Delfonics inner carrying case is a well-known utility pouch in the stationery world, and for good reason. It comes with a lot of pockets and storage options for your art & journaling tools, plus a strong core that helps hold its shape. You can grab a cute medium-sized inner carrying case in pink via Amazon (US/UK), or check out the Delfonics Amazon stores for other size and color choices.

Or if you’d like to add a comfy and cozy cottagecore cover for your junk journal, Dolly Kaye (PH) has in-stock and pre-order options with super cute designs and lace trimmings, with available sizes for A6, B6, A5, and TN.

You could also use patterned papers as extra backgrounds for your journal pages as an extra pop of color. Rainbowholic Shop (JP) has several paper books for pre-order, including Aderia Retro for vintage Japan fans, Miki Takei Dreamy Letter for pastel kawaii enthusiasts, and one for Mizutama lovers.

There are also artists who create pre-made kits that’ll work great for themed junk journals, so make sure to check out your local artist’s web shops or Etsy. For fellow furparents, Carly Watts Art (UK) has a cat-approved cat junk journal kit with over 50 pieces of hand-designed papers, stickers, and other decorations. Plus, there’s an expanded version in the ultimate cat junk journal kit if you need even more feline-themed ephemera.

Junk Journaling Ideas & DIYs

For more inspo, these videos offer plenty of tips and insights on junk journaling. You can even follow along and work on your own journal as you watch!

Kaila shows you how to make a creative junk journal spread with limited resources. Even using “free” stationery like product labels and even butter & hotcake syrup foils can help you make a very cute layout.

You can also save interesting packaging or labels of your favorite food items from grocery runs. Mostly Mady uses some scraps from a recent shopping haul plus stickers to create a colorful spread that will have you craving for your next snack.

With over 20 things you can include in your junk journal, Life with Hope goes through various ephemera like price tags, tickets, and business cards – small pieces that you accumulate through the course of time but somehow end up being fond little things to look back to.

And for my fellow homebodies, kerry ♡ journaling gal shows you five ideas on how to record your memories even if you prefer to be an introvert at home. I followed some similar ideas back when I journaled to the max during the pandemic, so this gave me quite a nostalgic feeling.

Snack Journal Spreads

To cap off this post, here’s a slideshow of some of my journal spreads—as a foodie, it was so much fun looking back at all my favorite snacks! I still remember opening my very first Tokyo Treat box and enjoying all the sakura-themed treats.