You don’t need special supplies or artistic talent—just the willingness to save what speaks to you
That ticket stub from last week’s movie. The paint swatch you grabbed at the hardware store. The handwritten recipe on yellowed paper from your grandmother’s kitchen. You’ve been collecting ephemera your whole life without realizing it—those temporary scraps of paper that document ordinary moments. Now it’s time to give them a permanent home in a junk journal.
Understanding What You’re Actually Making
Think of a junk journal as a scrapbook’s artsy, rule-breaking cousin. Unlike traditional scrapbooks with their acid-free pages and archival standards, junk journals celebrate imperfection. You’re creating a tactile time capsule using everyday materials: old book pages, fabric scraps, paper bags, magazine clippings, receipts, stamps, stickers, and packaging. Nothing is too humble or too random.
The “junk” isn’t about quality—it’s about accessibility. You’re working with what’s already around you, which removes the barrier of expensive craft supplies and the pressure of getting it “right.”
Starting Point: Your First Signature
Let’s build this step by step. First, gather 8-10 sheets of any paper—printer paper, old book pages, wrapping paper, whatever you have. Stack them together and fold the stack in half. This creates what bookbinders call a “signature.” Run your fingernail along the fold to make it crisp.
Checkpoint: Your folded stack should open and close like a small book. If the papers are fighting the fold, you’ve stacked too many—remove a few.
Now punch three holes along the fold using a hole punch or just poke through with a thick needle. Thread string, embroidery floss, or even dental floss through these holes to bind your signature together. Start at the middle hole, come out the top and bottom, then tie off at the middle. Trim the excess.
You’ve just made your first journal section. This is your foundation.
Adding the Ephemera
Here’s where your saved treasures come in. Begin attaching pieces to your pages using glue stick, washi tape, or even regular tape. Layer a napkin fragment over a page from an old atlas. Tuck a coffee-stained to-do list into a folded envelope glued to a page. Overlap a postcard with a fabric swatch.
Think like you’re building a collage with pockets—some elements flat, some dimensional. Create flaps that lift, pockets that hold more scraps, and foldouts that reveal hidden journaling space.
> Editor’s Tip: If something wrinkles when you glue it, that’s not a mistake—that’s texture. Junk journaling rewards happy accidents.
Your Action Step
Start one signature this week. Don’t wait for the perfect materials. Use what’s in your junk drawer right now. Your first journal won’t be your best journal, but it will teach you what you actually enjoy collecting and preserving.
The beauty of junk journaling is that you’re not preserving memories in spite of their ordinariness—you’re celebrating them because of it.
