Junk journaling seems to be all the rage these days. People are really getting into it. Like, really into it, including all the related hobbies, like scrapbooking, traditional journaling, bullet journaling, stationary and journal collecting, magazine making, the list goes on.
If you’re even considering the idea of getting into journaling (junk or otherwise), it’s intimidating! When you log onto social media and see women with entire rooms dedicated to crafting, with a perfect setup, all their washi tapes on a hook and stickers sorted by season, you start to feel overwhelmed by what you think you need. But here’s the good news: you don’t need all of that.
Here’s a list of what you DO need to start junk journaling (what you need for scrapbooking can be found here):
1. Journal
Although you can use any journal, I recommend using one with rings, as it is a little better as your journal gets thicker. My favorites are an artist’s sketchbook, as the pages are a little thicker and can handle taping/gluing lots of bits and bobs onto it. Eventually, any regular journal will get quite thick and not close properly (which is why I prefer junk-scrapbooking) but a journal/notebook with rings is one that will last and hold its shape the longest. Here’s an example of a great beginner junk journal notebook linked on Amazon:
2. Junk
This can be anything! And I mean, anything.
- Receipts
- these are my favorite thing to keep. There’s usually a store/restaurant logo on the top, and these make the perfect background behind a photo or piece of paper.
- The little sticker on your cup from your coffee order
- perfect for looking back on your go-to order of a time or the special one-off you loved.
- Flyers or handouts at work, your hobby, a play, etc.
- Tickets (don’t be afraid to print out tickets that you only got digitally)
- movie tickets
- concert tickets
- convention tickets
- festival tickets
- museum tickets
- plane tickets
- bus tickets
- postcards
- perfect for a background, a lift-the-flap, or to be the main event of the page. As a lift-the-flap, you can journal about your adventure on the back of the postcard
- sticky notes with random thoughts you had that day
- Not sure about you, but at work, I’m constantly having ideas and thoughts that I jot down on a sticky note to remember for when I’m home
- coupons you used – a reminder of places you like to shop
- candy wrappers
- cards and notes
- lottery tickets
- stickers you get from bookstores and random shops
- Anything paper! These are random but specific things I’ve put in my journal:
- a local bookstore always gives a paper bookmark with a purchase, so I’ve put those in my journal before, since I have several
- the branded cardboard from the piece of jewelry I bought
- a piece of the cardboard crown from a baseball game
- a sticker from my boyfriend’s university he gave me
- name tags from events I went to
- an origami goose from my boyfriend
- the label of my favorite instant espresso
3. Photos
Depending on your vibe, you may want photos. Some people prefer to keep junk journaling as more of a collage, where you are purely using junk and paper. That said, if you want to keep it more as a journal and history of your experiences, photos are a must. I use Walmart to print my photos. You don’t need to go crazy with this. Just print a few photos from each thing you want to journal about. Here are some fun ways to make your photos exciting:
- use Canva to put four photos in the size of one 4×6- this breaks up the size of your photos and lets you have more photos for cheap
- screenshot your playlist and cut up the songs in a photo
- print your photos like a photo strip at Walmart
4. Paper
Now, don’t go crazy with this. You don’t need to buy every sheet of paper at Hobby Lobby, or even a pack of patterned paper. Patterned paper is fun, don’t get me wrong, but you’d be surprised how creative a person can become with just a pack of rainbow colored paper. I love cardstock, but even construction paper is handy to have. If you feel you have no creativity possible inside you, I would disagree, but then encourage you to get one pack of variety patterned paper. Stick with something simple and versatile at the beginning, like stripes, dots, gingham, etc.
Extras
Anything else you add (like fun pens, stickers, ribbons, washi tape, paint, paper punches, buttons, brads) is exciting and can definitely add an interesting flair to your journal, but it isn’t necessary. Those can all come later, when you feel comfortable with your style. If you realize you lean more on the journal side, you can invest in fun pens and lettering stickers. If you have fun with the junk and collaging part, you can get the washi tape, sticker maker, and start an excessive paper collection.
Please remember, junk journaling is supposed to be fun. It isn’t supposed to stress you out, and if it does, just stop doing it. It’s a way to document your life without needing to be perfect, without having to worry about it looking neat. It’s a junk journal. And in my experience, as someone who has tried all kinds of journaling in the past ten years, the less you have to work with, the more creative you are. The less you worry. The more you just enjoy the memories that you’re documenting.
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