Do you have a junk drawer full of memories from past trips or adventures? If so, it might be time to create a junk journal.
The other day, I found a box filled with all kinds of stuff. A ticket stub from a museum, trip photos, and some postcards from Paris. So many cool memories. I can’t imagine getting rid of any of these items. And thankfully, I don’t have to throw anything away.
If you are a regular to my blog, you know I am a huge fan of journaling.
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Recently, I came across a type of journaling I never considered. After seeing a video on this super informative YouTube channel called SeaLemon, I discovered junk journaling. After watching the channel’s host, Jennifer, I learned so much. (I will include a link to the video below)
Read on for more.
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the links.
A junk journal is a beautiful book that stores fun or treasured memories from special events, trips, and family gatherings. Along with the mementos, you can record your thoughts.
Common among creatives and those interested in preserving memories, junk journaling has become incredibly popular in recent years. Fueled by the rise of movements like cottagecore and platforms like Pinterest, junk journaling has a dedicated following.
Are you a junk journaler? Please share any tips you have in the comments.
Junk journaling: The facts
With traditional journaling, I usually write about my thoughts concerning my day. Junk journals are much less formal and are more open to artistic expression. I can combine pictures, stickers, and words with a junk journal. I can write a few paragraphs or only one sentence.
Examples
Typically, the one thing that all junk journals have in common is that they represent the beautiful ‘junk’ of daily life. In the same way a diary might give a breakdown of the day’s events, a junk journal has annotated drawings, photographs, clippings of newspaper stories, or even pressed flowers or leaves. Here are a few examples.
Justine Jenkins on House of Mahalo
How To Use A Junk Journal
When it comes to junk journaling, there are no rules or criteria you must follow. After all, this is your creative outlet. However, for those new to the craft or struggling with ideas, there are certain ways to use a junk journal.
An everyday journal
Just like a diary, you can use a junk journal as an outlet to write about your feelings, experiences, or memories.
You can use any format you want, with decorations, drawings, photographs, relevant newspaper clippings, or a specific design style that appeals to you.
This could be a leaf from a nice walk in the woods or a business card from a delicious new restaurant you visited.
There are no limits to this; the process is simply to preserve and celebrate happy memories in your life.
A planner
Junk journals can also be a creative, quirky planner for your daily schedule.
This can make the whole process of the daily grind much more fun and add a little excitement to even the most mundane appointments, events, and tasks.
Perfect for people who like a to-do list or who need help creating a daily schedule, a junk planner (see also our guide to organizing a planner) is an interesting and creative way to organize your life in an enjoyable and stimulating way.
A memory book
A common use of a junk journal is as a memory book.
This could include photographs of friends and family, ticket stubs from business trips and vacations, menus, or photos from your favorite eateries.
Similarly, many people include ticket stubs from shows and events, birthday cards from loved ones they don’t see too often, and anything else that can fit in a book and hold emotional significance to the individual.
There aren’t any wrong answers, and your imagination is the only limitation.
A personalized gift
Of course, the junk journal might not be about you at all.
Why not create a junk journal to commemorate the memories you share with friends or family members?
This can be a great gift for a family member you don’t see very often, such as grandparents across the country or a friend who lives abroad.
You could decorate it with photographs from past occasions and events or line it with little mementos from nights out, trips you took, or key memories from your shared past together.
For parents and family members who live far away, this could also be a nice idea for a photo album – showing them your newly born children or your most recent family activities and memories.
This can be a great way of making people feel included, loved, and appreciated, and is perfect for establishing and maintaining relationships with family and friends across long distances.
A themed book
Finally, you could also dedicate it to a specific theme that means a lot to you.
This could be your favorite sports team, a band or singer you like, or even keeping track of the development of your children.
This can be a fun way to appreciate your interests and is a good creative outlet that correlates with something you are passionate about.
Junk journaling and the Internet
Of course, the advent of the Internet and the rise in popularity of websites like Pinterest have encouraged this practice.
What is it about Pinterest that people love? For me, it’s the sharing of creative techniques and inspiring ideas. Also, Pinterest highlights new ways to express creativity.
For some, Pinterest is like a digital junk journal. The platform allows users to map out their interests, curate displays surrounding a specific topic or theme, and share their ideas with others in creative ways.
Embracing the ‘wholesome’
Contemporary online phenomena have also gone a long way to further junk journaling.
One example is ‘cottagecore’ – a lifestyle trend that celebrates all things wholesome, simple and natural.
Popularized by teenagers and young people, cottagecore celebrates an idealized version of rural cottage life, designed as an aspirational form of nostalgia and considered by many to respond to hectic modern lifestyles.
A list of supplies
- A journal
- Colored or patterned paper
- Stickers
- Decorative tape (washi)
- Glue
- Scissors
- A bookmark or clip
Final thoughts
And there, we have everything you need to know about junk journaling and the many ways it can be used in your life.
But no matter how you decide to use yours, a junk journal can be a great way to celebrate interests, remember fond times, and express your brand of creativity.
Here’s the video I promised.
I’m off to give junk journaling a try.
