What to Put in Your Pockets & Tuck Spots
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If you've been following along with my Beginner Junk Journal Series, we have officially reached the point where we're making tiny little paper things to put inside other tiny little paper things.
Welcome.
You're one of us now. 😂
So far, we've talked about how to make your first junk journal, what you can put inside it, how to use recycled papers, and—most recently—how to make simple pockets and tuck spots from paper scraps.
But once you've made all those cute little pockets, there's a pretty obvious question:
What do I put in them?
This is where junk journal ephemera comes in.
And before the word ephemera makes this sound much fancier than it actually is, here's the simple version:
Ephemera is basically all the little paper bits and pieces you add to your journal.
Tags. Tickets. Cards. Notes. Little booklets. Scraps. Altered cards.
Basically...
The goodies.
And you absolutely do NOT need to buy a giant package of matching junk journal ephemera to get started.
We're going shopping in our own house again.
What Is Junk Journal Ephemera?
Traditionally, ephemera refers to paper items that weren't necessarily created to last forever—things like tickets, receipts, postcards, labels, advertisements and old letters.
In junk journaling, we've stretched that definition a bit.
Today, we use the word to describe many of the little decorative and functional paper pieces we tuck, clip, glue and layer throughout our journals.
And one of my favorite things about making your own?
It doesn't have to match perfectly.
Actually, it's probably more interesting when it doesn't.
Grab your paper scraps and let's make some.
1. Make a Simple Junk Journal Tag
Let's start with probably the easiest piece of junk journal ephemera you can make.
A tag.
Cut a rectangle from:
- Scrapbook paper
- Cardstock
- A cereal box
- Product packaging
- An old greeting card
- A manila folder
- Pretty junk mail
Snip the top two corners at an angle and you've got yourself a tag.
Punch a hole at the top if you'd like and add ribbon, twine, lace or even a little scrap of fabric.
You can leave it plain, decorate the front or use the back for journaling.
And remember those pockets from Part 4?
Well, look at that. We already have something to put in one.
2. Create a Journaling Card
Journaling cards are just small pieces of paper or cardstock that give you a place to write.
That's it.
No certification required. 😂
Cut a rectangle from sturdy paper and decorate one side while leaving the other side fairly plain.
You could use it to write:
- A memory
- Something you're grateful for
- A favorite quote
- What happened that day
- A funny moment
- A list
- A little story
- Something you don't want to forget
Slide it into a pocket or tuck spot and you've just created an interactive part of your journal.
3. Make Tiny Notes
These might be my favorite because they can be ridiculously simple.
Cut or tear a small piece of paper and write something on it.
Seriously.
That's the project.
Try:
Remember this.
Today was a good day.
Little things matter.
I needed this.
This made me laugh.
Currently loving...
Or write a tiny note to your future self.
Fold it in half, tuck it inside an envelope or hide it behind another piece of ephemera.
Not everything in your journal has to be a masterpiece.
Sometimes a handwritten sentence becomes the thing you love most when you look back through it later.
4. Alter an Old Playing Card
Now we're getting fancy.
Except we're still not actually getting fancy. 😂
Grab an old playing card.
Cover part of it with:
- Book paper
- Scrapbook paper
- Tissue paper
- Paint
- A tiny photo
- A quote
- Fabric
- Washi tape
You can leave some of the original playing card showing underneath.
That's what makes it interesting.
You could also punch a hole in the top and turn it into a tag.
Junk journaling rule: if it's flat and you can glue paper to it, we can probably do something with it.
5. Make Faux Tickets
(full disclosure)
I am not a fan of the tickets but they seem to be popular so I am including them.
Tickets are such an easy little addition to junk journal pages.
Cut a strip of cardstock or scrapbook paper into small rectangles.
Then add:
- A number
- A date
- A word
- A stamp
- A tiny heart
- A phrase
- A little doodle
Try words like:
ADMIT ONE
MEMORIES
TODAY
GOOD TIMES
CREATE
HAPPY
JUST BECAUSE
Don't worry about making them look like authentic vintage tickets.
We're crafting, not counterfeiting train tickets. 😂
Make them cute.
6. Make a Mini Booklet
Okay, this one looks impressive but is ridiculously easy.
Take a few little pieces of paper.
Stack them.
Fold them in half.
Staple or stitch them together.
Boom. Tiny book.
You can tuck the entire booklet into one of your pockets and use it for:
- Tiny journal entries
- Favorite quotes
- Gratitude
- Lists
- Trip memories
- Little sketches
- Random thoughts
You could even make the cover from an old greeting card, packaging or scrapbook paper.
And yes, you will probably become strangely obsessed with making tiny books.
Consider yourself warned.
7. Make a Scrap Collage Card
This one is PERFECT for those scraps that are too small to use but apparently too precious to throw away.
You know exactly which pile I'm talking about.
Grab a small piece of cardstock or recycled packaging for your base.
Then start layering.
A piece of book page.
A torn floral scrap.
A little washi tape.
Maybe a postage stamp.
A word or phrase.
A tiny piece of lace.
Don't overthink where everything goes.
Move things around until you like it and glue them down.
Now you have a completely original piece of ephemera that can become a journaling card, tag, tuck-in or decoration.
And you used up some scraps.
Look at us being responsible citizens.
Sort of.
Don't Try to Make Everything at Once
Here is a Junk Journal Guide for Beginners
Here's where beginner junk journalers can accidentally turn something relaxing into a JOB.
You see 25 beautiful tags online.
Then 14 journaling cards.
Then someone has a box containing approximately 8,000 pieces of vintage ephemera organized by color, decade and astrological sign.
And suddenly you think:
Apparently I need to make ALL THE THINGS.
Nope.
Make one.
Seriously.
Pick one idea from this post and make it from whatever happens to be sitting on your craft table.
Then make another when you feel like it.
Your collection of little handmade treasures will grow naturally as you work in your journal.
Use What You Have
If there's one theme running through this entire Beginner Junk Journal Series, it's this:
You probably already have enough to start.
Paper scraps.
Old cards.
Packaging.
Book pages.
Playing cards.
Envelopes.
Ribbon.
Tickets.
Receipts.
Things that would normally end up in the recycling bin.
Combine those with printable papers or ephemera when you want a particular color or theme, and suddenly you have more creative possibilities than you know what to do with.
Which is kind of the magic of junk journaling.
You start looking at ordinary things differently.
That little scrap isn't garbage.
It might be a tag.
That envelope isn't junk mail.
That's a pocket.
That pretty piece of packaging?
Don't even think about throwing that away.
We're junk journalers now.
We have plans for that. 😂
Your Junk Journal Challenge
Before you leave today, grab three scraps of paper.
Make:
one tag + one journaling card + one tiny note.
Don't coordinate them.
Don't spend 45 minutes choosing paper.
And for the love of Mod Podge, do not reorganize your entire craft room first.
Just make them.
Then tuck them into the pockets we made in Part 4.
And look at what you've done.
You're not just collecting supplies anymore.
You're making a junk journal.
and if you need more guidance, check out my Youtube Channel with dozens of Junk Journal, Paper Craft and Mixed Media simple projects.
Create. Relax. Enjoy.
— teresa XO
Teresa's Spot for Creativity
