What Do You Put in a Junk Journal? 25 Easy Ideas for Beginners- PART 2 of Beginner Junk Journaling!!
So... you made a junk journal.
Or maybe you read my post about how to make your first junk journal, downloaded my free beginner's guide, gathered a suspiciously large pile of paper from around your house...
And now you're staring at the first blank page thinking:
Okay. Now what do I put in this thing? 😂
This is one of the questions I hear most from people who are new to junk journaling.
And the answer is wonderfully simple:
Anything you want.
Really.
Your junk journal doesn't need a theme.
It doesn't need to tell a perfect story.
It doesn't need to look like the gorgeous, chunky journals you see on Pinterest.
And you absolutely do not need to fill every inch of every page.
A junk journal can simply become a place to collect the little pieces of your life that you don't want to throw away.
And THAT is where it starts getting fun.
First: Your Junk Journal Doesn't Need a Purpose
I think sometimes we get so caught up in figuring out what we're supposed to do with a junk journal that we forget the whole point.
We're creating.
We're playing.
We're cutting things up and gluing things down because it feels good.
That's enough.
You can use your journal as a memory keeper.
A creative journal.
A travel journal.
A gratitude journal.
A place to experiment with art supplies.
A scrapbook.
A place to save favorite quotes.
Or simply a book filled with pretty little things that make you happy.
It can also be ALL of those things.
There are no junk journal police.
Thank goodness. 😂
25 Things You Can Put in Your Junk Journal
If you're staring at that first page and don't know where to begin, go on a little treasure hunt.
Look around your house, purse, junk drawer and—yes—your recycling pile.
Here are some ideas:
- Ticket stubs
- Receipts from a special day
- Pretty junk mail
- Postcards
- Greeting cards
- Old book pages
- Magazine clippings
- Vacation brochures
- Maps
- Restaurant business cards
- Coffee sleeves
- Product packaging
- Tags from clothing or gifts
- Pretty envelopes
- Wrapping paper scraps
- Old calendar pages
- Photos
- Handwritten notes
- Favorite quotes
- Lists
- Printable journal cards
- Scrapbook paper scraps
- Stickers and washi tape
- Little paintings or doodles
- Anything that makes you say, “Ohhh... that's too cute to throw away.”
That last one might be my personal specialty. 😂
Turn Everyday Paper Into Memories
This is probably my favorite part.
Something doesn't have to be traditionally "beautiful" to belong in your journal.
Imagine you spend a summer afternoon at the beach.
Maybe you have:
A receipt from the little deli where you bought lunch.
A tag from your new beach bag.
A parking ticket.
A piece of the brochure you picked up.
A photo you took.
The wrapper from something cute.
On their own?
Junk.
Put them together on a journal spread with a little writing about your day?
Now they're a memory.
That's the magic of junk journaling.
You're taking ordinary little pieces of life and giving them somewhere to live.
Don't Just Glue Things Down — Make Them Interactive
Here's where you can start having even MORE fun.
Instead of simply gluing everything flat onto your pages, turn some of those scraps into:
Pockets for holding little treasures.
Tags that you can pull out and write on.
Tuck spots where you can slide in photos or notes.
Belly bands that hold cards or ephemera.
Envelopes with something hidden inside.
Flip-outs that give you extra journaling space.
Mini booklets tucked inside your larger journal.
Now your journal becomes something you can actually explore.
And don't worry if you've never made any of those.
Start with a pocket.
Seriously.
Glue three sides of a piece of paper onto your page.
Boom. Pocket. 😂
We're not making this harder than it needs to be.
If you need some step by step ideas and inspiration, I have dozens of videos on my Youtube channel
But What Do I WRITE in My Junk Journal?
You don't have to write anything.
But if you'd like your journal to include some journaling, keep that simple too.
Try writing:
Today I'm grateful for...
Something that made me smile today...
What I'm reading...
What I'm watching...
Something funny that happened...
A place I visited...
Something I'm looking forward to...
A favorite quote...
What I'm loving lately...
Or simply write the date and a few sentences about your day.
This isn't homework.
Nobody is grading your journal.
What If My Papers Don't Match?
Use them anyway.
Seriously.
One of my favorite things about junk journals is that they're supposed to look collected.
Not everything needs to coordinate perfectly.
But if having a color palette helps you feel less overwhelmed, choose two or three colors from one piece of paper you love and repeat those colors throughout your journal.
You can also use printable papers to help pull everything together.
That's one of the reasons I love mixing printables with found papers and actual junk.
The printable pages give you a loose theme or color palette.
Then your receipts, book pages, envelopes, tags and other found pieces make the journal personal.
Best of both worlds.
Here's a Fun Challenge: Document ONE Ordinary Day
If you still don't know where to begin, try this.
Tomorrow, pay attention to the paper that passes through your hands.
Save a few things.
Maybe it's your morning coffee receipt.
A grocery list.
A piece of mail.
A food label.
A little note.
A package from something you ordered.
Then sit down for 20 minutes and make one journal spread.
Don't overthink it.
Cut something.
Tear something.
Glue something down.
Write one sentence about your day.
Add a little washi tape if you're feeling fancy.
Done.
You just turned an ordinary Tuesday into something worth remembering.
And I think there's something pretty wonderful about that.
Haven't Made Your First Junk Journal Yet?
Start with Part 1: How to Make Your First Junk Journal.
And I've made it even easier for you.
You can also download my FREE 8-page Your First Junk Journal: A Simple Beginner's Guide.
It walks you through:
gathering supplies, choosing a cover, cutting and folding your papers, making signatures, binding your journal, decorating it and using all those little scraps you've been saving.
Print it out and keep it beside you while you create.
Then come back here when your journal is ready and start filling it with pieces of your life.
Because it doesn't need to be perfect.
It just needs to be yours.
Create. Relax. Enjoy. ❤️
