The Joy of Junk

A comprehensive guide to junk journaling

I’ve been sharing a lot of my junk journal spreads on Notes and people seem to be enjoying them, so I thought I would share a guide to junk journaling for anyone who might like to try it! I started junk journaling at the beginning of 2025, and now it is one of my all-time favorite hobbies.

What is Junk Journaling?

Junk journaling is the new scrapbooking—but better. Rather than focusing on putting together immaculate scrapbook spreads with three-dimensional stickers from Michael’s and neat and tidy photo corners, junk journalling is all about capturing the authentic mess of life.

In junk journaling, we collect the ephemera of life, the bits and bobs that others might call junk, but that serve to remind us of the smaller moments in the day, the moments that, taken together, make up a life. We collect labels of bottles, postcards from restaurants, receipts, napkins, shopping bags, trash, tags, and more to create a portrait that feels truly representative of our lives, rather than a perfectly curated facsimile of it.

I see a lot of interest on Substack in particular on finding quiet hobbies to pursue purely for the joy of them—hobbies that are just for us, with no hope of monetization. And that’s what junk journaling has been for me. It’s something to do with my hands while I watch TV other than scroll. It’s a ritual that allows me to commemorate birthdays, great days, weddings, trips, and more. I started just this year and already it has been such a source of creative joy for me that I want to share it with you. If you think you might want to get started junk journaling, then the following guide covers all the basics. Happy junking!

My junk journaling in action. I make such a mess.

The Essential Supplies

Junk journaling is an accessible, low-cost hobby as long as you don’t go crazy. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of products available that you could buy. I’ll admit, when I got started, I definitely bought too much and regretted it. So below, I’ve outlined the absolute essentials, which are all you really need to get started.

my junk journal, stickerbook, photo printer, and essential supplies

1. A Good Junk Journal: You want an unlined standard-size journal with a flexible binding that will allow for expansion as you fill it with junk. I got mine from Martina’s Tiny Store, and I personally think it’s the holy grail of junk journals because it comes with a ribbon to tie it shut when it gets chunky, tearable scrapbooking papers in the back, and a folder on the back cover to hold junk.

2. The Basics—Tape, Glue, Scissors, Clip: Seriously, all you need is these four things. For tape, I would highly recommend a glue tape roller because it allows you to easily glue trinkets as well like buttons or ribbons. For glue, I’ve found that the classic purple Elmer’s glue stick works best. For scissors, I just used the pair I already had in my house. Really any good scissors will do. And as I got further on in junk journaling, I had to invest in an extra-strength binder clip to hold the pages closed as I worked on a new spread. The pictured supply bag is also from the amazing Martina’s Tiny Store.

3. A Photo Printer: Adding photos to your junk journal spreads personalizes them in a way that feels really additive and essential for me. Of course, you could junk journal without a photo printer, but I use this for almost every spread so I really recommend it. I use the Kodak Mini Shot Retro, because the amazing Martina of Martina’s Tiny Store recommended it. It’s cute, fast, easy, and prints relatively high-quality photos.

4. Stickers: Okay, so technically you could get started junk journaling with just the supplies mentioned above, but I do love using stickers in my junk journal, so I would really recommend getting a couple of good sticker sheets too. My go-to places for amazing stickers are Art By Elowyn, Martina’s Tiny Store, and Haricot Vert. I would also highly recommend getting a book of ransom note stickers so that you can easily title all your spreads.

5. Junk: Now comes the really fun part. You get to be the girl who starts asking people, “If you’re going to throw that away, can I have it?” I collect matchbooks, napkins, cards, stickers, shopping bags, tickets, buttons, brochures, ribbons, postcards, receipts, bookmarks, business cards, magazine clippings, and more. The longer you do this, the better you’ll get at being able to spot junk that will look great in your journal. You’ll know you’ve leveled up when your friends and family just start handing you random junk rather than throwing it away.

6. Other not-necessary, but very fun, supplies: Other things that can really level up a spread are washi tape (just cute tape with designs on it), ribbons, and patterned scrapbooking papers. I get a regular supply of these useful bits and bobs from my monthly membership in Art By Elowyn’s junk journal club, which is hands-down my favorite mail day of each month. I also love subscribing to Le Petit 3, because it’s a great newspaper, but when I’m done reading it each month, I chop it up and use it in my junk journal, because it has the prettiest text and pictures.

Junk Journal Prompts

One of the best parts about junk journaling is you can really make spreads about whatever you want. Most often I make spreads about recent happenings in my life—trips, fun days out and about, weddings, birthdays etc. But, in the winter at least, when life was a little slower, I found myself fresh out of events to junk journal about, so I came up with some fun prompts:

1. Do a color spread. I collaged this one all around the color blue. I can’t wait to make a pink one eventually.

   

2. Do a spread reflecting on the past month, or writing out your manifestations for the coming month. I usually do both at the end of one month and the start of the next.

   

3. Do a spread of all your favorite things.

   

4. Make a spread about one of your friends or family members. I had so much fun making this one about my sisters.

   

5. Make a spread about a professional or creative milestone. I did this one when I reached 1000 subscribers on Substack.

   

6. Make a spread about one of your pets. I had so much fun making this one about my cat, and I can’t wait to do one about my dog.

   

7. Finally, you can get really meta, and just make a spread about junk journaling itself. Mine is still one of my all-time favorite spreads.

Creators to Follow

1. Martina Calvi: Martina is the reigning queen of junk journaling. I got my junk journal, my sticker book, and the entire inspiration from junk journaling from her. She is so crafty and amazing. If you really want junk journal inspiration, you must follow her.

2. Art by Elowyn: Elowyn is an amazing artist and junk journaler. I am a member of her monthly junk journal club and dedicated follower of her hand-drawn stickers and junk journal spreads.

3. Junklub: This is an IRL junk journaling club in California. I am so jealous of anyone who lives in the OC and is able to attend their events. But even if you’re far away like me, their instagram and group chat are both great sources of junk journaling inspiration.

My Junk Journal

I have torn my junk journal in two so that it lays flat when I’m working on it, but don’t worry, when I’m done, I’m going to glue it all back together. But for now, please enjoy these two videos which make up a complete flip-through of my Junk Journal so far in case you want even more inspiration.

In the end, one of the greatest joys of junk journaling is that there is no right or wrong way to do it. You can’t be bad at it, because we’re not monetizing it. It’s just for you, your memories, and your enjoyment. It’s a special keepsake to remind you of the little moments in life. So don’t overthink it. Turn on your favorite trashy TV, pour yourself a glass of wine, and get gluing! I cannot wait to see what y’all create.