I’ve been grabbing for my junk journal more than ever these days. It’s been my cozy, low effort hobby when I need to stop scrolling on my phone, and it certainly shows. My journal is now bursting will scraps, pictures, stickers and more showing captured memories and artsy ideas.
Looking back, I remember the initial excitement of opening a fresh journal just waiting to be filled with random scraps. Since then, I’ve gathered a few favorites, and I think they could be helpful for the new or seasoned journaler that’s ready to create. Here are ten junk journal ideas for you!
Scrap-a-day journal spread
This is one of the easiest junk journal ideas you can start today. All you do is take a piece of scrap paper, tear it, cut it, and reshape it however you see fit, then arrange it onto the page. I cut my scraps into squares then used a regular hole punch around each edge to make the squares look like stamps. You can use stamp punch cutters too if you have them. I have another spread that I’m working on, and each scrap is folded into mini envelopes. Get creative and see what you come up with.
Food junk journal spread
I’m a foodie so I had to dedicate a page in my junk journal to one of my frequent Doordash orders. While I focused on a particular coffee shop, you can do all of your favorite foods. You can try making a shopping bag with images of your favorite foods coming out of the top. Or cut out a part of a paper grocery bag and use it as the background, then paste images on top.
Pinterest board spread
I don’t know if this counts as a junk journal idea, but I loved making this Pinterest board spread. It’s simple to create, but really pretty to look at when you’re all finished. I made this one to celebrate summer and (my favorite season) focused on keeping a fairly cohesive color palette. You can make a board with your favorite quote, fashion inspo, dream homes, art and whatever else comes to mind.
Photo booth page
I saw this photo booth idea on TikTok and knew I had to recreate it. There’s a small opening right under the section that says collect here where you can fit a photo booth strip. It’s a cute way to store those photos.
Art gallery journal spread
Bring the art museum to your junk journal by making an art gallery page. All I did for this spread was print out some frames (that are also easy to cut out), and arranged them on top of two pretty backgrounds from the Book of Paper Lovers by Flow Magazine. I used stickers, and cut out some images from the same magazine and used them as the pictures. You can do a sticker and washi tape gallery too.
Monthly playlist spread
Each month I try to curate a list the songs that have been on repeat. It’s another way to make an archive of each season of life. Sometimes it’s a new song, but more often than not, it’s a familiar tune. Summer may be full of acoustic versions of my favorite John Mayer songs while Griff has songs that capture that nostalgic feeling. The options are endless. I focused on a few songs for this spread and kept the color scheme pretty cohesive. I used my cricut to cut out the text and used my star punches to throw in a few more details.
Paper flower bouquet spread
I contemplated making a paper flower bouquet spread for quite some time, and then one day, I finally made it. All I did was take some scraps of a paper bag, fold it, then cut out some tulips from cardstock paper. You can create a variety of flowers, stick to one type, and mix up the sizes to create more variety.
Bingo card junk journal spread
Summer is short, and a bingo card is a fun and interactive way to get your bucket list down on paper. I kept my goals simple yet fun like “try a new ice cream flavor” and “watch the sunrise.” Whether your goals are big or small, make sure they’re authentic to you. This bingo card should feel achievable within a few short months, and full of ideas that make the summer one to remember. I kept my bingo card small, with just eight spaces to complete.
Quilt junk journal spread
This patchwork spread is another beginner friendly idea to add to your junk journal. Looking back, I wish I would’ve used both pages as one big quilt instead of creating one on each page. All you have to do is fill your journal with scrap paper and draw lines to make stitches throughout. I may recreate this to have an autumn quilt in my junk journal and possibly another for winter.
