A journal
Start your junk journal journey (say that three times in a row) on the right foot by getting a quality journal that matches your aesthetic. You’ll want something that can confidently hold your knick knacks, and withstand different writing mediums as the journal fills up. My go-to journal to pick up is a Moleskine journal. You can buy them in a variety of colors and sizes, and opt for blank, dotted, and lined versions. I stick to blank pages for junk journaling since the entire page gets inevitably covered in well…junk.
I’m currently using a journal by Mr. Pen and so far, I’m really liking it. It’s very affordable and has been able to withstand spreads stacked with layers of paper on top of each other.
Junk
Next up, you’ll need some junk. We tend to overthink this, but you actually have a lot of options. Let’s stick with a few easy ones. Keep your receipts after each grocery run and opt for physical tickets over digital ones when traveling or going to the movies. Grab those free flyers at the entrance of the store and save the stickers found on your produce.
Before tossing your coffee cup, take off the sleeve and save it for later while my fellow tea drinkers can save the tea bag tags. Keep paper bags after a day of shopping to repurpose as backgrounds, and save any remaining scraps for other spreads.
You can peel stamps off of letters before tossing them, and save catalogs and other junk mail to add to your stash. If you’re lucky enough to get handwritten letters these days, consider using those too. I haven’t used paint chips, but this could be a fun (and free) way to add color to a page.
Decorative paper
Scraps make for a great background so this one isn’t necessary, but it is a good option if you have a certain look in mind. I have a pack of cardstock paper that comes in a variety of colors, and use paper from the Book for Paper Lovers. I adore this book. The designs are whimsical, and with over 200 pages, it lasts a long time so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.
Adhesives
Junk journals can get pretty thick so it’s important to have strong adhesives to keep everything in place. A double sided tape roller is my favorite way to stick my junk to a page. You don’t worry about drying time like you do with glue, and it’s not messy to use. Sometimes, I use glue sticks, but that’s only when I can't find my tape roller. I ultimately try to avoid glue sticks because they run out quickly, make the pages wrinkly, and the glue doesn’t hold as well as tape.
Writing tools
I use a handy number two pencil to write, and usually go over my lettering with a Micron pen. They come in different sizes so you can choose your preferred line width. When I want to make something a bit cleaner I use my Cricut. I type the text in design space, then cut it out. Sometimes I’ll use markers, highlighters and colored pencils.
Cutting tools
I use a paper trimmer to quickly cut large pieces down to size for my journal. I opt for scissors when cutting out smaller images from magazines, and a precision knife is great when you need to cut out intricate and tiny shapes.
My favorite tool to quickly cut out shapes are punchers. You can get circle, star, heart, and flower punches just to name a few. I also have a hole puncher to create tiny circles or I’ll punch along the sides of a square piece of paper to create a stamp.
If you need inspiration to put your supplies to use, considering reading this post with ten junk journal ideas for the everyday crafter.
