Junk journal

A junk journal is a handmade journal, of any size, composed of recycled or upcycled papers. Junk journals are generally constructed from old or unwanted materials, such as letters, papers, books, photos, invoices, or modern day "junk mail". The journal itself can be a stand-alone art piece or be used on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

A handmade junk journal with a handmade quilted stitched cover, using scraps of fabric. Also showing tea stained and decorated pages from scrap paper

Junk journaling is a popular and relatively low-cost crafting hobby.

Francesca Radice suggests in her book Junk Journal Joy that making junk journals out of recycled and affordable materials enhances well-being and is a therapeutic outlet to reduce stress.^[1]

History

Junk journaling arose as a DIY twist on scrapbooking and collage.

Justine Jenkins writes: "I’ve heard recently that junk journals of sorts also appeared directly after the recession of the 1940s. Unable to source many materials, people took to making journals, using whatever they could get their hands on at the time. Newspapers, paper packaging, seed packets and much more all had their uses for writing and drawing."^[2]

Purpose

A junk journal can have many uses, such as journaling, sketching, collage, or mixed media art. Many consider the creation of a junk journal an artistic work in its own right.

In her book Treasure Book Making, Natasha Marinkovic explains that junk journaling is "transforming junk into treasure".^[3]

Many junk journalers make themed journals which could be vintage, art, seasonal, holidays, hobbies, grunge, modern. For others, junk journals can be eclectic, made up of product packaging, pamphlets, clothing labels, old stamps, etc.

Sammi Tapper wrote "After a spiral down Pinterest and TikTok, I learned that junk journaling is true to its name. Instead of being a place to organize your thoughts, this was a place to organize your junk."^[4]

People indicate that they find the act of journaling therapeutic and a great way to relax and relieve stress. Helen Colebrook writes: "A junk journal is probably the journal where I feel most relaxed, as the complete lack of any structure enables me to play, document and explore".^[5]

Felicia Bottos, a graphic designer, explains "Junk journalling can be whatever you want it to be,". As she sees it, "there's only one rule in junk journalling: there are no rules!".^[6]

The difference between scrapbooking and junk journaling

Decorated junk journal pages using scraps of paper creating a personal art style with layering, inking and collage.

While the scrapbook itself is usually a manufactured book, more uniformed and personal, a junk journal tends to be made up of all types of unrelated papers. A junk journal can hold all types of unrelated ephemera, it might have tickets glued to a page but not necessarily related to the maker. It might have photos but again, not necessarily of the journaler or their family. The journal will almost certainly be hand made of various materials. It is less precise than a scrapbook and has more of an art form involved, expressing a very personal art style.

Susan Tucker, Karherine Ott, and Patricia Buckle write that scrapbooking has a long history of being used to store collections of personal memorabilia, from photos to tickets as a memory of a special occasion. People might use a scrapbook to make a record about their family, a sporting hobby or a holiday etc.^[7]

"The idea behind junk journaling is that it uses almost entirely found items (unlike scrapbooking) that would otherwise be discarded as trash—e.g., napkins, coffee cup sleeves, wrappers, brochures, spare change, ticket stubs, postcards, pressed flowers, bottle labels, etc. Instead of being thrown out, these pieces of 'junk' are repurposed in the book and used to represent a certain memory, theme, or moment in time."^[8]

Modern junk journaling

The practice is widespread in the USA, UK, Australia and many other countries. Many creators post videos and photos of their hand made junk journals on Youtube, Tiktok, Pinterest and other social media platforms. Huge communities of followers exist and there is a strong social network on all internet platforms.

Many groups form and get together for junk journaling retreats, where the days are spent papercrafting together, learning techniques and forming friendships.

Alice Cullinane writes "Thousands of people around the world, are using materials others could consider junk to create personal books full of memories and inspiration. Known as junk journals, there are more than 400,000 posts of people's creations on TikTok as they document their artistic journeys online"^[9]

Kaur Harmeet in a essay writes that there could be links to other forms of journaling. She interviews Jennifer Perkins, who "traces the form to mixed-media journals such as Keri Smith’s 2007 hit project Wreck this Journal, which encouraged users to unleash their creativity by filling and defacing its pages, and K&Company’s Smash Books, which prompted users to glue or tape in items from their day-to-day lives".^[10]

Equipment

Equipment needed to start this hobby can be very basic from glue, scissors, pens, pencils and paints to very expensive equipment including cutting boards, specialist inks, card stock, printers and die cutting machines. However, as CT Jones writes; "just as junk journaling has begun to grow in popularity, so has the internet commodification of the trend. A quick scroll on the junk journal hashtag on TikTok will show hundreds of new crafters spending money on items to fill their journals, rather than actually using the trash they acquire in real life".^[11]

Size

Showing handmade, hardbacked, fabric covered junk journals in A5 size.

Size is very much an aesthetically pleasing self choice. They range from very miniature to usually no more than A4.

Companies

With the growing trend, industrial scale businesses, devoted specifically to the manufacturing and sale of junk journaling supplies, have evolved, supplying ready-made papers, cardstock, inks, paint, pens, etc. These double up for use within the scrapbooking community.

Tim Holtz is a designer of products for use in junk journals and other crafting recreational pursuits. Tim Holtz has stated that he draws inspiration from everyday objects and materials he encounters in antique malls, flea markets, and collections of old ephemera, reflecting his interest in found and repurposed items.^[12]

There is also a growing trend of people buying printable papers with junk journaling themes from many smaller companies on sites such as Etsy. Other people sell their hand-made completed junk journals for others to use or to just own. Craft and trade fairs are numerous in many countries selling all the requistes available for papercrafting.^{[citation needed]}

Glossary

There are many words and phrases coined by the junk journal community, such as:^{[citation needed]}

• Flip thru: Someone showcasing their junk journal will post a video showing each page.
• Inking up: Inking the edges of a page or ephemera to make it look old and vintage
• Signature: A group of pages grouped together and bound into the journal
• Pockets: Decorative slots added to a page to hold ephemera
• Tags: Decorated luggage-style tags
• Bellybands: A strip of paper glued to a page to hold another piece of ephemera.
• Ephemera: Additional material added to the junk journal
• Embellishment: Accessories used to decorate scrapbook pages, include stickers, rub-ons, stamps.
• ATC Cards: Stands for 'Artist Trading Card' and their size is usually 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.
• Flip up: A page that folds out or a pocket that flips open
• Clusters: Clusters are a type of junk journal embellishment, they involve layering different materials.
• Printables: Digitals or printables are a type of paper you can buy and download online
• Altered paperclips: Embellished paperclips that still serve their original purpose.
• Layering: Building up different paper or card layers as a background for an image or embellishment
• Tuck-spots: Created and added to the junk journal for storing pieces of memorabilia.
• Grungy: A process to make an item look very old and very well used