Short answer: a junk journal is a handmade book built from paper and materials that would otherwise be thrown away, with pages filled by collage, pockets, tickets, notes and scraps. It is not a planner and it is not a photo album. It is a slow, tactile project where the making matters more than the finished look. If you have ever wondered what a junk journal is, how to start one without spending money, or how it differs from a scrapbook, this guide walks through the whole process, from gathering recycled paper to binding your first book, with a focus on low cost and on what actually works for beginners.
Contents
- What is a junk journal?
- Junk journal vs scrapbook, art journal and bullet journal
- Why make one? Low cost and low waste
- How to make a junk journal from scratch, step by step
- Recycled materials and low-cost tools
- Paper traditions worth borrowing from
- Techniques and page ideas
- Common mistakes
- Frequently asked questions
- Related articles
- Next step
What is a junk journal?
A junk journal is a set of handmade pages, folded and stitched or tied into a book. The word “junk” is a little misleading. It does not mean worthless. It means reused: envelopes, wrapping paper, receipts, tickets, old magazine pages, kraft bags, packaging, tea boxes, scraps of fabric. These are combined into a book with a texture and character no store-bought notebook has.
The book itself is the artwork. Instead of filling a blank notebook, you first build the notebook, adding pockets, fold-outs, tags and small envelopes, and then you fill it with writing, photographs, tickets and small keepsakes. Some people never write a word in theirs and simply enjoy the objects. Others treat it as a diary. Both are valid, and both are described in more detail in our earlier introduction to junk journals.
This guide takes a slightly different angle from most tutorials you will find online. It does not aim for a polished, matching-palette look. It aims at a low-cost, low-waste, process-focused practice: you use what you have, you learn one technique at a time, and you accept that the book will look handmade. That approach is also the cheapest and the most forgiving for a first attempt.
Junk journal vs scrapbook, art journal and bullet journal
These four crafts overlap, so beginners often mix them up. The table below sets out the main differences, and the paragraphs after it explain them in plain language.
| Feature | Junk journal | Scrapbook | Art journal | Bullet journal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Building a textured book and keeping memories | Telling the story of an event with photos | Expressing feeling or ideas through images | Planning and tracking tasks |
| Typical materials | Recycled paper, ephemera, fabric | Photos, patterned paper, embellishments | Paint, pencils, watercolor, markers | Plain notebook, pen, a set structure |
| Role of the book | The book is the artwork | An album framing memories | A personal canvas | A daily working tool |
| Cost | Very low, often almost free | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| Skill needed | Scissors, glue and curiosity | Layout sense | Comfort with drawing or painting | Consistency and routine |
A scrapbook is usually built around an event such as a wedding or a trip, with photographs at the center. A junk journal does not need photographs at all: a ticket, a note or a scrap of cloth can be the subject of a page. If you want to try the scrapbook route, see our guide on how to make a scrapbook.
An art journal is a canvas for paint and drawing, and what matters is expression rather than neatness. A bullet journal is a system for tasks, calendars and trackers. The two can be combined with a junk journal: some people bind a pocket-filled book and add a weekly bullet journal section. If you want to add tracking, our habit tracker in a bullet journal guide shows one way to lay it out.
Why make one? Low cost and low waste
People are drawn to junk journaling for several practical reasons. None of these is a scientific claim; they are commonly reported experiences.
- Low cost. Most of the material is already in your home. Paper that would go in the recycling bin becomes a page.
- No pressure for perfection. Because the material is “waste”, ruining a page costs you nothing. A tear becomes a new layer.
- A physical memory. Unlike a photo on your phone, a ticket or handwritten note is an object you can hold, with texture and a slight smell of paper.
- A slow, hands-on activity. Cutting, gluing and stitching keeps your hands busy and gives you a break from screens.
- Less waste. Using paper and fabric once more before discarding them reduces consumption in a small but real way.
There is one honest limit. A junk journal is not a quick organizing tool. If you need a reminder for tomorrow morning’s meeting, a bullet journal or a planner such as BulletPlan is better suited. The junk journal is for the weekend afternoons when you have time and want to make something.
How to make a junk journal from scratch, step by step
The following sequence is enough to finish a first book from nothing. Expect around two to four hours for the first attempt, not counting drying time.
- Choose a size. For beginners, a closed size between A6 and A5 works well. A small book fills quickly and gives you the satisfaction of finishing. Folding A4 paper in half gives A5, and in half again gives A6.
- Make the cover. Cut two cover pieces from cereal box card or a cardboard box, thick enough to stay firm. Cover them with kraft paper, an old book cover, fabric or wrapping paper, and press the corners down.
- Collect your pages. Gather 20 to 30 sheets of different textures: writing paper, kraft, tracing or pattern paper, baking paper, magazine pages, old ledger pages. Aim for at least three textures in a single book so that turning the pages stays interesting.
- Make signatures. Fold groups of four to six sheets in half. Three to five of these folded bundles, called signatures, are enough for most first books.
- Add pockets and inserts. Glue envelopes in place, and prepare fold-outs and small cards. Pockets are the most useful element you can add.
- Sew. Punch holes along the fold with a needle or awl, evenly spaced. Sew each signature with waxed thread. A three-hole pamphlet stitch is the simplest.
- Attach to the cover. Join the sewn signatures to the cover spine. A simpler route is to tie the signatures to the cover with cord and a knot.
- Start filling. Add tickets, writing, collage, or just a tea stain. You do not need to finish it in one day; the book grows over time.
If sewing feels intimidating, hold the signatures together with binder clips and sew later, or use a ring or spiral mechanism. The goal is to finish something in the first attempt; technique improves naturally with the second book.
A two-day weekend plan
A plan makes the project smaller. On Saturday afternoon, gather and prepare: walk through the house collecting envelopes, paper and fabric into a box, stain the white sheets with tea and leave them to dry. Toward evening, cut and cover the cover boards and let the glue set overnight. On Sunday, sort the pages into signatures, glue the pockets and finish the stitching. Keep half an hour on Sunday evening for the first page. At this pace most people learn something before they even finish the book.
A short note on stitching
The three-hole pamphlet stitch is the most practical for beginners: the signature is pierced in the middle, the thread goes in from the inside and out through the other holes, and it is tied off. Thicker books need several signatures linked together, and it helps to practice on one signature first. Rehearse on scrap paper and mark the hole positions in pencil to reduce mistakes. Thread is as much a material as paper or cloth, and a colored thread can become part of the book’s identity.
Recycled materials and low-cost tools
You do not need to buy most of the materials below. Look around your home first, then fill the gaps.
What you probably already own
- Envelopes: from bills, bank letters and invitations, ready-made pockets and cards.
- Kraft and packing paper: the inner paper of parcels, bakery bags, gift wrap offcuts.
- Tickets: bus, train, museum and cinema tickets, plus shop receipts. Thermal receipts fade, so glue in a photocopy instead.
- Magazine and newspaper pages: for color and text texture. Newsprint is acidic and yellows over time, which is sometimes the effect you want.
- Notebook and book pages: the unused pages of old school notebooks, coverless or damaged books. Never cut a book that is valuable or loved.
- Fabric and buttons: offcuts from a sewing box, an old shirt sleeve, beads and buttons.
- Packaging: tea and spice boxes, egg cartons, bakery and grocery bags.
- Card: shoe boxes, cereal boxes and old book covers are all good for covers.
Where to find more, cheaply
If you lack enough material, these sources are low-cost. Prices vary, so I do not quote numbers.
- Second-hand bookshops and charity shops: old magazines, maps and damaged books.
- Stationery shops: kraft rolls, tracing paper, PVA glue, double-sided tape.
- Flea markets and markets: lace, buttons, old frames, fabric offcuts.
- Neighbors, family and workplaces: most people are happy to give away envelopes, magazines and fabric they do not use.
- Print and copy shops: misprints and offcuts, often free or very cheap.
Basic tools
- Scissors and a craft knife with a cutting mat
- Glue stick or PVA glue; apply liquid glue thinly or thin paper will wrinkle
- Thick thread, a sewing needle or awl, and a bit of candle wax or beeswax
- Ruler, pencil and eraser
- Pens and markers; test them on tea-stained paper first
- A hole punch if you have one; a needle works if you do not
Washi tape is popular but optional; masking tape or strips of colored paper do the same job. If you are curious about it, see what is washi tape.
Paper traditions worth borrowing from
Junk journaling became popular through Western online communities, but reusing paper and gathering fragments into books is an old and widely shared habit. Two examples from Turkish and Persian book arts are useful inspiration, described here only as far as they are well documented.
Paper marbling is known as ebru in Turkey. It is the art of floating pigment on water and transferring it to paper, and Turkish ebru was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014. Marbled paper was used for endpapers and decoration in Ottoman and Persian bookmaking; the Persian tradition uses the term abri. You do not have to marble paper yourself. Using a piece of ready-made marbled paper as a pocket or cover lining is a simple way to bring that tradition into your book, though it is inspiration rather than a technique of junk journaling.
Another example is the muraqqa, an album that assembles calligraphy, paintings and fragments on pages, made in Persian, Ottoman and Mughal courts. It is a different craft with a different purpose, but it shows how bringing together pieces, fragments and papers into one book is a long-standing human practice. Nothing here means junk journaling comes from these traditions; it means you can look at them for ideas about layout, margins and paper.
The practical point is simple: your book can hold your own language, kitchen and street. A tea stain, a handwritten note in your first language, a transport ticket from your city or a scrap of a family recipe makes a page local and personal in a way that copied online templates cannot.
Techniques and page ideas
The techniques below are independent of each other, and you do not need all of them in one book. Pick two or three and save the rest for the next book. Working process-first, meaning that you care about the making rather than the result, is the easiest way to keep up the habit. If you do not like a technique on the first attempt, that is normal, and test pages can later become pockets or cover linings.
Tea and coffee staining
Soaking white paper in warm, strong tea, or brushing it on with a sponge, gives the sheet an aged, warm tone. Lay the paper flat to dry, and press it under books for a day if it wrinkles. Coffee grounds give a similar texture and darker tone. Test how your pen behaves on the paper first, because wet paper can make ink bleed.
Ephemera and pockets
Ephemera are short-lived printed items: tickets, business cards, bags, labels. Putting them in a pocket or gluing them to a page is a practical way to keep them and revisit them. The simplest pocket is an envelope glued to the page by its back and trimmed at the top. One pocket holds three to five small cards.
Layers and collage
A simple rule for collage: large and plain at the bottom, small and detailed on top. Three layers are enough for a page: a background (painted or plain paper), a middle layer (lace, a photograph or a magazine cutting) and a top layer (a ticket, a label, writing). Tearing the edges by hand gives a softer transition than a straight cut.
Fabric and stitching
Sewing a scrap of fabric to a page is sturdier and more textured than gluing it. Large, uneven stitches are fine; let it look handmade. Buttons and beads add practical decoration where the cover is tied.
Writing in the book
You do not have to keep a junk journal as a visual book only. Writing three things from your day, a quotation or a one-line note on a page changes the meaning of the book. If you want a tracker page, borrow the layout from a bullet journal and glue it in.
Page ideas for the first book
- Title page: your name, the date and one sentence about the book.
- Ticket page: tickets from the last three months in date order.
- Pocket page: an envelope holding three small note cards.
- One-day page: today’s date, weather, something you ate and one sentence.
- Color page: cuttings of a single color from magazines.
- Quote page: a line from a song, a book or something someone older said.
- Fabric page: two or three stitched fabric scraps and a button.
- Blank page: deliberately left empty, so there is room for something that arrives later.
Safety and care
A few simple precautions are enough when working with recycled material. Wash and completely dry any food packaging, because damp paper grows mold. Cut on a mat and change blades often, since a dull blade slips more easily. If children join in, adults should handle cutting and sewing while children tear, paint and glue. Avoid material from chemical packaging, and cover or leave out personal data such as bank statements and ID photocopies. Store the finished book away from damp, direct sun and greasy food, and tie it shut with an elastic band or ribbon. Acidic papers will yellow with time; treat this as ageing rather than damage, and glue in a copy, not the original, of any photograph you care about.
Common mistakes
- Too much glue. Liquid glue wrinkles thin paper. Apply a thin layer and press.
- Buying everything on day one. Make one book with what you have first; then you will know what you actually need.
- Making the book too thick. Pockets and thick collage swell the spine. Keep the number of sheets low.
- Putting acidic paper next to photographs. Newspaper and cheap paper can yellow a photo over time. Use a copy of a valuable photo.
- Perfectionism. If you dislike a page, glue a new one over it; in a junk journal mistakes become layers.
- Gluing thermal receipts as they are. They fade. Photocopy them or use a phone photo.
- Chasing an Instagram look. Copying tidy pages from social media makes the hobby tiring. Your own hands, your own materials and your own pace are enough.
Frequently asked questions
What is a junk journal?
A junk journal is a handmade book made from recycled paper and reused materials, with pockets, collage and keepsakes inside. The book itself is the artwork, and it can hold writing, photographs or simply objects.
How is a junk journal different from a scrapbook?
A scrapbook usually tells the story of an event, with photographs at the center. A junk journal is built around materials and texture and does not need photos. The comparison table above sets out the details.
How do I start a junk journal with no money?
Collect envelopes, kraft bags, tickets and cardboard from home, and borrow a needle and thread. Fold paper into signatures, cover two pieces of card and sew or tie them together. You may not need to buy anything.
Do I need to know how to draw?
No. Collage and layout need no drawing skill, and most pages are finished with paper, tickets and writing.
What is the cheapest way to make a junk journal?
Use only what you have: recycled paper, cereal box card, and thread you already own. If you buy anything, get thread, a good glue and a sturdy pair of scissors, and find everything else second-hand or for free.
How do I bind a junk journal?
The easiest way is to sew folded signatures along the spine with a needle and thick thread. If sewing feels hard, use rings, a spiral or binder clips for your first book.
How long does a first junk journal take?
A small book takes one to two weekends. Making it takes a few hours; filling the pages happens over time and is part of the process.
Related articles
Next step
You learn a junk journal by making one, not by reading about it. Give yourself an hour, gather a few envelopes and sheets of paper, and make the first pocket. If you would like step-by-step guidance to build your hand skills, look at the Persian Studygram courses. And if part of your life needs planning, BulletPlan builds a personal daily, weekly and monthly plan, and you can use the same methods on paper.
About the author: Persian Studygram is the first Iranian junk journaling creator. Follow us on Instagram and Pinterest.
