Junk Journaling for Beginners: The Cozy Craft Trend Taking Over Pinterest

If your Pinterest feed has suddenly filled up with pages covered in old stamps, torn ticket stubs, lace scraps, and handwritten notes tucked into little pockets, you are not imagining it. Junk journaling is having a real moment right now, and once you understand why, it is easy to see the appeal. There are no rules, no perfect layouts to copy, and no expensive supply list required. You just need a notebook, a glue stick, and whatever scraps of your life you have been saving in a drawer without knowing why.

I put off trying this for months because I assumed it required scrapbooking skills I do not have. It does not. A junk journal is not meant to look polished. It is meant to look lived in, which honestly makes it one of the most forgiving crafts I have tried all year. This guide walks you through exactly how to start your first one this weekend, with real supply picks and a process that works even if you have never called yourself a crafty person.

What Junk Journaling Actually Is

At its core, a junk journal is a handmade book filled with found paper ephemera: old receipts, magazine clippings, dried flowers, fabric scraps, ticket stubs, envelopes, and anything else with texture or a story attached to it. Some people use theirs as a visual diary. Others build one around a trip, a season, or a specific memory they want to hold onto in a way a phone photo never quite captures.

It ties in nicely with another trend making the rounds this year: the return of letter writing and slow, intentional mail. If you have noticed friends getting into pretty stationery and handwritten notes again, a junk journal is basically that same instinct turned into a keepsake you build for yourself instead of sending away.

The whole point is that it does not need to be neat. Torn edges, mismatched patterns, and a little bit of chaos are the aesthetic, not a mistake to fix.

What You Will Need

You likely already have some of this around the house. Here is what I would actually buy to make your first journal look and feel good from page one.

• A blank journal or notebook base: a sturdy, neutral base with a rustic kraft paper cover works best and gives you room to build up layers without the pages feeling too precious. kraft journal.
• A glue stick: an acid-free glue stick is my go-to for flat paper pieces since it will not wrinkle thin ephemera the way liquid glue does. glue stick.
• Washi tape in a mixed set: the fastest way to add color and texture without committing to anything permanent. washi tape.
• Vintage-style ephemera pack: comes with ticket stubs, old book pages, and stamp-style prints that make a beginner page look intentional immediately. ephemera pack.
• Fine-tip pens for journaling notes: what I reach for when I want handwriting that stays crisp on thinner paper. fine-tip pens.
• Small envelopes for hidden notes and pockets: perfect for tucking a folded note or a small photo into a page. mini envelopes.
• Scissors with a fine point: make trimming small ephemera pieces so much easier than a full-size pair. detail scissors.
• A stamp set for embellishing pages: adds instant texture to a blank corner without any drawing skill required. stamp set.
• Twine for tying in tags or bundles: what I use to bind loose tags or ephemera bundles onto a page. jute twine.
• A small hole punch: comes in handy for adding tags or attaching loose pieces with twine. hole punch.

Step 1: Choose Your Journal’s Theme (Even a Loose One)

You do not need a rigid theme, but having a general direction makes the first few pages much less intimidating. Mine started as a “this fall” journal: just a place to collect anything that felt like the season, from a coffee shop receipt to a pressed leaf. Other easy starting themes are a specific trip, a single month, or simply “things I want to remember.”

Having even a loose theme means you are not staring at a blank page wondering what belongs. Anything that fits the feeling goes in.

Step 2: Gather Your Ephemera Before You Start Gluing

Before you touch the glue stick, spend fifteen minutes pulling together everything you might want to use. Old cards, ticket stubs, fabric scraps, a pressed flower, a page from a book you no longer need, a few stamps. Lay it all out on your table so you can see what you have to work with.

This step matters more than it seems like it should. Journaling with everything visible in front of you makes the layout process so much faster than digging through a drawer page by page.

Step 3: Build Your Base Layer

Start each spread with a base layer before adding smaller details on top. This might be a full page of patterned paper, a strip of fabric glued down the side, or even just a wash of watered down coffee for that aged look if you want to go that route. The base gives your smaller pieces something to sit on so the page does not feel scattered.

Glue your base layer down first and let it sit flat for a minute before adding anything on top of it.

Step 4: Layer In Your Ephemera

Now the fun part. Start layering your ephemera pieces on top of the base, overlapping edges slightly so nothing feels too spaced out. Tuck a small envelope into one corner. Add a strip of washi tape along an edge to cover a seam. Glue down a ticket stub at a slight angle rather than perfectly straight.

Imperfect placement is what makes a page feel like a junk journal instead of a scrapbook layout. Resist the urge to line everything up.

Step 5: Add Your Handwriting Last

Once your page has its layers of ephemera, go back in with your fine-tip pen and add a short note, a date, or even just a single word that captures the memory. Handwriting is what turns a page of pretty scraps into something personal. It does not need to be more than a sentence.

This is also where a mini envelope with a folded note tucked inside adds a nice interactive touch. It gives future you something to actually pull out and read rather than just look at.

Tips for Your First Junk Journal

Start with fewer supplies than you think you need. A glue stick, some washi tape, and one ephemera pack is genuinely enough for your first several pages. You can always add more once you know what you actually reach for.

Save everything for a week before you start. Receipts, movie tickets, a pretty gift tag. You will be surprised how much good material you already have once you start paying attention to it.

Do not overthink the layout. If a page feels too plain, add one more piece. If it feels too busy, stop and move to the next page. There is no wrong version of this.

Let pages breathe. A little bit of empty space around your handwritten notes actually makes them stand out more than covering every inch of the page.

A Cozy Weekend Project Worth Starting

What I like most about junk journaling is that it does not ask anything of you except a little bit of attention. There is no wrong way to fill a page, no supply list you have to buy in full before you start, and no pressure to make it look like the version on Pinterest. It is genuinely one of the most relaxing crafts I have picked up this year, and it doubles as a keepsake you will actually want to flip through later.

If you have a box of ticket stubs, old cards, or pretty scraps sitting in a drawer somewhere, this is your sign to finally do something with them.

Shop the Supplies

• Kraft Paper Journal
• Acid-Free Glue Stick
• Washi Tape Set
• Junk Journal Ephemera Pack
• Fine-Tip Pens
• Mini Envelopes
• Detail Scissors
• Vintage-Style Stamp Set
• Natural Jute Twine
• Small Hole Punch

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.