The Art of Junk Journaling

and why it's actually self care in disguise.

Hello from Sydney! My partner and I are taking this weekend away from Brisbane to hang out, eat pizza and catch up with family and friends. Of course, I brought my journal with me, and I’ve been scavenging bits and pieces to include in my monthly memory keeping/junk journal spreads.

I keep these tucked between my bullet journal monthly setups, so they don’t feature on the channel too often except for in the occasional vlog and the end-of-journal flip through video, but they’re something I relish and love to look back over.

What is junk journaling?

Junk journaling is the practice of creating collaged pages using items others might literally think of as “junk” - mostly the bits of paper that find their way to you through life like tickets, receipts, tags, packaging, wrapping paper, brochures, cards, old book pages, or magazine cutouts. While the name sounds flippant, there’s nothing junky about the results. It’s a deeply personal, tactile, and expressive way to document your days - part scrapbook, part diary, part art journal.

It pairs beautifully with memory keeping, especially when you tuck in a few photographs, thoughts, stories, or emotions behind the bits and pieces you collect. And best of all, you don’t need any artistic skills to start! Just a notebook, some glue, and whatever scraps catch your eye. Once you start junk journaling, you start seeing the world a little differently - suddenly every scrap of paper has potential!

How I Fell into Junk Journaling

At the start of 2024, I wasn’t in love with the notebook I’d chosen for my bullet journal. It was a watercolour paper journal, which was great for painting in but not great for writing. I hated the texture under my pens! I wanted to fill it up FAST and then move into a new journal, so I started adding memory keeping spreads between my monthly setups.

At first I just used my existing stationery, and added photos and written entries like a diary, but as I kept cutting and sticking and printing, it switched something on in my brain. I started noticing how great the paper my stationery orders came wrapped in was, or the cute graphic on the flyer for the dance class I was attending. I started including those in my spreads, and found that I loved the results!

Since then, this blend of memory keeping and junk journaling has quietly become one of my favourite parts of my journaling routine. It’s a mix of creativity and reflection, of play and presence. Whether you're a stationery lover, a journal keeper, or someone who just wants to slow down and notice the little things more, it might just be something you'd love too.

Why Junk Journaling and Memory Keeping Are So Good for the Soul

It’s low-pressure

You don’t need to write anything profound. You don’t need a theme or a colour scheme. You don’t even need a full idea before you begin. A junk journal spread might be a collage of receipts and paper scraps with a photo slapped over the top, or a wacky disjointed poem you’ve made cut from magazine headlines - the chaos is kind of the point. If you’re a stationery collector, you might just make a spread with all the green stationery you own, whether it makes a cohesive “theme” or not. There are no rules. Don’t think, just stick!

It’s a gratitude practice in disguise

Every time I stick a little scrap from my day in my journal, whether it’s a movie ticket, a pretty tag from a new dress or a label from a tea I loved, I’m quietly saying: this mattered. Junk journaling reminds me that life is made of small, beautiful, forgettable things. It’s called ephemera because it’s ephemeral - something that only lasts for a moment. By documenting these things, I’m making a little space for gratitude.

It’s mindful and meditative

Cutting, gluing, layering, arranging - there’s something incredibly grounding about the tactile nature of junk journaling. It pulls you into the moment. And when you pair it with some music or a cup of tea, it becomes a full-on self-care ritual. Well worth making time for!

How to Get Started:

Start saving scraps from everyday life. Junk journaling doesn’t need fancy supplies - just a bit of adhesive and maybe a pen or two. The rest comes from life! Keep your eyes open for beauty in the everyday:

• Receipts or tickets

• Wrapping paper & paper bags

• Cute packaging or tags from purchases

• Interesting envelopes, especially if they have stamps

• Tea bag tags or coffee sleeves

• Postcards or business cards

• Flyers & brochures

• Magazines & newspapers

You might want to keep a pouch or folder in your bag or desk to collect things as you go. Trust me, it adds up fast!

Tuck it into your usual journal.
You don’t need a separate notebook unless you want one! I’ve been loving adding memory-filled junk journal pages into my regular bullet journal - usually just a couple of spreads each month. It has added so much joy to my journaling rhythm without taking up much extra time.

Now just… stick it all down.
No plan necessary. Try to let go of perfection - the messier and more mismatched a junk journal spread, the better. You don’t have to create a “pretty” spread or follow a colour scheme, just one that features all the things you’ve scavenged. Layer everything together, or organise it into a grid - do whatever feels good in the moment, and try not to think about it too much. I personally like to fill the whole page with scraps of various sizes, but you can leave space to write around your scraps too if you like.

It’s even more fun with friends.
I often junk journal at Stash Hangs, a stationery social night I try to attend regularly, but you can always meet a friend at a cafe to sip and stick, or at a public library for a quiet and peaceful junk journal session. These places work well for solo journaling too, if you don’t have space at home!

Are you already a junk journaler or memory keeper? Or is it something you’ve been curious about? I’d love to know how you’ve woven it into your own journaling life, or if you’re thinking of starting!

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New Videos

I’m all set up for May, feeling moody, vintage and academic - perfect for the only month that really feels like autumn in Brisbane. Click to watch!

Is this perfect entry-level, no-frills reading journal? I’m giving it a thorough test to find out.

Let’s hang out! My April vlog is full of new stationery unboxings and the beginning of a special new project, teasing a video that’s coming soon!

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Recent Reads

Normally I’d tell you here about my most reads, but I’m in a big old reading slump at the moment and I haven’t read anything I’m excited enough to share with you. Instead, I’m wondering about your tips for reading slumps and how to get out of them. Do you have any tried and true methods? Please share them in the comments! I usually go for something short and a bit silly, like the Ice Planet Barbarians books, but I’m not even feeling like those this time! Send help!

Until next month, may your weather be just as you like it, and your beverages always the perfect temperature for drinking.

xx

Erin