Junk Journaling is Back—Here’s How to Get Started

Whatcha gonna do with all that junk inside those drawers?

Glue it into a notebook!

Junk journaling may sound a little strange at first, but it’s actually a genius way to keep mementos that otherwise would be tossed in the trash or become clutter (aka junk). Think: concert wristbands, brochures from a trip, a sleeve from a cup of coffee, clippings from a magazine—basically anything you can make flat.

Kinda like scrapbooking, but less expensive and formal.

People also find the process of junk journaling therapeutic. Like regular journaling, it can help you explore your inner thoughts and practice mindfulness and gratitude.

How to Junk Journal

The supplies
One of the great things about junk journaling is that you don’t need much to be able to do it. You may already have the supplies on hand. To get started, you’ll need:

A notebook or journal
Some sort of adhesive
Scissors (although you don’t need these unless your mementos require cutting)
Mementos

The steps
There’s no right or wrong way to junk journal, but we found these general steps helpful:

Pick a theme. If the process feels overwhelming, try choosing a theme or focus for the journal.
Gather your mementos. After picking a theme, collect the items you want to include, and put them in a box. You don’t have to do it all at once. You can start the box and continue adding to it until you’re ready to journal. This is also the time to press any flowers or other mementos that need to be flattened.
Put them in your journal. Grab your adhesive of choice, and attach your items to the paper inside your notebook/journal.

Tip: Double-sided tape and glue sticks are great for many items, but heavier things will likely need something stronger like Fabri-Tac.

What to put in your junk journal

Like we said, you can pretty much put anything that can be flattened into a junk journal. Here are a few ideas to help you get started: