Draft:Junk Journal
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| Submission declined on 22 August 2025 by MediaKyle (talk). This submission does not appear to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. Entries should be written from a neutral point of view, and should refer to a range of independent, reliable, published sources. Please rewrite your submission in a more encyclopedic format. Please make sure to avoid peacock terms that promote the subject.
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| Submission declined on 20 August 2025 by RangersRus (talk). This draft's references do not show that the subject qualifies for a Wikipedia article. In summary, the draft needs multiple published sources that are: Declined by RangersRus 38 days ago.
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Comment: This is a bit too heavy on the quotes now. Could you try to rewrite some of this in your own words as to not use as many quotes? A few relevant ones are fine. I suggest reading Scrapbooking for inspiration. MediaKyle (talk) 15:34, 23 August 2025 (UTC)
- Comment: This is a great start, but the article needs to have citations in every section, and the prose will need to be cleaned up to be more encyclopedic. For example, parts like "The rules are that there are no rules!" are unencyclopedic - unless, of course, you're quoting someone known for their junk journalling. I would encourage you to introduce a wider variety of sources as well, in order to really hammer home the idea that junk journalling is distinct from scrapbooking. I found this CBC article you can use. All the best, MediaKyle (talk) 22:50, 22 August 2025 (UTC)
A Junk Journal is traditionally a handmade journal composed of recycled/upcycled papers, or as the name implies, just 'junk'. The make up of the journal can be of any origin, vintage letters, old papers, books, old photos, invoices up to modern day "junk mail".The Journal itself can be a stand alone art piece.
Junk Journaling is a very popular, creative, paper & fabric crafting hobby. It can be a relatively low cost pastime.
Francesca Radice suggests in her book that Creative fun by learning to make beautiful junk journals using recycled and affordable materials enhances well-being and is a therapeutic outlet to reduce stress.[1]
Purpose
[edit]A Junk Journal has many uses, from Journaling, to sketching, collage, mixed media art. An important part is in the making of the Journal and not necessarily in the using of the Journal. So its purpose starts from the very conception of the Journal. However, many people do use them to journal in and buy them from other creators. Others take time to create their own; journaling, adding decorative pages plus crafting their own ephemera. The joy is in the concept, making and storytelling with 'trash'. The satisfaction is in the making process and many crafters acquire a huge collection of Junk Journals because they enjoy the activity of creating them.
Natasha Marinkovic explains in her book that it is "transforming Junk into treasure".[2]
Many people like a themed Junk Journal which could be, vintage, art, seasonal, holidays, hobbies, grunge, modern. For others their Junk Journals can be very eclectic, made up with product packaging, pamphlets, labels off clothes, old stamps etc.
People that Junk Journal 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"[3]
History
[edit]The exact date when Junk Journaling started is difficult to pin point but it is a relatively modern twist, derived from Scrapbooking and arising from a desire for recycling everyday 'junk'. It is less precise than a scrapbook and has more of an art form involved, expressing a very personal art style.
Tucker, S., Ott, K., Buckler, 2006 imparts 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.[4]
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".[5]
The difference between scrapbooking and Junk Journaling
[edit]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.
"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"[6]
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!".[7]
Modern Junk Journaling
[edit]The practice is widespread in the USA, UK, Australia and many other countries. Many creators post their hand made Junk Journals on Youtube, Tiktok, and Pinterest.
Creators show the making of Junk Journals, decorating pages with collage and mixed media on social media.
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"[8]
Sammi Tapper observed "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"[9]
Harmeet, Kaur writes in a essay about, 'Why people are finding respite in junk journaling' 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]
Ephemera
[edit]This is an important part of Junk Journaling. The making of additional art pieces to go into the Junk Journal in the form of: Tags, folio's, pull outs, cards, belly bands, pockets.
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]
Equipment
[edit]Equipment needed to start this hobby can be very basic from glue, usually a PVA paper glue, scissors, pens, pencils and paints to very expensive equipment including cutting boards, specialist inks, card stock, printers, die cutting machines to create paper die cuts of many shapes etc
Size
[edit]Size is very much an aesthetically pleasing self choice. They range from very miniature to usually no more than A4
Companies
[edit]With the growing trend, huge 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. He writes blog posts and makes Youtube tutorials, he states,"The process of crafting something by hand sparks the imagination where magic thrives"[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.
Glossary
[edit]There are many 'new' words and phrases coined by the Junk Journal community, here are a few.
- Flip thru: Someone show casing 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 / 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 & added to the Junk Journal for storing pieces of memorabilia.
- Grungy: A process to make an item look very old and very well used
References
[edit]- ^ Radice, Francesca (14 February 2025). Junk Journal Joy (First ed.). Mango. ISBN 978-1-6848-1713-9.
- ^ Marinkovic, Natasha (27 June 2025). Treasure Book Making: Crafting Handmade Sustainable Journals (Create Diary DIYs and Papercrafts without Bookbinding Tools) Treasure Book Making: Crafting Handmade Sustainable Journals (Create Diary DIYs and Papercrafts without Bookbinding Tools) (First ed.). Mango. pp. Part 1 Chapter 2. ISBN 978-1-6848-1828-0.
- ^ Colebrook, Helen (13 April 2021). Journal with purpose. Layout ideas 101. David & Charles. ISBN 9781446308370.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ Tucker, Susan; Ott, Karherine; Buckler, Patricia (April 2006). The Scrapbook in American Culture. Temple University Press.
- ^ Jenkins, Justine (13 August 2021). "The Intriguing History Of Junk Journals". House of Mahalo. houseofmahalo.com. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ^ Asby, Meg. "Here's Why a "Junk Journal" Is So Freeing, According to 3 People Who Swear by It". Apartment Therapy. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ^ Collins, Leah (4 February 2025). "Curious about TikTok's junk journal trend? These page ideas are artist approved". CBC Arts. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ^ Cullinane, Alice (8 March 2025). "Why are women making journals out of junk?". BBC News. West Midlands: British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Tapper, Sammi (4 November 2024). "The Power—and Joy—of Junk Journaling". Vogue (September 2024). Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Kaur, Harmeet (25 January 2025). "In a chronically online world, people are finding respite in 'junk journaling'". CNN. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ^ Jones, CT (9 January 2025). "Can Junk Journaling Be an Answer To Digital Fatigue?". Rollingstone. rollingstone.com. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ^ Holtz, Tim. "Tim Holtz". Tim Holtz. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- Zimmerman, Josie (6 April 2025). "Junk journaling: the origins and its rise in popularity today". The Miami Student. Oxford, Ohio: Miami University. Retrieved 23 August 2025.