The Beauty of Junk Journaling: Finding Creativity in Scraps

Discovering Junk Journaling

One of my favorite ways to be creative is through junk journaling. For those who aren’t familiar, junk journals are simple journals primarily made from found and recycled materials.

I stumbled across this style almost two years ago, right after realizing that bullet journaling felt a little too polished for me. I loved incorporating scrapbooking elements, but I needed something looser, something forgiving. That’s when junk journaling found me on TikTok, and I’ve never looked back. It’s the only form of journaling I’ve consistently kept up with because it serves as both creative expression and a cozy ritual.

Learning to Slow Down

Junk journaling has taught me to slow down and savor the small details of my days, not just the “big” moments. I used to feel pressure for my journals to look perfect, but now I see them as spaces for blending creativity, memory keeping, and play. There’s something incredibly relaxing about creating without expectations.

The Joy of Collecting & Reusing

Part of the magic lies in collecting and reusing. I’ve saved some wonderfully odd items simply because I knew they’d find a place in my journal. Things we usually view as “throwaway” gain a second life on my pages.

Scraps, tickets, thrifted book pages, receipts, napkins, and random ephemera where each piece is tied to a memory from that day or week. Beyond being creative, junk journaling carries a quiet sustainability. There’s charm in giving old things, or even “trash," a new life.

A quick Cracker Barrel spread and some old Guitar Hero stickers.

Creativity Without Rules

One of the best parts of junk journaling is the lack of rules. Mistakes aren’t mistakes at all since they become part of the art. That freedom is what drew me in. I can experiment with layers, textures, and colors without worrying about perfection.

Instead of overthinking, I let the scraps guide me. Each spread becomes a process of curiosity and play.

Random junk that I accumulated from pasta from World Market, the wrapper to the utensils at Chuys, and a scrap from the Stitch doormat I purchased.

A Cozy Creative Ritual

Junk journaling has become a mindful ritual for me. There’s something calming about cutting, gluing, and arranging each piece onto the page. It also gives me time away from screens which is a much-needed pause in a digital-heavy world.

I love turning it into an evening routine: I’ll put on some music, make a cup of tea, grab a snack, and lose myself in the bits and pieces I’ve collected throughout the week.

Pages Full of Memories

Each page holds a story. Some spreads capture tiny, everyday details I might have overlooked. Others preserve significant moments like my wedding or honeymoon. What I love most is that no two pages are the same, because no two days are the same.

It feels like a side quest: small, meaningful, and full of unexpected discoveries.

This was a quick spread from after the Joe Jonas concert at Universal earlier in the year! It now houses all of my confetti and memories from that day.

Sharing the Joy

Another reason I keep coming back to junk journaling is the joy of sharing it with my husband. I love showing him the scraps I plan to use, then surprising him with the finished spread. Recently, I even created a page using documents from an event he attended. It became a way to hold onto not just my memories, but our memories.

The spread from the event my husband attended!

An Invitation to Try

If you’ve ever been curious, I encourage you to give junk journaling a try. You don’t need fancy supplies, just an old notebook and a handful of scraps. Instead of tossing the coffee packaging from this morning, save it and see what you can create.

I’ve even started looking at “trash” differently, and now my husband will hand me things he thinks I’ll want to use. There’s something beautiful about creating something that’s entirely your own! Even if you don't try junk journaling, I highly recommend starting some sort of evening routine where you do something that allows you to be creative. It is something that is necessary in this world!

Journaling has become a way for me to pause and reflect, almost like hitting a save point in my own life. If you’d like to read more about how I build those reflective pauses into my days, check out my Save Points & Reflections post: The Ritual of Small Things: Finding Comfort in Everyday Checkpoints.

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Your Side Quest:

What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve ever kept, or might consider keeping, to give a second life in a creative project?