What To Do With A Junk Journal

When I was in my teens, a long long time ago, I had a diary, equipped with a lock and tiny key. I would fill it’s pages with my thoughts, dreams and deepest secrets. I carefully hid the key where no one could find it. (Although, it was a known fact that a nail file or knife tip could easily open the lock)

My “secrets” seemed to lose its power and mystery as I got older, and I started writing in journals without locks and keys. Over the years, I have collected quite a few of these books in various styles and sizes. There have been scripture journals, bible sermon notes, letters to God about good and bad days, journals of thanks and yes even journals of rants and anger. (Some of which probably should have a lock with no key.....and no the pic is not my actual stack:))

We now have a plethora of different ways to jot our thoughts, plan our day, dump our brains. Planners are not just for planning but offer creative and artistic ways to decorate and embellish your pages. Crafters, like myself, have been given opportunities to create journals, and notebooks that will woo anyone into writing on uniquely made pages tucked in various ways inside beautifully made covers.

One such journal seems to contradict its name, or perhaps not, the Junk Journal. I have yet to see one

that looks like what the word junk implies. They can be crafted in so many different ways. The inside pages may include old magazine pages, old receipts, envelopes, old ledger paper, blank paper, music sheets, etc. They are are all folded  and stacked on top of each other in whatever way you desire, then sewn or stapled down the middle. Make as many booklets as you like and insert them into a cover using various techniques. Add pockets, lace, or images that fit your theme and the rest is all up to your imagination. It is simply a unique way to display pictures, write on different backgrounds and even paint or draw using gel pens or different types of mediums. In other words, it is just fun.

The junk journal is kind of a free spirited, artistic, no rules way to write, draw or simply compile pieces of paper that you would ordinarily toss out. I do not claim to be an expert on this art form, and have been inspired by various You Tube artists on how to create one of these journals. I recently went to an Antique Mall on the coast and found old music sheets, receipt books, an old registry from the 1960s of a railroad journal with the names of the conductors, and brakemen. My most valuable find was a small notebook that seemed to be a record of someone’s insurance payments that dated back to 1921. I can’t wait to make copies (I definitely want to keep the originals) and include them in my next journal.

So, you could call them junk journals, but who knows what special meaning they could have to your children or grandchildren down the road of life. Fill them with memories and little notes to pass down to the next generation. There is nothing “junk” about the love that goes into any handmade notebook filled with evidence of every day, ordinary moments.

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