Junk Journaling
I don’t know how you all feel about it, but the trend of junk journaling; blending mediums, materials, textures, and fonts on one page reminds me of the long-spent hours scrap booking in the mid to late 90s. I have a lot of these memories locked away; creating a page or ten with my favorite-colored papers, gel pens, and photos of those days. Although the 7-year-old me was no pro, only working with my mom’s scraps at home, I still loved it. The creations were unique and the combinations never ending.
A section of my scrapbook (~1997)
For a long time, my aunt would host scrap booking days in her basement recreation room every month. My mom would pack up my sister and I with all her supplies, head over, and spend hours locked away with the other ladies while my sister and I played with our cousins. I remember the room being filled with tables, all scattered with various blends of materials, colors, and fun shaped scissors. Stickers for every theme or occasion and pictures of all our captured memories— recently printed at the local 1-hour photo mart.
A section of mom’s scrapbook (~1997)
The work they came out of that room with was absolutely mesmerizing as a kid. The pages perfectly coordinated with aesthetically pleasing hues and themes that had me wanting to make my own, but the idea of perfection sometimes crippled me. You see, although scrapbooking didn’t have any written rules, there was definitely some expectation to make those pages look clean and professional. But with junk journaling the unwritten rules are out the window and the chaos that is ruling over my mind daily gets to swim free. If maximalism was a craft, this is it! And just like the fashion trends repeating themselves— plaid shirts and baggy jeans are in by the way— so are the crafting fads.
Junk journaling is the new scrapbooking!
Just like any new hobby or skill, getting started can be a little overwhelming. As a fellow-crafter, I understand the concern with wanting your masterpiece to be perfect, but Junk Journaling is the opposite!
So, here are the tips I can recommend to make it a fun experience from page one:
Work on a sturdy page made of cardstock or cardboard.
Glue sticks are more than enough to make things stick, but sometimes the heavy duty stuff needs to come into play — hot glue guns.
Don’t overthink it! Remember, there are no rules!
Use materials and mediums of ALL types; buttons, fabrics, paper, prints, stamps, markers, stickers, feathers, napkins, coasters, packaging, board game cards, score sheets, pictures, letters, receipts, bla bla bla
Dry fit before you glue, ‘cause you can’t un-glue something.
Layers are your friend.
Keep journaling. Just like writing and drawing, this craft brings mindfulness and builds creativity which is one of my favorite ways to battle stress. It puts you IN THE MOMENT. And with the way the world is these days, we need more mindful people!
A sample from my personal junk journal.
Share your creations with me, post them on Instagram and give @RavenWritingDeskVA a tag.
-Taylor
