40+ Ideas For How To Use “Junk” in Your Junk Journals
One of the things I love most about junk journals and easy upcycling projects is that inspiration can come from practically anywhere – even your recycling bin!
Some of the best supplies you can find and collect for your junk journals are things “normal” people would usually throw away. Pfft! Who needs normal anyway?
But if you’re struggling with ideas of how to make the most of your trash and packaging, listed below are over 40 items you might want to collect along with tried and tested project ideas where relevant.
Are you ready to start looking at your “junk” in a whole new way? Good! Because…
Your Trash Collection Challenge Starts Now!
Journal Covers & Bases
1. Cereal boxes and other box-type packaging: Use these as journal covers rather than making them from scratch. You can make journals of all sizes this way, such as:
2. Thick cardboard or greyboard: Make bases for pockets, tags/journal cards and flip-outs and decorate them with book pages, pretty paper or other embellishments. These supplies can also be used to reinforce spines or journal covers.
💡 Top Tip: The backs of scrapbook paper pads and notepads sometimes use thick cardstock or greyboard, so definitely save these where possible.
3. Unloved books: These are ready-made journal and folio covers – especially if they have a 1-2 inch spine and are a good height and size for your journal. Bonus points if you like the covers because you won’t need to decorate them!
💡 Top Tip: You can even use book boards that have come away from the spine as writing boards in your journal.
4. Bubble mailers and large envelopes: These are perfect journal covers! All you need to do is fold them in half and you’ll probably have a good-sized journal cover. All that’s left now is to decorate it! Bubble mailers covered with fabric are my favourite kind of cover as they’re so soft and squishy.
5. Envelopes of all sizes: Forget large envelopes! Why not use envelopes of all different sizes to make a fun and interactive folio with flips and flaps everywhere. These are my favourite kinds of projects to make. Check out my playlist on YouTube for some ideas >>
6. File folders: These make great folios and journal covers, but you can also use them to back tags, pockets and other ephemera. Here’s how you can turn them into folios >>
7. Greeting cards: Easily upcycle greeting cards into notebooks, sturdy journal pages and various ephemera. These also make great flip-outs and over-the-page ephemera.
8. Corrugated cardboard: Use corrugated cardboard to add texture to your journal covers, ephemera, embellishments and more. You can even make a ring-bound notebook or mini journal using strong pieces of corrugated cardboard – just as long as they’re the same size as each other. Or even make clusters out of it!
9. Used gift wrap: Glue this to some cardboard and you have a pretty base for pockets, tags and more. If you have a large piece of it, you can even use this to make your journal cover – like I did for my Secret Garden lapbook journal.
10. Broken gift bags: If you can’t reuse a gift bag for its intended purpose, don’t throw it away! You can upcycle it into a pretty journal fairly easily. Here’s a flip through of mine to show you how it could look.
Pockets & Pages
11. Unloved book pages and sheet music: Use these as pages in your journal or upcycle them into ephemera and embellishments.
💡 Top Tip: Be careful with fragile paper as it may tear or break when you fold it. Washi tape is your friend!
12. Magazine pages and newspaper clippings: Use these as journal pages, to make ephemera with or in your collages.
13. Old maps: These make great pages and ephemera – especially in vintage or travel-themed projects!
14. Notebooks gathering dust: If you have plain notebooks you’re not using, why not repurpose the pages inside as junk journal pages? You can even repurpose the covers!
15. Large paper scraps: Don’t throw these away! Use them as quick and quirky journal pages or decorate ephemera and other embellishments with them. I have a whole series on YouTube for scrapbuster projects that might inspire you.
16. Envelopes: Always save envelopes you receive in the post as these make great pocket pages, tip-ins or flip-outs and various other pocket-type ephemera. Here’s a video to inspire you!
17. Paper bags and lunch bags: Fold these in half lengthways and you instantly have a fun pocket page for your journal. You can also use these to make various pockets and even notebook covers. I’ve even used the paper bags my dog’s medication comes in, but you’d never know it!
18. Plastic wallets, cellophane bags and cereal bags: These make fun journal pages – especially if you put illustrated book pages inside them. That way, you can see both sides of the illustration!
19. Playing cards: These are a lot of fun to repurpose into tuck spots, pockets, tags and other ephemera. Why not glue several cards together for an extra fun look? Here are a whole bunch of project ideas to inspire you!
20. Junk mail, leaflets and brochures: Here’s a challenge for you – how many different uses can you come up with for junk mail, leaflets and brochures? Lots I imagine! You can even fold these in different ways to make interesting multi-fold pockets and flip-outs.
Tags & Other Pocket Fillers
21. Sticker and craft supply packaging: Many of the things we buy for this craft come in interesting packaging, which can be upcycled into tags, pockets and more.
22. Used index cards and flashcards: Use these as bases for tags, journal cards, pockets and flip-outs. All you need to do is decorate them and add a writing space! Unused index cards also work well for this.
23. Gift tags: These make great mini tags and pocket fillers – especially if they’re decorative ones!
24. Business cards and used membership cards: Repurpose these into journaling spots or even mini tuck spots.
💡 Top Tip: If the business cards have a plastic layer over them, pull at this until you’re left with the base cardboard. This can then be painted, inked or decorated. Here’s my video to show you what I mean.
25. Leftover confetti: Perfect for making shaker tags, pockets and pages!
26. Vintage ephemera: Keep an eye out for old stuff someone might be throwing away or selling on eBay. This is a big category of stuff, so here are a few ideas for what to look out for:
- Old photographs and postcards
- Ticket stubs
- Vintage advertisements and newspaper clippings
- Old letters, receipts and documents
- Concert programs and travel brochures
- Currency no longer in use
27. Book spines: If a book is damaged beyond repair, you could upcycle the spine into a unique bookmark and even rustic clusters!
Embellishments
28. Acetate and sturdy plastic packaging: Use these to make “windows” for your journal pages and ephemera. You can see several examples of this in my “Through The Seasons” altered book journal.
29. Paint chips: These make fun colour swatches to decorate ephemera with or you can simply dangle them from the page itself.
30. Clothing tags: Perfect as dangles, mini tags and even page markers!
31. Postage stamps: Save these from the post and use them to decorate ephemera or in a collage.
32. Buttons: Save buttons from worn-out clothes and use them in fabric clusters or other cute embellishments.
33. Fabric scraps: Save every scrap possible and use them to make clusters, snippets, snippet rolls, patchwork journal covers and more. Check out my playlist on YouTube for lots of ideas >>
34. Shells, dried flowers, feathers and other things from nature: Use these to embellish your nature-themed journals and ephemera. I love using pressed leaves in my journals, so I’ve shared various ideas here.
35. Ferrero Rocher wrappers: Other chocolate brands are available! I’m using these as an example as I made some gorgeous circular clusters and faux gold leaf tags using all the parts of the wrapper.
36. Broken jewellery: Harvest chains, charms/pendants, jewellery fixings and more from broken jewellery to make various dangles and other embellishments. I’ve even made a closure using a broken bracelet!
37. Large puzzle pieces: These make fun and interesting 3D embellishments, clusters and focal points. Children’s puzzles are best as the pieces are usually bigger. You can often find these in charity and thrift stores.
Collage Backgrounds & Adding Texture
38. Foil candy wrappers: Shiny and sometimes colourful, foil makes fun collage fodder. I’ve even used silver ones to make a winter-themed journal cover before.
39. Packaging paper: Use this to give your projects a wrinkled texture or as a neutral background layer. You can even add paint, ink and more to make it look like faux leather!
40. Dried tea bags: Save your tea bags after using them and empty them once they’re dry. Now you have some vintage-inspired collage fodder!
41. Used bubble wrap: Stamp this in paint and you can make a lovely print on your tags, pages and other ephemera.
Discover More Junk Journal Ideas & Inspiration
- 21 Junk Journal Cover Ideas To Inspire You
- 10 Junk Journal Page Ideas To Inspire You
- 15 Junk Journal Tags & Journal Cards To Inspire You
- 10 Easy Junk Journal Pockets: Ideas & Tutorials
- Easy Junk Journal Embellishments: 20+ Examples & Tutorials
- 8 Ways To Use Junk Journal Embellishments (With Examples)
- 10 Junk Journal Binding Ideas & Tutorials To Inspire You
- 35+ Types Of Junk Journals You Can Try Making
- 14 Creative Things To Do In A Journal Or Notebook
- How To Keep Pressed Flowers In A Journal (7 Easy Ideas To Try!)
- 17 Fun & Festive Christmas Junk Journal Ideas
- 52 Junk Journal Prompts To Help You Write In Your Junk Journal
- Join My Free Facebook Group
- Check Out The Mahalo Clubhouse Membership
P.S. You can also find lots more ideas in my “Shop Your Trash” playlist on YouTube.
And if you enjoyed these ideas, why not pin or bookmark this blog post so you can refer back to it later?
Junk Journal Toolkit
📦 What do I need to get started?
If you’ve got paper, glue, scissors and something to bind your pages with (like a needle, thread and an awl or pokey tool), you’re good to go! Check out my essentials vs. nice-to-have supply list for more info.
🤯 I’m overwhelmed by tutorials and ideas. Where should I start?
Start with my free Mini Junk Journal Masterclass. It walks you through the process step-by-step. Even though it focuses on a mini journal, the same tips apply to any size journal.
❓ I don’t understand the terminology. Can you help?
Absolutely! My A–Z Junk Journal Glossary breaks down all those confusing terms and acronyms. Jargon be gone!
🪡 How do you keep your binding neat?
I use my bookbinding cradle to line up my holes and avoid punching too far through the pages. Smaller holes give a neater and more secure binding, and I use this thin upholstery thread for a cleaner finish.
🧵 Do I need a sewing machine?
Not necessarily! A basic sewing machine is helpful for making fabric-covered journals, but strong fabric glue can work just as well. If you stick to paper-based journals or folios, you don’t need one at all. I like the sewn look and making fabric-based journals, so I personally use a simple machine (similar to this) that’s lasted me over 10 years – it’s a trusty part of my toolkit.
🖼️ What digital papers do you use?
I use a mix of my own designs and other favourites. You can see examples here. New to digitals? Check out my mega bundle for a big saving on some of my designs or sign up for my Mahalo Clubhouse membership to get brand new digitals sent to you every month.
📜 What’s the best paper for printing digitals?
I use this 100 GSM Presentation Paper for vibrant and high-quality prints.
🖨️ What printer do you recommend?
I love my Epson Ecotank. It’s affordable, reliable and the ink lasts ages. I used to spend £30 a month on ink – now I refill just once or twice a year for under £30. While I haven’t used it myself, some other crafters recommend the HP Instant Ink program.
🖇️ What glues do you use?
My go-tos are Collall All Purpose, Cosmic Shimmer and Beacon 3-in-1. Here’s how I use each one.
📖 What books are best for junk journaling?
I love using second-hand nature and botanical books. Here are some great titles to look for next time you’re thrifting.
As a Junk Journals beginner, this is extremely useful to me, with so many I’d not thought about. Thanks Justine 👍
Aww yay, I’m so pleased to hear that Christine 🙂
Have fun! xoxo