Themed Junk Journal Ideas

I want to make a junk journal about books, reading, libraries.......

Cindy Burkhalter Books by Burk has a YouTube video (25:22) that' all about making a junk journal with this theme!  She's titled it Junk Journal Flip Through.   Lots of great page and paper ideas. (In particular, she sews, but hand, sort of sloppily, around a journaling card.  LOVE IT!)

Book Journaling by Elaine has a video (33:10) showing her 2024/2025 journal.  It's tall and has three signatures, each one being a different subject.....Signature 1 is Lists, Signature 2 is Challenges, and Signature 3 is Reviews and Annotations.  That's the part that interests me most....she uses photocopies of the book covers with just a few handwritten notes on ripped paper.  Some are large, some are small.  I think I'd scatter all three types of journaling throughout my book, starting at the beginning and following somewhat in date order as the year proceeds..... This video is titled My Vintage Reading Journal Flip-Through: Junk Journal Style with Freebies and Kits.  Go right to the third section for inspiration.

One Page Wonders Using 12 x 12 Paper

You can do so much using a 12 x 12 piece of paper!  Here's my first attempt, guided by #cathysgardenyoutubechannel. She's title it "One Page Wonder - Mini Journal - Journal Making":

find it here.

Flip Flop File Album One Sheet Wonder from two pieces of double sided 6 x 12 inch paper.  Pinkstrawberryz.  Find it here.  This is a Christmas one, which is exactly what I'd like to make!

Cathy's Garden uses a double-side sheet (a rectangle a bit smaller than 12 x 12) to make a three-fold tuck-in with three pockets.  Cool!  Find it here.

LeNai Creates made a folio/flip page booklet from one piece of double-sided 12 x 12.  This is the way I made the gift card holder for Laura's birthday...and she asked me to make two more for her.  Then I made four more for my Book Club buddies.  The YouTube video is here.

Pinkstrawberryz makes a "One Page Wonder Christmas Passport Book Folio" that ends up being 6-inches tall with lots of pockets and a flip page in the middle.  It took her no time at all to make.  Here's the video.  I like her videos, she doesn't spend a whole lot of extra talking time...and uses all sorts of different glues.

This cool one-page wonder is made from a sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper, looks complicated but is super simple!  Liz the Paper Project has oodles of one-page wonders.  See this one here.

Misc. Junk Journal Ideas

Mini file tab pocket folder using one 6 x 6 single-sided sheet of paper

Find it here.  #Septeria18  (really great for gift card holder)

Shanouki Art makes a "waterfall" notebook/stack of papers that fill the page from top to bottom.  Looks great!  Check out the video.

Shanouki Art also makes Index cards with Tim Holtz numbers - the background of the ordinary index card looks SO fun....first a few collaged tiny pieces of book pages, then a little white gesso wiped on with a finger....some spray Distress ink, splats of white and black acrylic paint, then some Tim Holtz numbers.  Very cool!  Here's the video.

Root Pursuit came up with lots of ingenious ways to use Christmas washi tap to make all sorts of cool ephemera in her Lots of Great Christmas Washi Ideas video.  Absolutely must make a mess of these.

Shanouki Art makes simple simple simple page corner to glue onto random junk journal pages when prepping the journal.  Wonderful!  See how here.

Okay, THIS is COOL!  Crafted by Christy takes long, torn up (plain and with words) strips and puts them into a container (could be a cardboard box, could be a dollar store 9 x 13 plastic...) then sprays them with different colored distress sprays.  You could even dribble on acrylic paint.  She wears cheap- plastic covers so that she can use her hands to mix all the papers up between sprayings - this distributes the ink all over.  After they all dry, she collages with them!  Gorgeous ---- and FUN!  Here's the YouTube.

Happy Paper People uses six layers of paper, circle punches, and paper glaze to mass make paper buttons!  Her 8-minute video is here.  

And Shanouki Art has her own take on this, gluing layers of cardstock together and then putting glitter (using double stick tape) around the outside!  You don't have to use the glitter, and her way to glue the layers together using a paint brush is super!  Try it....here!

Sleepless Page has 20 really fun scrap ideas...she just shares them, many need no step-by-step instructions, but she does refer to a tutorial if she's made one.  There are MANY cute, quick ideas here that I'd like to try.  Video's here.