Junk Journaling for Beginners: The Complete Guide by Craftywafty
Junk journalling for beginners starts with a single, liberating truth: nothing needs to match, and torn edges are a feature rather than a flaw. A junk journal is a handmade book assembled from paper scraps, old envelopes, cereal boxes, packaging, and anything else lying around the house, no specialist tools required.
This junk journalling for beginners guide covers everything you need: the core mindset, four supplies you already own, where to find free ephemera across the UK, one complete binding method with step-by-step instructions, and eight page layouts to fill your first journal. Many new Craftywafties ask how to begin, and our usual advice is always the same: start scruffier than you think you should. Everything else follows naturally from there.
Key takeaways
- Four things get you started: a base, paper scraps, adhesive, and scissors. Most beginners already own all four.
- A5 is the best size: fold an A4 sheet in half and you have an instant signature at the most popular UK junk journal size.
- Pamphlet stitch is the easiest bind: three holes, one length of thread, and your pages are secured in minutes.
- Free ephemera is everywhere: charity shops, Freecycle groups, UK museum websites, and public-domain archives all supply material at no cost.
- One signature is enough: aim for 8 to 10 folded sheets for your first journal to keep binding manageable and avoid bulk.
- Perfectionism is optional: the aesthetic of junk journalling celebrates imperfection, so an uneven stitch or mismatched paper is part of the charm, not a mistake.
What is a junk journal, exactly?
The "use what you have" philosophy
The mindset behind junk journalling is one of the most liberating things about it. There are no mandatory themes, no colour palettes to coordinate, and no rules about what counts as a valid page. Old book pages, packaging, envelopes, stamps, receipts, and anything else you would otherwise discard all count as valid supplies, and the informality is precisely what makes the finished result feel personal and lived-in rather than sterile. You follow your curiosity, work with whatever materials are to hand, and let each page reflect your mood, memories, or interests. Many makers describe the process as genuinely meditative: the value lies in gathering, touching, and arranging paper; the finished object is almost secondary.
How it differs from scrapbooking and art journalling
Scrapbooking typically centres on photographs and coordinated paper kits, with layouts designed to document specific memories in an organised, polished way. Art journalling leans further into painting, mixed media, and visual expression, often starting with a feeling or idea rather than a material. Junk journalling sits between the two: it is tactile and text-rich, built on found materials rather than bought ones, and the making of the book itself is part of the craft. You may sometimes hear the term "junkbooking" used informally in the community as a synonym, particularly in online groups and YouTube communities.
How to start junk journalling for beginners: supplies and first steps
The four things you already own
The core supply list for a first junk journal is deliberately short. You need a base (an old notebook, exercise book, folded scrap paper, or a cereal box repurposed as a cover), paper scraps (junk mail, magazines, receipts, envelopes, packaging, tickets, paper bags, or old book pages), adhesive (a standard glue stick or household tape works perfectly well), and scissors plus a pen. That is genuinely all. The goal of a first journal is to discover whether you enjoy the process, so there is no sense spending money before you know the answer.
Resist the temptation to stock up on washi tape, stickers, stamps, specialty papers, or binding tools before you have made anything. Found items provide more than enough decoration at no cost, and buying supplies too early often shifts the focus away from making and towards accumulating.
Cutting signatures and covers to size
For an A5 (148 × 210 mm), cut each unfolded signature sheet to 296 × 210 mm, then fold it in half along the longer edge. For an A6 pocket journal (105 × 148 mm), cut each unfolded sheet to 210 × 148 mm and fold in half. To see all paper sizing and folding options see the paper size and gsm guide.
A5 is the most popular size for UK junk journal makers because it uses standard A4 paper with no trimming at all, which makes it the most practical starting point. Cut covers slightly larger than your pages: add roughly 3 mm overhang on each outer edge so the cover protects the pages inside.
When a curated kit removes the guesswork
Gathering scraps freely is satisfying, but it can feel scattered when you are making your first journal and have no sense of what works together yet. For beginners who want a more cohesive starting point without losing the handmade process, we stock curated junk journal supply packs at Craftywafty Shop. These bring together mixed papers, ephemera, and embellishments chosen to work beautifully together, so you spend less time second-guessing and more time actually making.
Where do I find free ephemera for journalling in the UK?
Local sources worth checking first
Charity shops are a very good source of free or near-free ephemera. Look for old magazines, sheet music, calendars, postcards, sewing patterns, and damaged board games, and ask whether they have unsellable paper they would otherwise recycle. Public libraries often discard newspapers, withdrawn maps, and event leaflets, and many have free community shelves where material is left for the taking. Local businesses such as print shops, estate agents, florists, and interior-design studios regularly discard misprints, discontinued sample books, and obsolete promotional material, and most are happy to give these away if you ask.
Freecycle and Freegle groups are worth joining for paper bundles, wallpaper sample books, and craft supplies posted by people clearing out at home. Car-boot sales are reliable for mixed bundles of postcards, stamps, old stationery, and sheet music at very low cost. If you want to spend a small amount, Etsy UK has physical mixed-paper packs commonly available for under £10, as well as digital ephemera downloads typically priced between £1 and £5.
Free printables and UK digital archive resources
Wikimedia Commons, the Internet Archive (including Flickr Commons), and the British Library's digital collections all supply public-domain scans of botanical illustrations, old maps, historical advertisements, and manuscripts at no cost. Sites such as The Graphics Fairy and Printable Pretty offer large archives of vintage printable ephemera, including journal cards, pockets, and collage sheets, always confirm the reuse licence on each site before downloading, as terms vary. For a DIY journal binding project using printable elements, print several designs per A4 sheet in economy mode on the reverse of used office paper to keep costs at zero.
Which binding method should I choose for my first journal?
Pamphlet stitch is the best all-round choice for a beginner. It uses folded pages, requires only a needle, thread, and something sharp to pierce holes, and produces a sturdy, attractive result that can hold a reasonable number of pages. It also works well with mixed-weight papers, which is handy when you are sewing together reclaimed materials of varying thickness. The table below compares the three most common options so you can see at a glance what each one involves.
|
Method
|
Pages Required | Tools Needed | Difficulty |
| Saddle stitch (stapled) | Folded signatures | Long-arm stapler | Easiest |
| Pamphlet stitch | Folded signatures | Needle, thread, awl | Beginner |
| Japanese stab binding | Flat, unfolded sheets | Needle, thread, awl | Beginner |
How to sew the three-hole pamphlet stitch
Follow these steps in order and your pages will be bound securely once you have practised the stitch a couple of times.
- Fold your pages and cover in half to form one signature, then clamp the stack so it does not shift.
- Mark three holes along the fold: approximately 2 to 3 cm from the top, one at the centre, and one approximately 2 to 3 cm from the bottom.
- Pierce all three holes from the inside outward using an awl or thick needle.
- Cut thread to roughly three times the height of the book, plus a little extra for tying.
- Start from outside at the top hole, leaving a 5 to 8 cm tail on the inside.
- Pass through the top hole to the inside, skip the middle hole, and push the needle out through the bottom hole.
- Wrap the thread around the outside spine and re-enter through the middle hole, moving from outside to inside.
- Tie the working thread and the starting tail around the long outside stitch. Knot firmly and trim the ends, or leave them as decorative tails.
Japanese stab binding for a looser, decorative feel
If you prefer to work with flat, unfolded sheets rather than folded signatures, Japanese stab binding is worth trying. All pages are stacked unfolded, holes are pierced 1.5 to 2.5 cm from one edge, and the thread wraps visibly along the spine for a decorative effect. The finished journal opens completely flat, which is particularly useful for ephemera-heavy pages where folded signatures would become too bulky. It is an especially satisfying method once you have completed your first pamphlet-stitch journal and want to try something new.
What do I put on the pages?
Eight beginner page layouts to try first
Staring at a blank page is the most common reason beginners stall after binding their first journal. These eight layouts give you a reliable starting point for every spread, and none of them require artistic training or specialist tools.
- Single-anchor page: one focal piece (a postcard, ticket, or image) layered over two or three background scraps, with a small note tucked underneath
- Simple collage: five or six overlapping scraps of book page, wrapping paper, or magazine, with some of the original page still visible so it does not feel overcrowded
- Vertical flow: a strip of lace, washi tape, or images running from top to bottom of the page, with a label or tag near the centre
- Corner cluster: a small layered group in one corner using torn paper, a stamp, and a bit of ribbon, with the rest of the page left open for writing
- Pocket and peek page: a pocket at the bottom with the top of a tag or card visible above it
- Facing-page spread: a repeated colour or motif across both pages, varied in placement so the spread feels coordinated rather than identical
- Photo or image page: one large image with a journalling card underneath for a date or caption
- Art journal ideas page: a lightly inked background with stamped or stencilled marks and one line of handwriting
For an in depth read on layouts visit our Junk Journal Page Ideas & Layout Guide by Craftywafty.
Making your first pocket or tuck
Pockets and tucks are what give junk journals their distinctive interactive quality: the joy of pulling out a hidden tag or card is part of what makes the format so compelling. The three easiest options for a beginner are an envelope pocket (glued to the page with the flap open), a fold-up pocket (a strip of paper with its bottom third folded up and both sides glued, leaving the top open), and a belly band (a horizontal strip glued only at both ends so that tags and cards slide behind it).
Use sturdy cardstock for any pocket that will hold several items, and glue only the edges that need to be fixed so inserts slide in and out easily. None of these techniques require precise measuring, and all three work perfectly well with ordinary household paper.
Start your junk journalling for beginners project this week
Everything you need to make your first junk journal is almost certainly already in your home. Gather four basic supplies, cut a simple A5 signature by folding an A4 sheet in half (or fold an A5 sheet in half for A6), sew a three-hole pamphlet stitch, and fill the first three pages using the single-anchor layout. Keep your first journal to one signature of 8 to 10 sheets so the binding stays manageable and the finished book does not develop an unwieldy spine. That is a complete, real junk journal, made entirely from materials you already owned.
Before spending anything, source your ephemera from charity shops and UK archive printables. The Graphics Fairy, Printable Pretty, and Wikimedia Commons all offer genuinely beautiful material at no cost, and a single afternoon at your local charity shop can often yield enough paper for several journals. When you are ready to add more specialist materials to your practice, the Craftywafty Shop stocks curated paper packs and ephemera bundles chosen with junk journal makers firmly in mind, alongside brands such as 49 and Market, Graphic 45 and Stamperia that are not always easy to find in UK craft chains. Our Craft Project Digital Downloads and video tutorials Youtube @craftywaftyshop are there whenever you want a more structured project to follow.
Junk journalling is not about producing a finished result worth displaying. It is about spending time with paper, discovering what resonates, and enjoying the process of making something entirely your own.
Welcome to the Craftywafties, we are glad you are here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much paper do I need for a first junk journal?
One signature of 8 to 10 folded sheets is enough for your first junk journal. We recommend this size because it keeps the binding manageable and avoids an unwieldy spine, while still giving you several pages to practise layouts and techniques.
Can children take part in junk journalling with us?
Yes, junk journalling is suitable for beginners because it needs no specialist tools and uses everyday household materials. We suggest supervising scissors and any piercing tools, and letting children enjoy tearing, gluing and arranging scraps within those safety limits.
How should we avoid making the journal too bulky or difficult to bind?
Keep your first journal to a single signature of 8 to 10 folded sheets and use A5 size (folded A4) to make cutting and folding straightforward. We also advise using mixed-weight papers carefully and choosing pamphlet stitch, which handles reclaimed materials well without creating excessive bulk.