Starting a junk journal sounds simpler than it actually is
I picked up the habit about three years ago after buying a pre-made one that fell apart within a month. The binding gave out, the paper quality was inconsistent, and I ended up spending more time repairing it than actually using it. That's when I decided to just build my own from scratch. It sounds like it should be straightforward but there are enough small details that can go wrong that I've learned some things the hard way. The core concept is basic. You take ephemeral materials — old book pages, receipt paper, scraps of fabric, dried flowers, ticket stubs, whatever you can find — and assemble them into a bound notebook you can write in. The "junk" part isn't derogatory. It just means you're working with whatever's available rather than buying expensive specialty supplies.
Essential Junk Journal Diy
Here's what I actually do when I'm building one, not what some influencer on TikTok says to do. First, gather your paper. This is the part where most people go wrong. They grab whatever scrap paper is lying around and start folding. Paper weight matters more than most people realize. If you're using printer paper or magazine pages, anything under 70gsm is going to buckle the moment you apply glue or medium. I keep a bin of slightly heavier stock — old stationery, wrapping paper reverse side, the blank backs of flyers. Eighty to ninety gsm is the sweet spot for pages that won't warp. Heavy cardstock works for covers but makes the whole thing unwieldy. You want something between 100 and 120gsm for the cover material itself. Next, the binding. This is where I wasted an entire weekend before figuring out a reliable method. The long-stitch binding works well for flat opening, which matters if you actually plan to write in the thing. I cut two pieces of scrap cardboard for the covers, making sure they're at least a half inch larger than your pages on every side. Punch four holes along the spine edge using an awl or a thick nail. Four holes is the minimum for stability. Three will cause the cover to twist over time. I found that out when the bottom corner of my first journal peeled away after about twenty uses.
For the thread, waxed linen is worth the extra cost. Regular cotton thread frays and snaps after a few months of opening and closing. Waxed linen holds its shape and doesn't require knotting as frequently. I use a needle that's thick enough to pass through the cardboard but thin enough to not split it. A tapestry needle in size 18 or 20 works fine. The stitching pattern is standard long-stitch — you go from the outside of one cover through the first page, across to the next hole on the opposite side, back through, and so on. Leave about a quarter inch between each stitch loop so the book can actually open flat without the thread digging in. Now for the interior pages. This is the fun part and also the part that eats the most time. Tear or cut your paper scraps to size, then layer them. The trick is mixing textures and opacity levels. A single layer of tissue paper over a receipt creates a completely different writing surface than plain paper alone. The receipt side has texture that grabs pencil well but repels pen. The tissue side is smooth but shows through. You'll end up choosing which side faces up depending on whether you're writing or sketching. I keep a separate stack of adhesive for attaching ephemera. Regular glue sticks leave lumps and create bumps that feel awful when you run your fingers over the page. I use a thin PVA glue applied with a small foam brush. The key is diluting it slightly with water — about a ten percent water to glue ratio — so it spreads thin and dries clear and flat. Thick glue is what causes pages to curl and stiffen over time. I learned this after making a journal where the inside pages felt like plywood after six months.
Get the Full Details
One thing nobody really warns you about: humidity. If you live anywhere with noticeable seasonal changes, your journal is going to expand and contract. I keep mine in a plastic zip bag when not in use, with a silica packet. Without that, the pages absorb moisture from the air and the binding loosens. I've had journals where the thread went slack enough that pages started falling out after a winter with central heating running constantly. It's a real problem. The silica packets are cheap and they solve it. For embellishments, resist the urge to decorate every page. I used to fill every spread with stickers, washi tape, and pressed flowers. After about a year, I had barely any blank space left to actually write in. Now I decorate maybe one page per section and leave the rest functional. The journal is supposed to be used, not displayed. If you want downloadables or printable elements to incorporate — vintage maps, typewriter-style text, decorative borders — there are decent free repositories online. Craft glee has a solid selection, and papertreasures offers some older scan packs that look genuinely aged rather than digitally manufactured. The digital prints look fine for backgrounds but tend to look fake when printed and then handled frequently. Nothing replaces the look of actual aged paper with real foxing and edge wear.
What goes wrong and how to fix it
Books that won't stay closed are the most common failure point. This happens when your page block is too thick for the binding tension. If you're using more than forty to fifty sheets, switch to a hardercover binding or add a closure strap. A simple elastic band threaded through the back cover keeps everything compressed. Without it, the journal opens on its own and pages get bent at the corners from sitting that way. Another issue is ink bleeding through layers. If you use fountain pens or wet media, even moderately thick paper will show through after a while. I solved this by adding a dedicated backing layer of slightly heavier paper behind any page I knew I'd be writing on heavily. It's extra work upfront but it prevents the frustration of writing something you like and then having it show through to the next page like a ghost image. The biggest mistake I see beginners make is over-decorating the cover before understanding the structure. A beautifully decorated cover that falls apart is useless. Get the binding right first. Make sure it opens flat, stays closed when shut, and the pages don't catch on each other. Decoration comes after. I usually wait until after a few weeks of actual use before adding anything to the cover. That way I know how the journal behaves in practice rather than in theory.
Junk journaling isn't expensive if you source materials properly. Most of what I use comes from recycling bins, thrift stores, or free sections on local buy-and-sell groups. The total cost for a journal that would set you back twenty to thirty dollars pre-made is usually under five dollars if you already have basic tools. The tradeoff is time. A properly made journal takes me about three to four hours from start to finish, mostly because I'm selective about which paper scraps make the cut. But the result is something that actually lasts and feels like it belongs to me rather than something mass-produced. If you're just starting, make one small journal with ten to fifteen pages. Don't invest in a big project until you've figured out which binding method and paper weights work for your hands and your writing style. I spent months avoiding the long-stitch method because I thought it was too complicated, then realized it took me fifteen minutes once I understood the pattern. The learning curve is steeper at the beginning but the results are noticeably better than glue-bound or stapled alternatives.
