Creating a Junk Journal

     So I found out about a little thing called Junk Journaling and now I'm obsessed. I've journaled on and off the majority of my life. I usually get bored with it and end up throwing my beloved journal in the back of a closet. I've been looking at bullet journals on YouTube and have been going back and forth about whether I like the idea or not. Then a couple of months ago, YouTube suggested a channel called Johanna Clough and I immediately binged all of her videos. She creates the most intricate, eclectic journals and shows her viewers how she makes them. Johanna prefers vintage children's books with quirky illustrations and different types/weights of paper. The end result is always beautiful and completely unique.

     After watching her videos I knew I had to make one. I went to a few thrift shops before finding a book that I liked and could bear tearing the pages out of. I did my research on the book before ripping it apart since I'm a strong believer in keeping vintage/antique items (of value) in tact. After that, my boyfriend, Josh, and I removed the pages and started measuring the spine. We worked out how many pages to put in each signature and how many signatures would fit in the book. Josh sewed in the signatures and made sure each one was evenly spaced. I decided not to alter the original cover since it's what drew me to the book. Once the signatures are sewn in, the bare bones of the junk journal is done.

     Now comes the best part.... the decorating! As I mentioned in my last post, Josh and I are currently in North Carolina staying with his dad and step-mom until he finds a job. Lucky for me, his stepmom is really into crafts and frequents estate sales. She has anything you could want for any type of crafting, including lots of vintage sewing items. With her permission, I explored her craft room and was able to find a lot of what I needed for my junk journal. I used a lot of fabric and buttons for tabs. I found old adverts in a quilting book. I found envelopes and tickets. Anything that I liked the look of, I added to my journal.

     The best part of creating your own junk journal is that it's completely unique. Everything you add is something that you picked because YOU liked it! The more you add to the journal the better. It's okay if patterns clash or if it's too cluttered... that's why it's called Junk Journaling.