How to make a junk journal ---- by Cristina Parus @ creativemag.ro
Art Journaling

The Junk Journal Project

As the days are getting shorter and the time spent outdoors decrease, it’s the perfect moment to start a new journal, especially when you can create your own journal out of junk you already have around you: envelopes, cards, tickets, notes, product tags, old book pages, newspapers, etc., you name it! There are plenty of stuff I gather around all the time with my mind set to stick them in a journal, glue them down or paint over them, but never found the proper place for them to try. Well, how about a junk journal? I don’t know why I haven’t thought about this before, or better say, why I haven’t done it before, because I’ve seen wonderful junk journals and always wanted to make one.

O data cu scurtarea zilelor si limitarea timpului petrecut pe afara, e momentul perfect sa incepi un nou jurnal, mai ales cand iti poti face prorpiul jurnal din lucruri pe care deja le ai in jurul tau: plicuri, carduri, bilete, notite, etichete de la produse, pagini din carti vechi, ziare, etc. orice-ti trece prin cap! Strang o gramada de lucruri tot timpul cu gandul c-o sa le folosesc intr-un jurnal, c-o sa le lipesc sau c-o sa pictez peste ele, dar nu am gasit niciodata locul perfect pentru a incerca asta. Ei bine, ce-ai spune de un jurnal cu nimicuri sau junk journal? Nu stiu de ce nu m-am gandit pana acum la asta – sau, mai bine zis – de ce nu am facut unul pana acum, pentru ca am vazut o multime de jurnale junk cu am vrut mereu sa fac si eu unul.

Front cover of the junk journal by Cristina Parus @ creativemag.ro

There are several ways you can bind loose pages/paper/items in a journal, and among all of them I suppose I chose the easiest one: using washi tape to stick all the elements together. This way I can add as I go and build my journal as large as I want it to be.

Sunt mai multe posibilitati prin care puteti lega pagini/hartie/diverse elemente in jurnal, iar printre acestea cred ca am ales-o pe cea mai usoara: lipirea tuturor elementelor cu banda adeziva washi tape. In felul asta pot adauga noi elemente pe masura ce le gasesc si pot face jurnalul cat de mare doresc.

the spine of the junk journal by Cristina Parus @ creativemag.ro

How you start a junk journal? And what is a junk journal? Of course, a junk journal is made out of things you would normally throw away, but for some reason you kept them in your stash. If you don’t have such items, you can still make your own junk journal base out of packaging paper and then add stuff on it as you go. 

Cum incepi un jurnal din nimicuri/junk journal? Si ce e un jurnal facut din nimicuri? Bineinteles, un junk journal este facut din lucruri pe care in mod normal le-ai arunca, dar dintr-un anumit motiv le-ai pastrat printr-un sertar. Daca nu dispui de astfel de lucruri, tot poti sa-ti faci un astfel de jurnal folosind o baza din hartie de impachetat in care mai apoi sa adaugi elemente pe masura ce le gasesti.

binding the journal together by Cristina Parus @ creativemag.ro

Add all kinds of paper, stamps, stencils, inserts, whatever you have at hand ready to be stashed together in your junk journal. I’ve made the cover using a paper bag from Starbucks and then strengthen with a cardboard envelope. 

Adauga tot felul de hartii, stampile, sabloane, inserturi, tot ce ai la indemana si-ti face cu ochiul si care vrei sa fie atasat la jurnal. Coperta este facuta dintr-o punga de la Starbucks si intarita apoi cu un plic cartonat.

Random pages in my junk journal - by Cristina Parus @ creativemag.ro

These are only a few pages inside my junk journal, but I will continue to add more. The pages are not finished, I can paint, draw, sketch, whaever the paper allows, or maybe just collage something inspiring. 

Acestea sunt doar cateva pagini din interiorul jurnalului meu, dar am sa continui sa adaug si mai multe. Paginile nu sunt terminate, as putea sa pictez, sa desenez, sa schitez, orice permite tipul de hartie, sau poate doar sa adaug colaje cu ceva ce ma inspira.

Random pages in my junk journal - by Cristina Parus @ creativemag.ro

City maps are a great way to enhance your journals. And product bags are too!

Hartile oraselor sunt un mod excelent de a da valoare jurnalelor. La fel si pungile (din hartie) ale produselor!

Random pages in my junk journal - by Cristina Parus @ creativemag.ro

Flyers and old drawings look great in a junk journal. The flyer you see in the left side of the journal is from a trip to Barcelona, and the face in the right is drawn with watercolor pencils (later activated with water) on a . . . printer paper! Nothing fancy! 

Fluturasii si desene mai vechi arata si ele bine intr-un junk journal. Fluturasul pe care il vedeti in partea stanga il am dintr-o excursie la Barcelona, iar in dreapta fata a fost desenata cu creioane acuarelabile (activate mai apoi cu apa) pe o . . . hartie de printer! Nimic extravagant!

junk journal made out of printer paper - by Cristina Parus @ creativemag.ro

And without even knowing, when I first started with art journaling, my first journal was made out of printer paper using cardboard covers! At that time I wasn’t aware of the variety of paper types and weights, so I started simple, on printer paper 😉

How about you? Have you started your own junk journal? What items do you collect inside? You like it neat and well balanced or maybe you prefer it to be just like mine, mixed with all kind of things and papers inside?

Si fara ca macar sa stiu, cand am inceput cu art journalingul, primul meu jurnal a fost facut din hartie de printer cu coperti din carton! Pe vremea aia nu stiam cate varietati de hartie sunt si cate gramaje, asa ca am inceput simplu, pe hartie de printer 😉

Dar tu? Ti-ai facut propriul jurnal din nimicuri? Ce ai vrea sa colectionezi in el? Ai vrea sa fie curat si bine armonizat, sau preferi unul asa ca al meu, in care sa amesteci tot felul de lucruri si harti in interiorul acestuia?

Pe curand,
Cristina

17 thoughts on “The Junk Journal Project

  1. What a great idea, I really like your blog by the way. The only thing I don’t completely understand is how you bind the papers with the washi tape. Can you explain that a little further? Thank you so much.

    Warmly,
    Alice

    1. Hi there! You simply attach every piece of paper with washi tape (or regular tape) and they stay all together.

  2. I like how you incorporated that brown paper bag with the handles. it’s just too cute!

    I own a scrap journal too. I glue little paintings there + some mementos from my two little girls. They like to make tiny drawings and they make a lot every day. I can’t keep them all, but the really good ones I glue to my scrap journal and then write something about them. 🙂

    1. Hey Connie! Thanks for stopping by and sorry for the late reply!
      I just don’t call it scrap journal, it’s junk journal because it’s made out of material pieces I would throw away otherwise. 😉
      It’s nice to have your children’s marks on your journal, isn’t it?! They add an interesting and unique impression!

      Hugs&love,

  3. Vaaai, la cate hartiute si plicuri am stranse pe aici, as putea face si eu un jurnal asa. Da nu prea am tragere sa ma apuc, cred ca asta e cel mai greu pas,,,pana te apuci de treaba!

    Foarte frumos jurnalul, astept sa vad ce mai desenezi in el!

    Roxana

    1. Roxana, daca te apuci si incerci sa faci un junk jurnal, nu ezita sa=mi lasi un link in comentarii, mi-ar placea sa vad ce-a iesit!

  4. What an inspiring article! I love your junk journal! Mine is not that impressive, but heck, it’s mine and I like it. I’ll have to add more pages to it, it’s sure to be too thin. But I’m waiting for an Etsy order to come. I got some really nice cool stuff to put inside 😁

    1. I’m so happy you liked my junk journal, it’s true there are many others that are even fancier than mine, but yes, this is mine and I love it, just like you love yours. That’s all about creating new original stuff, it’s unique and special!

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