Have you ever been scrolling through Pinterest or browsing a digital shop and wondered, "Wait, are those stickers or fussy cuts?"  When I first started junk journaling, the terminology was so confusing! If you’ve been puzzled by these terms, don't worry, you're not alone. Today, I’m breaking down the mystery and giving you a free Winter Themed Printable Sticker Set to help you get started. The Big Secret: They're the Same Thing! It turns out that stickers and fussy cuts are

We all know that feeling. You sit down at your desk, surrounded by your lovely stash. Papers, stickers, and ephemera. You open your junk journal to a fresh, blank page. Ready to create magic. And then… you freeze. Sometimes having too many options is just as overwhelming as having none at all. How do you begin? Where do you start? Does this match that? Here's an easy way to get started on that blank page. Choose a style or color palette from the list below. Then start pulling

When you first start junk journaling, you might feel like you need an entire glossary! The first word I heard that confused me was clusters. Clusters? Mm, clusters of what, exactly? It turns out clusters are just that - clusters of paper that you turn into a mini collage! It's a small grouping of scraps and ephemera glued together to make a stand alone embellishment.  A cluster is the perfect touch to finish the cover or a page in your junk journal. They're also a great way

If you’ve just discovered the world of junk journaling - welcome! I know you’re excited and ready to start. Maybe you’ve got your scissors and glue, and you've pulled up a YouTube tutorial to help you get started making your first book. But within the first two minutes, the crafter says something like: "I’m going to sew this signature into the spine using a pamphlet stitch. Next, we’ll add a belly band to hold some fussy cuts and ephemera." Wait. What? If you feel like you wa

Christmas comes with small moments that feel nice to hold onto. A warm drink, a quiet evening. Hearing a familiar song, or the sound of wrapping paper on the floor are just a few of the tiny memories from the holiday. These little things pass by fast, and it's fun to have a place to keep them. A junk journal is easy to start and doesn’t need perfect pages. It can be a calm space to save your season in a way that feels personal. Your handwriting doesn't have to be perfect, it

When you sit down to make a junk journal page, it can be hard to know where to start. You’ve got scraps, photos, tags, stickers, envelopes, and pretty paper. But how do you bring it all together?  Some simple design principles can help you create beautiful pages. Start with the composition of your page. Composition is the artsy word for how you arrange your elements. Good composition makes a page feel balanced and complete. It guides the eye around the page and creates a sof

Fabric adds a lovely touch to a junk journal. It gives your pages texture and warmth that paper alone can’t. The best part is that you don’t need a sewing machine or fancy tools to use it. A few scraps and some glue will do the job. This article may contain affiliate links. This means that I might earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.  Fabric adds instant warmth! Here's how I used one strip from a jelly roll in three different ways on a sing

If you've got a pile of cute stuff for your junk journal, collage can be a fun and easy way to turn it into a page. Collage is a forgiving style and you don't need a lot of equipment. Just some scissors and glue is enough to get started. Collaging in your junk journal is a fun way to tell a story on the page. Collage isn't about making everything perfect. It’s about layering little pieces of your world in a way that feels good to you.  This article may contain affiliate link