Junk Journal Themes: Ideas for Pages and Books
- Colleen McCarthy
- Sep 29
- 4 min read
When you sit down to make a junk journal page, sometimes it helps to have a theme in mind. A theme gives your page a sense of direction. It can tie together the colors, the words, and the pieces of ephemera you choose. Most of all, it sparks creativity and makes the process more enjoyable.
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Here are some themes you can try the next time you’re working on your journal.
Travel and Adventure
If you love to travel, try building a spread around a trip you’ve taken—or even a place you’d like to go one day. Collect maps, ticket stubs, brochures, or photos to use as decoration. A postcard from your destination can be the perfect centerpiece. Even small adventures like a day at the park or a road trip can inspire creative pages.
Travel Theme Ideas:
Favorite city or country you’ve visited
A road trip playlist with doodles of cars and maps
Day trip to a local landmark
Dream travel bucket list spread
Vintage suitcase, compass, and globe ephemera
Everyday Life
Not every theme has to be big and bold. Everyday moments often make the most meaningful pages. You could create a spread about your morning coffee ritual, a favorite meal, or a weekend hobby. Recipes, to-do lists, and cozy home photos all work beautifully.
Everyday Life Theme Ideas:
Morning routine with sketches of coffee mugs
A recipe card or grocery list
Snapshot of your desk or creative workspace
Favorite TV show or podcast notes
A “day in the life” timeline
Nature and Outdoors
Nature always makes a beautiful theme. You can focus on flowers, forests, beaches, or gardens. Try pressing real leaves or flowers to include in your journal. Print or sketch your favorite plants and animals. Think about the colors you see outside—green grass, blue skies, golden sunsets—and let them guide your design.
Nature and Outdoors Theme Ideas:
Pressed flowers or leaf rubbings
Butterfly or bird illustrations
Beach shells, waves, and soft sandy colors
Garden planting log or seed packet collages
Forest walk memories with pinecones and trees
Seasonal or Holiday Themes
One of the easiest ways to get started is by creating pages inspired by the seasons. Think about spring with soft florals and pastel colors, or summer with bright skies, sunshine, and beach trips. Fall can bring cozy tones, leaves, and pumpkins, while winter pages might include snowflakes, warm drinks, and holiday celebrations.
Seasonal or Holiday Theme Ideas:
Spring: cherry blossoms, Easter, gardening notes
Summer: beach days, ice cream, fireworks, travel plans
Fall: pumpkins, autumn leaves, cozy sweaters, harvest festivals
Winter: snowflakes, Christmas, New Year reflections, hot cocoa
Personal Growth and Reflection
Your junk journal can also be a space for self-reflection. Gratitude lists, affirmations, or pages about your goals can all become meaningful themes. Add inspiring quotes or write about your current mood. You could even create a vision board style spread using magazine clippings and words that represent your dreams.
Personal Growth and Reflection Theme Ideas:
Gratitude list with decorative borders
Affirmation cards tucked into envelopes
A mood tracker using doodled icons
Vision board collage with magazine cutouts
Quotes that inspire you, written in decorative lettering
Creative and Artistic Themes
Sometimes the theme can simply be creativity itself. Make a collage using leftover scraps. Choose one color and design an entire spread around it. Use paints, markers, or stamps to create texture and pattern. These pages are less about documenting and more about exploring your artistic side.
Creative and Artistic Theme Ideas:
All-blue or all-pink page with matching scraps
Collage of leftover paper and washi tape
Paint splatter backgrounds with doodles
Stamp collection showcase
Doodle challenge: one sketch per day for a week
Nostalgia and Memories
Junk journals are a natural place for nostalgia. You could create pages about childhood memories, family traditions, or favorite past times. Try adding old photos, handwritten letters, or vintage magazine cutouts. Lean into retro colors and patterns if you enjoy that style.
Nostalgia and Memories Theme Ideas:
Old family photos with lace or fabric scraps
Childhood toys or favorite books
Handwritten recipes from grandparents
Vintage magazine clippings or postcards
Holiday traditions from your past
Special Interests and Hobbies
Another idea is to make pages about your personal interests. This could be music, books, or films that inspire you. You might design a spread around your favorite author or album. If you have a hobby like gardening, cooking, or sewing, fill a page with notes, sketches, and related ephemera. It’s a fun way to celebrate what makes you unique.
Special Interest and Hobbies Theme Ideas:
Music playlist with lyrics or ticket stubs from concerts
Book notes with quotes and character sketches
A spread about a favorite movie
Garden notes with seed packets and plant drawings
Sewing or crafting with fabric swatches and thread cards
Themes as Starting Points
Remember, themes aren’t rules you need to follow. You can use any theme as a starting point. They can help when you feel stuck or unsure what to create. Once you get started, let your creativity take over.
You can follow one theme for a whole journal, or switch them up with every new page. Keep a running list of ideas so you always have inspiration nearby. Most importantly, let your pages reflect you, in whatever way feels right at the time.
Need More Inspiration?
Visit the Members section for free downloads of themed printable pages for junk journals or scrapbooks. There's no obligation, it's just an easy spot to collect all my free downloads. After you join you can download as many as you'd like.
You can get in the fall mood with this free autumn themed set:
Sign up for the free membership here:
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