A Junk Journaling Journey

It all started with a Tik Tok that piqued my interest, which I then shared on my Instagram, and to my shock had several friends actually show genuine interest in joining me in this creative project. Crafting AND snail mail AND friends? This shit was made for me. 

I compiled everyone into an IG group and got to work on our swap schedule. It was tricky to make sure all eight of us were receiving a new journal every two weeks. But I did manage to finally come up with a pretty great, color-coded schedule, all with my real human brain using no AI whatsoever! Hair flick. But also stop using AI cause it’s killing the planet and making everyone a dum dum!

We all started out with our own journal. We decorated the front, back, and a few pages in between to get it going before we all shipped to the first person on the handy dandy schedule. There were two weeks in between each swap which was what we all agreed upon in the beginning. We started in August and if everything went to plan we'd all have our journals back before Thanksgiving. 

But things didn’t go totally to plan and this type A brain of mine had to accept that over and over again. Journals were late, some got backed up, or went on a side quest to an old address and we thought two journals were lost forever but turns out a postcard and kindness go a long way and they were recovered a month later. HA! Phew.

Some people were already friends and others didn't know anyone but me. I was of course the only one in the group with a connection to everyone so my experience was certainly more personal with every single journal that passed through my hands. I love that my friends got to know one another via art, handwritten words, and of course the IG group chat. 

There were no rules as far as what you could do with each journal. Fill out a single page or 10. Write your inner thoughts or finally stick those stickers you’ve been hoarding. Doodle, paint, or sew (shout out to Lauren for some truly cool paper sewing!). Literally whatever you wanted to do. Whatever spoke to you in that moment with that particular journal. Some of my favorite journal additions were when there was a page that asked a question or asked everyone to join in somehow. I loved the community in creating something together. 

For me, I did a little bit of everything in every single journal. Everyone got at least a page of the inner workings of my fucked up brain. Everyone got some kind of pieced together art using all kinds of things I collected in my recent and past life.  I was of the mindset nothing is trash and pretty much everything could be repurposed. I’m talking regular shit like ticket stubs and receipts but also weird shit like cat claws (no cats were harmed in the making of Liz’s journal page!) and a stick of 35 year old gum. If you scroll down you’ll see my current list of wacky materials. 

This was so creatively fulfilling for me that I finished every single journal within a couple days of receiving them. Not only that, but I had so much more to give that I created an "overflow" junk journal for when I was in between Sisterhood journals but needed to get it out of my system. 

I love the way it has changed my view on how I see everything. I'm constantly looking at the most mundane thing and asking myself "What could I make out of that?", which is a really fun game to play with myself and my imagination. There was a true thrill when Dianna and I were at Liz's going away party and we were told to take the decorations, we looked at one another and screamed "JUNK JOURNAL!". Also it's been so sweet when others who do not have any interest in junk journaling have saved me things I might like to use in my own.

Pro tip: Elmer's purple glue sticks were what I used on 90% of everything and worked SO WELL. The other 10% was just regular scotch tape and Elmer's glue (best for thicker items). 

Here some of my favorite pages that I created whether it be in one of my own journals or others:

Materials used: pamphlet from work, stickers from my therapist, photos from my 40th

Materials used: magazines, part of a bumper sticker, leftover books from my book nook

Materials used: calendars, magazines, sheet music, a map, candy wrappers

Materials used: leftover velvet ribbon, wrapping paper, hole punches, glossier postcard ad

Secret: Can you guess who cut out each star? Dianna, Liz, & Nicole... I'll never get over the last one for as long as I live. HAAAA!

Materials used: junk mail, real wax seals, pricing sticker

Secret: I wrote answers under all of the yellow petals - like a magic 8 ball in flower form.

Materials used: old and new cards that screamed WHIMSY, pop corn bag

Secret: I wrote a "fun fact" on either side of the popcorn bag crease. 

Did any of my fellow journalers catch it?

Materials used: actual bandaid, snail stencil from a tattoo session that ended with a fern instead.

I'll get my snail one of these days. 

Secret: I wrote a word under the bandaid. Any guesses?

Materials used: just string and tape and fun paper

Materials used: 1920s sheet music from my gpa's collection, embroidery stencil

Secret: Under each flap I asked the remaining journalers to answer two questions - a place you belong and a place you no longer belong.

Materials used: my gma's 1993 map

Secret: I actually made a lil book by folding paper and stapling it together. 

Each page is a mini junk journal. 

Materials used: Taylor postcard/stickers/air freshener, craft tag 

Secret: There's a message under the kitty.

Materials used: magazine (can you guess the celebrity??), washi tape, pizza box

Materials used: magazine, fast food bag, package filler

Materials used: Taylor mad libs obvs, Taylor car air freshener "vinyl"

 

Materials used: my old bumper stickers (too good to throw away!)

Can you spot your handwriting? / A reminder that anything can be repurposed.

~   ~   ~

And here are some of my favorite pages done by others whether it be in my journal or someone else's:

(There were so many other pages I fucking loved but I didn't want to post anything of anyone's that was personal and therefore those pages are for the Sisterhood of the Traveling Journals eyes only. But still some bangers in here!)

Becca

Angela / Nicole

 

Lauren

Katie

Liz

Melody

 

BTS: I started this when Florida was in the middle of a rainbow crosswalk war. The other side says "WHY SO SCARED OF CROSSWALKS BRUH?". It was such a great creative release as I received lots of truly heinous phone calls regarding the matter during that time. As Liz's journal moved along the line everyone appeared to add something to it and there were only a few small gaps left when it was returned to her. During one of our IRL meet-ups I asked if I could close-the-loop if you will and complete the crosswalk. She was all "Go ham!" and together Dianna and I  finished that bad boy. Isn't it cute?!