Starting Your Journaling Journey(Vol. 3): What Can You Use in Journaling Besides Paper?
When I sit down to create a journal spread, a question I constantly ask myself is: what are some non-traditional, creative materials I can use to make my pages more interesting?
I don't actually do "junk journaling" very often, and there are a few reasons for that. First, I just don't collect enough loose paper day-to-day. Since I shop online frequently and have mostly gone paperless—and because I carry my own coffee mug and reusable grocery bags—I rarely end up with paper bags or physical receipts. However, I do keep a little tin box of treasures. It is filled with used tape pieces, magazine clippings, half-used sticker sheets, and random trinkets.
Today, while I was journaling, I opened my trinket box and decided to share some of my favorite unconventional materials. I hope this gives you some fresh inspiration for your own pages.
1. Paper Scraps and Leftover Tapes
Used notepads, writing paper, or textured images cut from magazines are perfect for decorating. If you have a large scrap, you can use it as a background base to add depth and texture to the spread. If it is a tiny piece, it is great for simply decorating around your text.
A quick tip: pay attention to your color palette and make sure each page has a visual anchor point so the layout does not look messy. I also buy a lot of washi and PET tapes. Whenever I have short, leftover strips or blank borders from sticker sheets, I save them in the tin box. You can layer them together or use them as highlighters over core text in your journal.
2. Expired Makeup and Body Decals
I have used all kinds of makeup in my journals. Expired lipsticks, highlighters, crushed eyeshadows, blush, and even nail polish glitter make surprisingly beautiful mediums. Just keep in mind that makeup smudges easily and dries very slowly.
To fix this, I always glue a very thin, transparent piece of tracing paper over the makeup swatches so they do not transfer to the opposite page. Right now, my absolute favorite material to use is flat-back pearl decals. My cousin wore them on her face for a Christmas stage performance, and I loved the look so much I bought a bunch to decorate my tin boxes and notebook pages.
3. Fabric Scraps, Ribbons, and Lace
Because I do a lot of DIY projects and bookbinding, I always end up with tiny fabric scraps, stray ribbons, and pieces of lace. Instead of throwing them away, I sometimes use a needle to sew the fabric directly onto my journal pages. The tactile feel it adds is incredible.
I especially love using thin gold thread for the stitching. When I write in my journal at night under a warm desk lamp, the thread catches the light with a subtle, beautiful shimmer.
4. Everyday Household Items
Inspiration is hiding all over the house. I often use crinkled baking parchment paper from the kitchen because it has that perfect translucent, crisp texture. Aluminum foil can add a cool, crinkled metallic touch to a spread. You can also press flat leaves found in the garden or use old clothing tags. Do not limit yourself to the stationery aisle; anything flat and interesting you find in a drawer or a corner of your home is fair game.
5. Recycled Packaging Materials
I absolutely love using the various wrapping papers, tags, and textured cardboards that come with my shopping packages. There is actually so much to say about this specific topic and how to repurpose these materials that I am going to dedicate an entirely separate blog post to it in the future, so keep an eye out for that.
Before I wrap up, I want to show you my treasure box—which happens to be a new product launching at Kuura. These are tin boxes with various desings that come in four different sizes. You can use them as a trendy Altoids-style wallets, but they are also the perfect size for storing all these little journaling trinkets. You can decorate the outside with your favorite stickers and washi tapes to make them your very own personal treasure box.
What are your favorite non-traditional journaling materials?