Adding a personal touch to your junk journal is what truly makes it your own. Whether it’s through photos, quotes, artwork, or handwriting, infusing your personality into your journal helps create a meaningful and authentic experience. Here are some tips on how to weave these personal elements into your spreads:
1. Incorporate Photos
Photos are a fantastic way to make your junk journal deeply personal. They capture memories, moments, and stories that you can look back on with nostalgia. Here’s how to add photos creatively:
- Photo Collages: Instead of simply sticking photos onto a page, create collages using different pictures, snippets, and even pieces of ephemera. Layer them with magazine clippings, tickets, or postcards for a more artistic look.
- Polaroid-style Photos: You can create your own "Polaroid" photos by cutting out photo-sized pieces of paper and adding a handwritten date or caption underneath. This adds a charming, scrapbook-like feel.
- Tuck Photos into Pockets: Create pockets or envelopes on your journal pages and tuck small photos inside. This adds an element of surprise and allows you to keep extra photos in one spot.
- Add Journaling with Photos: Combine your photos with written reflections. For example, alongside a photo of a vacation, write down a memory or a funny anecdote. This adds depth and context to the image.
- Printed Instantly: If you don’t have instant film, you can easily print photos at home on photo paper and trim them to fit your journal. Many online services also offer affordable printing if you want a higher-quality result.
2. Use Your Own Handwriting
Your handwriting is a unique part of your personality and can really bring your journal to life. Here’s how to incorporate it:
- Handwritten Quotes: Write down your favorite quotes, song lyrics, or sayings that inspire you. Using your own handwriting makes the words feel more intimate and connected to you. You can use a different style of writing for each quote, such as cursive, block letters, or even doodles around the text.
- Letter to Yourself: Write a letter to your future self or a note about a particular moment or feeling. It could be a letter about where you are in life, things you want to remember, or your hopes and dreams.
- Creative Titles: Instead of typing out titles or headings, hand-letter them to make them stand out. Experiment with different fonts and sizes to create fun, custom headers for your journal spreads.
- Personal Reflections: Journaling isn’t just about pretty pages; it’s about expressing your thoughts. Write down how you're feeling, your day-to-day experiences, or reflections on what you're creating. Let your journal become an emotional outlet.
3. Add Handcrafted Artwork
Your artwork, whether it’s sketches, doodles, or full-fledged paintings, can bring an incredibly personal touch to your journal. It doesn’t have to be elaborate—simple sketches or doodles can add a lot of charm.
- Sketches and Doodles: If you love to draw, add small sketches or doodles to your pages. Whether it's a cute doodle in the corner, a floral border, or a simple sketch that relates to a memory, it adds personality to the page.
- Stickers and Stamps: While not hand-drawn, stamps and stickers are still forms of personal expression. You can create your own stamps by carving designs into erasers, or make personalized stickers with your art or quotes.
- Watercolor or Ink Washes: Use watercolor, ink, or colored pencils to create soft backgrounds or accents for your journal pages. A simple wash of color behind a photo or quote can elevate the page without overwhelming it.
- Decorative Borders: Adding borders to your pages with simple lines, floral motifs, or geometric patterns can give a personal touch to otherwise plain backgrounds.
4. Include Special Memorabilia
Infuse your junk journal with pieces of your life that have emotional significance, from concert tickets to postcards.
- Tickets and Mementos: Whether it’s from a concert, a trip, or a special event, memorabilia like tickets, tags, or programs can add a story to your journal. You can write about your experience or simply add the item as a keepsake.
- Fabric Scraps or Textiles: If you’ve visited a place that means something to you or have a special outfit or item of clothing, consider cutting small fabric scraps to add texture. A tiny swatch of a meaningful piece of clothing can make your journal feel even more personal.
- Pressed Flowers or Leaves: Add a piece of nature to your journal, whether it’s a flower you picked on a special walk or a leaf from a memorable day. Pressing them between the pages helps preserve the memory, and they create a beautiful, organic touch.
5. Use Meaningful Quotes or Poems
Quotes are a great way to reflect your personality, beliefs, and experiences. Including your favorite quotes or lines from books, songs, or movies gives your journal a voice that’s uniquely yours.
- Handwritten Quotes: As mentioned, handwriting adds a personal flair, but you can also use typewriters, stamps, or even printed text. Use quotes that resonate with you and reflect your feelings or experiences. You could add a quote at the top of each page as a daily reminder or inspiration.
- Poetry: If you’re into writing, add your own poems or short writings to your journal. These can be personal and reflective, and they’ll really show the heart and soul you put into your journaling practice.
- Theme-Based Quotes: You could create sections of your journal based on different themes—love, travel, self-care, or creativity—and add quotes or text that align with these themes throughout.
6. Create Memory Pages
Memory pages are an excellent way to make your journal a true reflection of you. You can use photos, tickets, quotes, and your artwork to create a page that commemorates a particular event, feeling, or time in your life.
- Event Pages: Create a spread that tells the story of a special event—like a birthday, a vacation, or an important milestone. Use photos, mementos, journaling, and sketches to fully capture the essence of the experience.
- Day in the Life: Document a day in your life by using photos, a timeline, doodles, and bits of paper that represent that day. This page will not only be personal but will also capture a specific moment in time.
7. Personalized Ephemera
Add your personal touch to pieces of ephemera (the little bits and bobs that you add to your journal, like tags, tickets, etc.) to make them feel even more unique.
- Custom Tags: Make your own tags by cutting up old book pages or scraps of paper, then add a personal note or design to each one. You can use them for journaling, labeling, or as fun embellishments.
- Altered Pages: Take any old book or magazine pages and alter them with your handwriting, drawings, or even printed text. This will make the page feel like it’s truly yours.
Final Thought: It’s About You
The best part of adding a personal touch to your junk journal is that it becomes a reflection of who you are. It’s not about creating something that’s “perfect”—it’s about expressing your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a way that feels true to you. Whether you're adding photos from your travels, writing heartfelt notes, or doodling your favorite things, the personal elements you add will make your journal a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that tells your unique story.
Create Your Own Story – Shop Junk Journals at JLynn Editions
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