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How to Make a Junk Journal- Free Online Course!

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How to Make a Junk Journal

A Free Online Junk Journal Course with a French Travel Theme just for you!

Do you love crafting and DIY projects? Do you have a wanderlust in your heart for France, but no time or money to make it happen? I’m about to change all of that. Join me on this journey through Paris as we weave together the best of French travel traditions with the art of journaling! It’s free and there are no deadlines- just get started right away! This is a series of 8 blog posts that will show you from start to finish how to Make a Junk Journal! You’ll find lots of tips and techniques, free Printables and more to so that you can create your own Vintage Junk Journal. A junket is a pleasure trip, often funded by someone else. How amazing is that? Would you like to take a junket with me?

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How to Make a Junk Journal Pinterest Image

 

Hello, my artful Mixed Media friends. My name is Rebecca E. Parsons, also known as Cre8tiva, and I am a life long journaler. It’s one of many creative things I love to do. I want to extend a very special invitation to you.

Please join me
on a Special Fantasy Junket & Junk Journal Journey
kindly paid for by The Graphics Fairy

Well, at least she will be supplying the ‘Oh So Very French’ images and ephemera we will be creating with. Together over the next few months we will fashion a Travel inspired book called, ‘My Vintage French Junk Journal!’ How cool is that? (You can call your anything you like…no pressure to name yours the same as mine.)

How My Junk Journal Series Works

Junk Journal Cover

Welcome to our Junk Journal Journey. Today I am sharing the first in a series of tutorials of a vintage bound junk journal capturing an imaginary trip to France in a bygone era. Twice each month I will be sharing a new 4-page layout that you can copy exactly or use as inspiration for your own version. We will finish with three signatures filled with magical pages that tell the story of our imaginary travels together. In the final tutorial we will bind My Vintage French Junk Journal using a super fun, and easy to do, binding technique.

I just flat out love making books… I have been creating them, large and small, for many years. I have mastered some difficult binding techniques and created a few of my own bindings. I even created a case bound book, one that looks and feels like a hard bound one you buy at any book store. That was a doozie and a story to tell at a later time.

Anyway, I am thrilled that Karen agreed to this wild idea of creating a Travel Inspired Junk Journal with you. I hope to have a ‘sort of ‘ virtual gallery showing of all of our books and see/hear what stories you have to tell at the end. Are you ready to take a journey with me? Let’s begin by discovering what a Junk Journal is…

What is a Junk Journal?

Junk Journal Supplies

For those of you who may not have heard of this phenomena, a junk journal is a bound book created with things you have on hand that otherwise might end up in the recycling bin or the landfill. Those pieces of junk mail, catalogs, old greeting cards, appointment cards, magazines…almost anything can be used to make beautiful pages in order to create a junk journal treasure! You can also incorporate bits of fabric, buttons, sheet music, ledger pages, rusty things, nature finds…truly anything goes. You can see I have quite a stash in the photo above. I bet you have a similar stash! 😉

Tell Me About Our Junk Journal

Our journal will recap an ‘imaginary’ exploration of Paris including day trips to surrounding points of interest. In June we will begin by arriving in France and taking in all the new sights, smells and sounds. We are off on day trips to Versailles and the Loire Valley in July. The River Seine, The Left Bank, and Brocantes will fill our heads in August. In September we return home to review our travels and bind our memories. Does this sound like fun? Then join in the mixed media merry making explorations with us. You can see some of the ideas with our TGF ephemera below. But there is so much more to do…stenciling, stamping, tearing, aging, inking, dyeing, crumbling, cutting, scoring, accentuating, embellishing…you get the picture!Paper Collection photo

What Size Will Our Junk Journal Be?

Let’s get started by deciding what size our junk journal will be. Your junk journal will be the size of the book cover you decide to use. Our pages will be trimmed to fit approximately 1/4″ smaller on the outside edges of the cover you chose. So, it can be any size you wish it to be. We will talk more about the cover later in this tutorial. My cover measures 5-3/4″ wide by 8-3/4″ tall and is 1″ deep. I found it at Dollar Tree.
Blank book cover

Everyone has access to regular copy paper. Therefore, the easiest size to accomplish quickly is an 8-1/2″ by 11″ piece of paper folded in half on the longest side to form a 5-1/2″ by 8-1/2″ signature. Although I prefer to use a heavier weight paper in my journals, you can go with what you have handy. Remember, you can recycle junk mail letters that are this size too. You can find a Junk Mail Tutorial HERE by Heather Tracy. Be creative. Now, let’s get dirty…I mean let’s get our vintage on. 😉

How do I make the Junk Journal pages look vintage?

My favorite trick to have instant age is to stain the papers using coffee or tea. While tea gives a more delicate vintage effect, coffee gives a darker, richer, sort of sepia look to papers. I use both. My favorite method is soaking paper in a shallow cookie sheet filled with tea. I use about 4 tea bags per cup of water. You can use more or less, just play to find the look you like. I also save the tea bag itself to add to the pages for texture and the tea inside to make a texture paste. Below you can see I also spattered random drops on some after they had dried. Just note that the paper becomes very fragile when soaked with liquid. Use care when picking up wet papers.
Coffee and Tea Dying papers
With coffee, I just brew a cup or pot and sprinkle or pour it over sheets laid on a cookie sheet with a lip. I have even heard of people baking the paper at a low oven temp like 225º. But I just douse mine and let it sit a while (15-30 minutes). I sometimes sprinkle the coffee grounds on the paper too. Just play with this part. There is no one correct way. The longer you leave the paper in the tea or coffee, the darker it becomes. So make it look as aged as you like. Don’t forget envelopes, tags, ephemera, and fabrics. Stain them while you are at it. Here are some of the lace and ribbon I stained for our book. For a slightly different version of this technique, check out the Ancient Parchment Paper Technique HERE.

Lace to use when you create a junk journal

Texture

Supplies to Create a Junk Journal

I like a lot of texture on my pages. Sometimes, I roll the pages around the tea bags and squeeze like wringing out a washcloth. At other times, I wad them tightly into a ball while they are wet, then straighten them out flat to dry. I sometimes iron the pages for a smoother surface and more refined look. The possibilities…. I expect you will develop a few of your own aging techniques if you fall in love with making books and junk journals…like I have. Please share them with us here.

How to Make Junk Journal Pages

Crumpled Paper
In this lesson our task is to create three signatures, or sets, of four sheets of 8-1/2″ by 11″ paper and prepare the cover (see next section). That is 12 sheets of paper total. By create, I mean age using any of the coffee or tea techniques above. You might want to add a couple of extra sheets for pockets or just in case you mess something up, but messes are embraced in junk journals. That is part of the fun. There is NO right way to make a junk journal and there are NO mistakes…that means NO pressure to be perfect. Trust me, even simple aged papers bound into a book look beautiful. So let’s have fun with this journey!

Find an Old Book for Your Cover

Find an old book in a thrift store (see my Dollar Tree book above) if you don’t already have one. It can be any book old or new. We will make the cover look old and vintage. The spine should be about an inch or so wide to hold our three signatures. We need to separate the book block or the pages from the cover. The book covers attached by the spine is what we want when we are finished with this process. Let’s separate the covers from the book block first. To do this, stand the book upright with the covers wide like below.

Spine of book

I use a box cutter and adjust the blade to be very short. Cut gently into the crease where the pages join the cover with a sharp craft knife. Be careful not to go too deep and cut into the spine. There will probably be bookbinding cloth, which looks like thick gauze, or paper in cheaper books like mine to cut through. It may take several passes to accomplish this.

box cutter cutting spine
Go slowly and make shallow cuts in the crease while pulling the paper apart as you go. Be patient. Nik the Bookbinder has a great video showing the process if you want a more visual look before you begin. Just don’t become mesmerized by all the videos and forget to return here. We have much more to do…Pulling pages away from book spine

Then repeat the process with the back cover. It will be easier once the front cover is released! 🙂

Pages removed from book

Surprise Gift

Printable Images

I have scoured the archives here at The Graphics Fairy to find some of the most amazing, beautiful vintage French images and ephemera to tell the story of our travels and place in our vintage French junk journal. Boy was this ever fun! Of course, you are free to peruse the The Graphics Fairy yourself (that is truly half the fun) and find the images you want to include in your junk journal. It is all good. I will give links to the graphics with each lesson!

ASSIGNMENT

  1. Complete three, 16-page signatures (4 aged papers folded in half and nestled inside each other) using the above techniques.
  2. Prepare your cover as directed above. 

So I will see you back on the third week of June for our next tutorial, when we begin to embellish and add things to our pages. So gather some rubber stamps, stencils, paints, and embellishments and meet me back here with your pages ready to work on. Have fun aging the papers and getting your cover ready. You should have something that looks like the next two photos when we meet next time. The signatures are just laid in the cover for now. We will bind them into the cover after we decorate the pages. 🙂

Blank Cover Journal Journal closed

Whew, that was a lot of information to start this class off. What do you think? Are you ready to Make Your Own Junk Journal with me?

Next Stop? Head on over to Part 2 of this series HERE.

I hope you enjoyed this Mixed Media Junket Journal Tutorial! I also teach Photoshop Elements tutorials over on The Graphics Fairy Premium Membership site. You can find even more of my art, DIYs, and whimsical shenanigans on Cre8tive Compass Magazine, Cre8tiva (just launched), and loads of my digital art on Instagram.

May joy be with you all,

Signature Rebecca

You May Also Like These

Calligraphy stuffCalligraphy Supplies – A Comprehensive Guide!Winter Season Junk JournalWinter Season Junk Journal by Gina Testa!Hidden Garden Junk JournalHidden Garden Junk Journal by Amanda Charlesworth!

Comments

    • Rebecca E. Parsons says

      No Tom, this math can be confusing. I had to actually fold and count. One page folded in half give us 4 pages. I am counting every page like a book. So 4 pages folded, gives us 16 pages to decorate in a signature. Hope this helps.

  3. Caroline Brand says

    NOW I understand more about junk journals! A friend recently gifted me one. It’s amazing!! But, I suppose while adoring it, I didn’t “get it”?
    I wish I could do this class with your tutuorial. Maybe next time. Tyfs. Wonderful inspiration????

  4. Clare Law says

    This looks like such fun, and I get really excited about fake travelogues, so I’m going to try playing along.

  5. Dorothy K. says

    Count me in! This is exactly the motivation I need to finally attempt to make one of these. I’ve been reading about it for a while and watch videos. This is really for free? It seems too in depth to be free. So, thank you for that. I look forward to this summer journey with you.

  7. Gwendolyn East says

    This would be perfect for a family vacation. Since we love camping and there is so much to pick up and use in nature and so much that is easy to draw it should be rather easy.

  14. Finette Loulou says

    A very good idea ! I’m French and I’m so exciting to begin the travel with you in France 😉 Thank you so much 😉

  17. Twana says

    How wonderful!!! I get to go to a creative class and not leave my home! And it couldn’t be at a better price!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this with me! You don’t know how much it means to go on this journey with a bunch of women from everywhere, enjoying creating something beautiful! And I love the imagination part! If you can’t travel, pretending is the next best thing!!! What an absolutely great idea and bonding experience! I look forward to this! Now I have to get started! Hello Dollar Tree!

  18. Lynn Harrell says

    Looks like a fun summer project. Already have the coffee dyed papers and a book with the pages taken out. Can’t wait for the next lesson. Thanks for your inspiration.

  19. Eileen says

    I have my book cover and my stained pages are laying in the sun to dry.

    One question: my book cover is really ugly. May I gesso over it now or should I wait?

    I’m excited about this class. Thank you so much, Karen & Rebecca. I’ve never made a junk journal but have admired the ones my friends make.

    • Rebecca E. Parsons says

      I am so tickled that you are joining the journey Eileen. YAY! We will make the cover in the last tutorials. We might possibly need to expand the spine, so you can wait and concentrate on your pages for now. Your cover will be amazing! And your friends will be admiring yours! WINK WINK!

  21. Joyce l Thatcher says

    Looking forward to making one! Will there be emails letting us know when next section is up?

  22. Sylvie Roussel says

    OH LA LA REBECCA, I am so happy to be able to follow you with this first class (tutorials) to do my first “junk journal”. Of course, as I am French (I live in Paris), it is easy for me to recover old images, tickets, and even the packaging of “bread sticks”. But most of all, as I have just retired (I’m 65 years old), I have already passed all my old pay slips and other paperwork in coffee and tea :)))). Let’s stay in touch and if you need pages of dictionaries, encyclopedias etc … french, think of me. I can scan them and send them :))). I kiss you . and welcome to France :))))

    • Rebecca E. Parsons says

      Oh Sylvie! Merci. You make my heart sing. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have scans. I have one friend in France who runs a popular site that sells French brocante items. I always hate to bother her with my requests. Feel free to email me so we can communicate without taking over this thread. [email protected]. We are the same age also!!

      • Sylvie Roussel says

        Hello Rebecca . So sorry , i have had ( j’ai du ) to be near my old mother , but now it’s good . Ouf 🙂 I scan the dictionnary pages and another images this week end . I try to send its by your mail and have a good time. See you later 🙂

  24. Joy McClintock says

    This sounds like so much fun. I have been working on junk journals the last few months, but really wanted to do acParis theme one. So excited to do this along with you.

  25. Tom Gray says

    Math was NEVER my strong suite…. Thank you for the clarification. Signatures completed.

  26. Michelle says

    This looks like great fun and I love all the links to gain additional wisdom. Looking forward to this adveture.

  27. Ms Joey says

    May I ask if this class has already started. If not I would love to join. I love French and would love to someday visit Paris. I love that city and anything French. I did download the papers and all but have not heard or received any emails as of yet. Could you please let me know? Thank you for your help in advance. Ms Joey

    • graphicsfairy says

      Hi Ms. Joey,

      This is not an actual class it is a summer project so you can work on it at your own pace 🙂 Please let us know if you have any questions. Oh, and I love Paris too 🙂

  28. Lorna sommer says

    I visited France 50+ years ago so this us pulling on ne to give it a try! Thank you for the free tutorials. How wonderful!

  29. Lisa says

    I’m excited to do this, though I’m getting a bit of a late start. Thank you for all the hard work you’ve put into presenting this; much appreciated!

  30. Denise says

    Just found your post and I’d love to join in. I have TONS of scrapbook cardstock. Is it too heavy for this project?

  32. Eileen says

    I did lesson 1 and am anxiously awaiting more. Did I miss something? I’m subscribed to the Graphics Fairy . I hope Rebecca is okay.

  33. Addie says

    I am wanting to print/download the 3 postcards but they are only very small and won’t enlarge…..help please!!

    • graphicsfairy says

      You could use an editing software like Photoshop to edit the image and enlarge it to your desired size. There are many editing software options out there, I hope that helps 🙂

  34. Beth says

    Hi Rebecca, Really enjoying reading through this fun tutorial and thinking of trying my own variation, probably more nature-themed than Paris. Thank you for all the good ideas delivered so enthusiastically and in such lovely detail!

    Anyway, you mention archival and acid-free supplies on the next lesson. What you may not be aware of is that tea and coffee staining is definitely NOT archival. These liquids leave tannic (and other) acids in the papers, fabrics and whatever else, which considerably accelerate the eventual degradation of the materials. Some people don’t care how long their art lasts, and for them tea dying may be fine. But crafters should be aware that it’s rather futile using archival adhesives and acid-free papers with tea-dying if long-term survival of the art is important to them. Similar, but more archival effects can be obtained (perhaps at slightly higher cost) using diluted watercolors, inks, fabric dyes and even acrylic paints for staining – it’s worth experimenting to see what works best for one’s own preferred papers, fabrics and other materials.

  35. Debbie says

    Hello Rebecca. I want to join, but I know I’m late. I have never put a journal together. I have only done the mixed media covers and boxes through graphic fairy, Heather Tracy.
    When you say 3 signatures of 16 pages that would equal 48 pages. Do these pages stay white? Im a little confused because you then say to distress/age 4 pieces of paper and fold then nestle together. Could you tell me the 4 pages are separate from the 3 signatures of 16? Do we distress/age all 48 pages? Thank you for any feedback you can provide. I’m very excited to be doing this journal. Debbie (Hi Karen, thanks for providing ongoing free classes. I’m excited to try this. Thank you, Debbie)

    • Rebecca E. Parsons says

      Hi Debbie…I am so glad you are joining in. It is always a good time to make a book. I hope it open up a whole new adventure for you. It is hard to understand initially and fairly difficult to explain in words.

      Let me try to simplify the pages and signatures for you.

      – each sheet of paper, when folded in half, creates 4 pages (think of it like a book)
      – 4 sheets of paper folded in half and nestled together create a 16-page signature
      – each signature is created with 4 whole 8-1/2 X 11″ sheets of paper, folded in half along the short side – 12 sheets of paper total
      – you will need to coffee or tea stain 12 sheets of paper to complete the journal if you want that vintage look, it is not required
      – the tea and coffee staining process is given in the Intro post for this series

      I hope this helps. It is easy to understand once you do it. I usually have students take 4 sheets of printer paper stacked together, fold the stack in half, then count the pages as you turn them.

  36. Rebecca E. Parsons says

    Beth, that is a valid point and I would advise to work accordingly. I will pass this along in my future classes so students can make their own decisions on heirloom quality. Thank you.

  37. Shelley Dicks says

    How do you attach the prepared papers to the book cover? I can’t seem to see it in your post. Thanks.

  38. Vickie says

    Above in the Blog, it states at the end “Surprise Gift”: “I have scoured the archives here at The Graphics Fairy to find some of the most amazing, beautiful vintage French images and ephemera to tell the story of our travels and place in our vintage French junk journal.” Was this a link to free pages? If so, are they no longer available? I do not find a link.

    Thank you.

    • graphicsfairy says

      Hi Vickie, the links are in the Junk Journal tutorials. They are all over on the blog, if you do a search for Junk Journal it will bring them all up for you. Enjoy 🙂

  39. ileana says

    Hi Rebecca! How I wish I could have time to join in the fun right now!!! but knowing the blog post will live forever I´ll start doing it when I have less work to do (at work…), I hope that will be in a couple of months! Thank you so much for sharing, can´t wait to start making my own
    Have a great day!

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