VIP ONLY Junk Journal Starter Kit
Download Your Junk Journal Starter Kit
Junk journaling is having a moment, and honestly, it deserves it. There are no rules, no wrong way to do it, and no pressure to fill every page perfectly. You grab some scraps, some tape, a pen you love, and you make something that is yours.
If you have been wanting to start one but did not know where to begin, this is your sign. We put together a free starter kit to get you going today.
What Is Junk Journaling, Anyway?
A junk journal is a handmade book filled with bits and pieces you would normally toss. Ticket stubs, receipts, pretty packaging, fabric scraps, old book pages, torn envelopes. You layer them, tape them down, write around them, and end up with something part scrapbook, part diary, part art project.
The magic is that imperfection is the whole point. Crooked tape is charming. A coffee ring is texture. Nothing has to match.
What Is Inside the Starter Kit
- 4 printable journal pages sized for standard 8.5 x 11 paper, ready to print as is
- The Joyful Journal font so you can build unlimited pages of your own with that neat handwritten look, no shaky hand required
The four pages get you started tonight. The font is what keeps the kit going, because once it is installed you are not limited to what is in the download.
Make Your Own Pages
This is the part people skip, and it is the best part. The Joyful Journal font turns any blank document into a journal page in about two minutes.
- Install the font. Unzip the download, right click the font file, and choose Install. Restart your design program so it shows up in the font list.
- Start with a blank 8.5 x 11 page. Canva, Word, Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Studio, whatever you already use.
- Type your header in Joyful Journal. Gratitude, Brain Dump, This Week, Little Wins, Packing List, Recipe. Whatever you actually need.
- Add your lines. A row of thin straight lines, a light dot grid, or a simple empty box. Keep them soft gray so your pen stands out against them.
- Leave room to layer. Give yourself a wide margin or an empty corner so there is somewhere to tape a photo or a ticket stub later.
- Print, tear, tape. Done.
Make one page you love and duplicate it. That is how a full journal comes together without it ever feeling like work.
Print Tips That Actually Matter
Set your printer to Actual Size or 100 percent, not Fit to Page, so your margins stay where they should be. Regular printer paper works fine, but cardstock or a lightly textured paper feels so much better under your hand. If you want a softer vintage look, print in grayscale on cream or kraft paper. And if you are printing double sided, run a test page first so your pages line up the way you expect.
Putting It Together
Tear, do not cut. A torn edge instantly reads as junk journal. Fold the paper, wet the crease with your fingertip, then pull slowly.
Bind it however you want. Three staples down the spine, a stack of rings, twine through punched holes, or a cheap binder clip. It all works. Then fill it slowly. This is not a project to finish in a weekend, so leave pages blank and come back to them.
Ready to start?
