Junk Journal Supplies for Beginners: The Starter List

The minimum junk journal kit

The most useful first shopping list is the one with things crossed off because you already own them. A junk journal brings scraps, pictures, writing and keepsakes together in a book. It does not need to look antique, match a theme or start with a purchased kit.

For your first page, gather:

• A base — an existing notebook, a blank journal or a few folded sheets.
• Paper to attach — an envelope, a clean wrapper, an offcut and a picture are enough.
• One adhesive suited to the paper.
• Scissors and a pen you can use comfortably.
• A spare sheet for cutting and gluing away from the finished page.

Washi, stamps, rub-ons and special scissors add effects; they do not make the journal more legitimate. If you want calendars, trackers and a writing setup instead, our beginner journaling-supplies guide covers that broader starting point. Here, the buying decisions are about collage, attachment and physical layers.

Choose a base journal before buying decorations

A beautiful cover tells you little about whether a book will suit the materials you want to put inside it. Start by laying your largest likely keepsake on an open page. Leave space around the fold and somewhere to write a caption. If a postcard occupies the whole page, decide whether you like that or need a larger base.

Base	Choose it when	Main compromise
An existing notebook	You want to try a few paper-only spreads before spending	Its paper and binding may limit wet work and bulky layers
A blank mixed-media journal	You want collage alongside drawing and occasional compatible media	Paper specifications do not establish unlimited layer capacity
A refillable ring or disc format	You expect to move pages or add pockets	Rings and discs interrupt the working area and need compatible pages
Folded sheets in a simple cover	Making the book is part of the enjoyment	You take responsibility for the binding and how much it can hold

The Strathmore choice above is a small fixed-binding base, rather than a claim that one notebook is best for every style. Its manufacturer gives an exact 5.5 x 8-inch format; some Amazon selector wording differs, so use the model number and specification when comparing sizes.

Paper weight is useful information, but it is not a complete performance score. A higher gsm figure alone does not tell you how an ink will behave, how a glue will interact with a scrap or how many thick decorations the spine can accommodate. Try your intended combination on a spare page.

Handmade-style covers, deckled edges and brown paper are optional aesthetics. Check inside a notebook for enough usable page space and a binding suited to your plans before choosing it for the vintage look.

Ephemera and paper packs — buy variety you can use

Ephemera means the small paper pieces you collect or use in a composition: tickets, labels, tags, notes, cards and similar fragments. Craft packs often contain reproductions with a vintage appearance. Those can be fun, but they are not necessarily old, rare or meaningful keepsakes.

Think in three roles:

1. Backgrounds give you enough paper to cover part of a page.
2. Focal pieces give the spread something to look at, such as a picture or a ticket.
3. Writing spots leave room for the date, a caption or a short memory.

A pack full of tiny labels may fill the third role well while giving you no backgrounds. A stack of large patterned sheets may require plenty of cutting before it gives you a focal piece. Neither is automatically better; the useful pack fills the gap in your own scraps.

Before buying, inspect the actual contents and scale beside your page. Distinguish paper die-cuts that require glue from adhesive-backed stickers. Look for stated paper weight if it matters to your project; leave it unknown if the listing does not provide it. Do not infer acid-free paper, archival ink or a particular texture from muted colors or a kraft-paper appearance.

Start with one theme or color family if choosing materials feels overwhelming. You might pair soft blue packaging, cream paper and your own flower drawing. Cute journaling can be quiet and personal without requiring every item to have a character printed on it.

Adhesives that help keep pages tidy

Choose adhesive by the materials and application, rather than expecting a universally wrinkle-free glue. Fragile tissue, coated packaging, an ordinary paper ticket and a thick card are different jobs.

Adhesive format	Useful starting job	What to watch
Glue stick	Coating lightweight paper backs	Coverage at edges, fragile scraps and drying behavior
Dry permanent runner	Applying a line to suitable paper and card	Immediate placement and how the applicator treats small pieces
Liquid craft adhesive	A project that specifically needs its supported materials or precision tip	Excess moisture, squeeze-out and the maker’s drying directions
Removable attachment or a pocket	Keeping an item accessible	Whether it can fall out or be damaged during removal

UHU stic and Tombow MONO Permanent are alternative starting purchases. Buy the format that fits the next page; there is no need to assemble an adhesive collection first. A paper-glue label is not evidence that the same product is right for every fabric, plastic or heavy embellishment.

For a cleaner attachment:

1. Arrange the whole spread without adhesive and take a picture if the arrangement is complicated.
2. Put the piece face down on clean scrap paper.
3. Apply the amount and pattern appropriate to that adhesive and material.
4. Attach it without dragging wet residue across the page.
5. Follow the product’s drying directions before closing the book, and check for exposed sticky edges.

Test before committing a sentimental original. A copy in the journal lets you enjoy the image without making the original part of an adhesive experiment. A pocket is another option when you want to take the piece out again.

Tombow’s acid-free and photographic-test claims apply to the specified adhesive. They do not certify the finished mixture of papers, inks, tapes and found objects as archival. Likewise, a product’s washability claim does not mean your completed journal can get wet.

Washi tape, stickers, rub-ons and stamps

Treat decoration as a response to a page you want to make. A useful first addition might be one roll for narrow borders, one sticker sheet with designs small enough for the book, or a stamp motif you expect to repeat.

Washi tape can frame a picture or add a strip of color. Do not assume it can carry a heavy card, make a permanent hinge or lift cleanly from every paper. Try it on a spare piece, especially if you want to reposition it. Our washi-tape guide compares formats when you know the widths and styles you need.

Stickers are a quick way to add a focal point. Check backing and finish: transparent material lets the background show through, while an opaque piece can cover an area. Compare motif size with your writing space. See the journaling-sticker guide for a wider selection.

Rub-ons transfer a design instead of adding an ordinary peel-and-stick label. They need an appropriate surface and the maker’s application process. Practice on spare paper before putting a transfer across a lumpy collage; do not assume it can be peeled up and moved.

Stamps and ink pads make sense when you enjoy repeating dates, labels or motifs. Clear stamps may need a separate block; a stamp set is not necessarily a ready-to-use kit. Match the ink to the paper and planned media. Try a stamp on a scrap of the actual sheet, check the reverse and let it dry before layering over it. An ink labeled waterproof after drying may still behave differently on coated material.

Scissors, punches and corner rounders

Use ordinary scissors for the first session. Small precision scissors become useful when cutting around detailed pictures is an activity you enjoy, rather than a task you want a kit to eliminate.

Deckle-edge scissors add an irregular decorative edge; they are not necessary for every scrap. Try tearing paper by hand first if a rough edge is the goal. A simple straight cut may suit a clean kawaii composition better.

Punches are worthwhile when you repeatedly need the same shape. Check their supported paper thickness and the size of the resulting cutout. A large shape that dominates your page is not made more useful by a large tool discount.

Corner rounders are finishing tools for cards and tags. Confirm the radius and material limit; do not assume one can punch several sheets, thick chipboard or a finished stack of glued layers. These tools also take up more storage room than a pair of scissors.

Keep sharp tools appropriate to the person using them and follow their instructions. This is a hobby-supply guide, not a verified age-graded children’s kit list.

Junk journal kits vs building your own

Buy a coordinated kit when you are starting without supplies and its contents fit the kind of pages you want. Build your own when you already have a notebook and tools, want to use personal keepsakes, or dislike several major parts of the offered theme.

Read a kit listing as an inventory, not a headline piece count:

Check	A useful question
Base	Is a journal included, and are its dimensions and ruling suitable?
Backgrounds	Are there sheets large enough for the intended pages?
Small pieces	Are they paper, stickers or rub-ons, and how much repetition is there?
Attachment	Is adhesive included or is it an additional purchase?
Tools	Are the advertised tools actually in the selected variant?
Storage	Can the box hold the leftovers after opening?

Do not count 100 tiny stickers as equivalent to 100 background sheets. Also distinguish a journal-making kit, which supplies materials to assemble a book, from a decorating kit, which may contain no base book at all.

For complete-set shopping, our existing beginner journaling-kit guide includes collage-oriented formats alongside planning kits. This page’s three purchase options are individual foundations and adhesive alternatives, not a claim that any one of them is a complete junk journal starter kit.

To compare spending, list only the pieces you expect to use. Then account for missing adhesive, a separate journal, refills and a place to store leftovers. A large bundle can be poor value for you even when every advertised piece is present. There is no minimum budget you must reach before beginning.

Free and found materials

An envelope can become a pocket, a packaging offcut can become a tag and a scrap of wrapping paper can become a background. A journal built around a café visit might use your own photo, a clean paper sleeve, a written memory and a simple hand-drawn cup. Buying a vintage ticket pack would not make that memory more authentic.

Keep materials clean and dry, and remove personal details from packaging you intend to photograph or share. Skip dirty, oily or deteriorating pieces that you do not want touching the rest of the book. Flatten an offcut before deciding whether it suits the page, and check whether its coating accepts your adhesive and pen.

If you use printables, choose your own artwork or a source that permits the intended use. Printing involves paper and ink even when the design is free. Try one sheet before printing a whole pack, and do not assume home-printed ink will stay put under wet glue or other media.

For an irreplaceable photograph or a fading receipt, use a readable copy in the collage and keep the original separately. Decorative journaling and long-term preservation are different goals; you can enjoy the first without promising the second.

Make one spread before buying more

Try this small project to learn what your supplies actually need to do:

1. Pick one memory or one color theme.
2. Choose a background scrap, a focal picture and a small caption area.
3. Lay everything down without glue. Leave space at the binding and enough of the page visible to keep it readable.
4. Attach the background and focal piece with the adhesive you have tried on scraps.
5. Write a date or a few sentences. Add one decorative detail only if you want it.
6. Once the adhesive is ready, close the journal gently and check where the layers add bulk.

If cutting was enjoyable, a future precision tool may make sense. If arranging a matching palette was the difficult part, a small coordinated paper pack may help. If you mostly wanted to write, leave more blank space next time. Let that experience set the next shopping list.

Store supplies so the next page is easy to start

Begin with one envelope for loose paper and a small container for the pen, scissors and adhesive. Sort scraps by working size — backgrounds, medium pieces and tiny accents — if that makes them easier to use. Keep especially meaningful pieces separate from practice offcuts.

Store paper flat and dry. Keep adhesives capped or covered as directed, with glue sticks away from loose cutouts that can become stuck to exposed residue. Keep a small working selection within reach rather than emptying every pack onto the desk.

Choose a physical limit before collecting more: one box or one shallow drawer, for example. When it fills, make pages from what is inside before buying another pack. Spread thick elements around the journal instead of piling them in the same corner, and stop adding layers when the book no longer closes comfortably. A closure strap is not a remedy for an overfilled binding.

The wider journaling and stationery hub can help you expand into other supplies later. For now, a finished first spread will tell you more than a larger unopened kit.