If you've been looking for a handmade junk journal that's already filled with texture and layered detail — or a bundle of journals to keep, gift, or add to your own collection — this flip-through is a good place to start. I made thirteen bundles, and each one contains three journals plus a small ephemera pack. Here I walk through what's inside so you know exactly what you're getting before you head to the Etsy shop.
What we cover
This is a flip-through and shop restock video for a set of handmade junk journal bundles. I show the inside pages of the junk journal, the naked journal, and the mini notebook that make up each bundle, then go through the contents of the ephemera pack that comes with them.
What you'll learn
What each bundle contains — three journals and a small ephemera pack, all packaged together in a little bag:
- A junk journal covered in upholstery fabric with a lace closure and one signature
- A naked journal (no interior embellishing) with tea-dyed pages and a ribbon closure
- A mini notebook sized to carry in a purse or bag, with a fabric scrap on the cover
How the junk journal is built inside, including:
- A removable lace closure and bookplate on the cover
- Tuck spots on the first and last pages for vellum, notes, or ephemera
- Tabs running through — photo tabs and folded tabs — to break up the pages and give you landing spots
- Pockets throughout, several holding three small journaling cards each
- A foldout page that can hold a sewn-in signature if you want to add more writing space
- Layered papers including tea-dyed pages, vintage wallpaper, music book pages, gardening book pages, handmade paper, and a large doily
- Some stitching and stenciling already added — just enough to get you started, with room to keep going
What makes the naked journal different — the pages are tea-dyed and some have beautiful natural patterns from the dyeing process, but the interior is left unembellished so you can work into it from scratch. It's a quieter starting point for anyone who wants a fully blank canvas.
What's in the mini notebook — tea-dyed or lined pages (it varies by bundle), a small fabric scrap on the cover, and a few decorative hearts from where the signature was sewn. Small enough to tuck into a bag.
What the ephemera pack includes:
- A small gold elastic — an alternative closure you can use in place of the lace on any of the journals
- A fabric pack with ten pieces of quilting fabric, all chosen to work together, plus a small doily
- A strip of paper ruffles
- Glitter paper (one sheet — note that it does shed a little glitter into the bag, which is worth knowing before you open it)
- Playing cards — one jumbo and one mini
- Assorted writing paper and pretty paper
- Three envelopes: a plain one, an airmail-style one, and a music-themed one
- A small card with a positive/negative thought prompt format
- A set of mini notebooks (pink, blue, or silver lining inside) with either lined or tea-dyed pages — photos of the exact ones you're receiving are included in the Etsy listing
Tips & gotchas
The bookplate on the junk journal cover can be written on directly — you don't need to remove it first. If you do want to swap it out, it can be taken off, but writing on top works just as well.
The glitter paper in the ephemera pack does shed. You'll likely find a little glitter loose in the bag when you open it — that's coming from that sheet, not from anything gone wrong. Worth knowing if glitter is something you'd rather not have floating around your workspace.
All specifications — exact number of pages, journal dimensions, and what the mini notebooks look like inside — are listed in the Etsy descriptions. Photos of each bundle are included in the listings too, so you can see precisely what you're getting rather than going by the general description alone. The bundles are similar to each other but not identical; the handmade paper, pocket designs, and journaling spots will vary from bundle to bundle.
The lace or ribbon closures on the journals are removable, so if you prefer the elastic from the ephemera pack, you can swap them out easily.
The journals are built to be worked into, and the ephemera pack is there to give you a starting point without having to hunt for supplies before you begin.
