Ephemera is anything printed or written that was never meant to last: A bus ticket, a receipt, a candy wrapper, the label peeled off a jar, newspaper clippings, etc... In junk journaling, that throwaway paper becomes the whole point. Nowadays, a lot of people create artwork that resembles vintage ephemera and have created a whole massive hobby around junk journaling, which is creating beautiful journal spreads that are centered around a particular theme based on the available ephemera. So, today we’ll be breaking down what junk journal ephemera is and how you can use it.
What Counts as Ephemera
Almost any small piece of printed or handwritten paper qualifies, especially if it has some age or a story attached to it. Common examples include:
-
Tickets and stubs (movie, train, museum, concert)
-
Receipts and till slips
-
Postage stamps and postmarked envelopes
-
Old letters, postcards, and greeting cards
-
Maps, brochures, and travel pamphlets
-
Pages from old books, sheet music, or dictionaries
-
Product packaging, labels, and tags
-
Doilies, ribbon scraps, and wrapping paper
The common thread is that none of it was designed to be kept. That's actually what makes it interesting in a journal. A grocery receipt or a torn book page carries a texture and a bit of wear that a brand-new sheet of scrapbook paper can't fake.
Ephemera vs Other Journaling Supplies
It's worth drawing a line between ephemera and the stickers, washi tape, and stationery most people already associate with journaling. Stickers and washi tape are made specifically to decorate a page. Ephemera is the opposite: it's paper that had a completely different original job (a ticket getting you into a movie, a tag holding a price on a candle) and gets a second life on the page instead.
That said, the two work well together, and most junk journal pages use both. A layer of vintage-style ephemera gives a page its texture and story, while stickers or washi tape pull the layout together and keep it from feeling too busy.
How Ephemera Is Actually Used on a Page
Ephemera isn't just glued down flat. Part of what makes junk journaling different from regular scrapbooking is how much the ephemera itself becomes part of the page's structure.
Tuck spots
A tuck spot is a small pocket, usually made by gluing two edges of paper or a doily, that holds a piece of ephemera in place without gluing it down completely. This lets you (or whoever reads the journal later) actually pull the item out and look at it.
Layering
Ephemera is often layered rather than placed one piece at a time. A page might start with a torn book page as the background, followed by a ticket stub, a stamp, and a small tag, each slightly overlapping the last.
Pockets and envelopes
Larger or more delicate pieces, like a full letter or a fragile pressed flower, often go inside a small pocket or a repurposed envelope glued into the journal, rather than being stuck directly to the page.
Borders and frames
Strips of old text, torn edges, or ribbon are frequently used to frame a photo or a piece of writing rather than standing alone.
Where to Find Ephemera
The appeal for a lot of journalers is that ephemera is often sitting around the house already, not something that has to be bought. A few places to start looking:
-
Old books being donated or thrown out, especially ones with damaged pages that are no longer readable anyway
-
Receipts, tickets, and packaging from everyday errands and outings
-
Greeting cards and letters you've already kept for years
-
Maps or brochures from a past trip
For journalers who want a specific look or a larger stash at once, curated ephemera packs are also widely available from craft and stationery shops, usually bundling fifty or more mixed pieces, tags, die-cuts, and vintage-style paper, around a shared color palette or theme.
MIL itself creates custom designed ephemera packs and junk journaling sets that have specific custom artwork designs meant to resemble the old and the new all together. We even have a set inspired by impressionist artists like Claude Monet or other packs inspired by holidays and seasons like our gothic Halloween set.
Bookish Ephemera Ideas for Readers
For a reader who journals, book-related ephemera adds a natural theme to a page. A few ideas that lean into a bookish or reading-focused journal:
-
A torn page from a damaged or discarded paperback, especially one with an interesting line of text
-
A library due-date card or bookstore receipt
-
A used bookmark that's reached the end of its life
-
A tea bag wrapper, since so much reading happens with a cup of tea nearby
-
A ticket stub from a bookstore event or author signing
MIL's annotation tabs and bookish stickers weren't designed as ephemera in the traditional sense, since they're new rather than found or vintage, but they work the same way on a journal page: small, layerable pieces that add color and texture around a central photo or piece of writing. A tea sachet from MIL's Book Club Bookish Bundle is also a nice stand-in for the kind of everyday scrap that junk journalers love to include, since it's the same idea, a small used item repurposed into something worth keeping.
Getting Started Without Overthinking It
The easiest way to start a junk journal is to grab a curated set that can help you learn and orient your mind toward creating coordinated journaling pages. For instance, you can grab our Claude Monet-inspired junk journal ephemera pack which includes art prints, stickers, ribbon, washi tape, frames and more. All of these things can be used to create a myriad number of spreads, each with a unique look and design.
FAQ
Do I need real vintage paper to start a junk journal?
No. While genuinely old paper has a nice texture and yellowing that's hard to fake, plenty of junk journalers use modern receipts, packaging, and printed ephemera packs with great results.
How is a junk journal different from a regular scrapbook?
A scrapbook is usually built around photos with matching decorative paper. A junk journal is built around the ephemera itself, mixing found paper, textures, and small objects with looser, less symmetrical layouts.
What glue or adhesive works best for ephemera?
A glue stick works for most flat paper pieces. For anything with texture or thickness, like tags or fabric scraps, a stronger adhesive or double-sided tape holds better without wrinkling the page.
Can I use ephemera that's damaged or torn?
Yes, and it's often preferred. A torn edge or a faded label adds to the aged, lived-in look most junk journalers are going for.
Is junk journal ephemera the same as scrapbook embellishments?
Not quite. Embellishments are usually made specifically for decorating a page, like stickers or die-cuts, while ephemera is repurposed from something that had another use first. Many journals use both together.
0 commentaire