TL;DR version: junk journals are often cheaper and less structured in their layout and planning than scrapbooks because they use bits and pieces of whatever happens to be on hand, whereas scrapbooks are generally more polished-looking and exacting, used to preserve memories in a more organised way. There’s no right or wrong way to pick between junk journals vs scrapbooks, and you can blend techniques from both to make something creative that fits your personal style!
Junk journals and scrapbooks are technically different, but the differences can be pretty subtle if you aren’t entirely sure. Both offer creative ways to document everyday events, thoughts, creations and general life goings-on, but the output style of them varies. When it comes to choosing between junk journals vs scrapbooks, you should really consider the kind of final result that you want from the finished item. If, y’know, you’re bothered about how you label it. To be fair, “book with paper and things made pretty” is a perfectly legitimate identifier! Officially, though…
Scrapbooking is pretty timeless and tends to use specially-prepared items such as pictures or photographs, stickers, decorative paper and other embellishments (from buttons and ribbons to special photo mounts and toppers) in order to create something visual that is more structured. It often gives a more “photo album” style of output that is organised, categorised and generally far preferable for anyone who has any neat freak tendencies! Scrapbooks are fantastic for organising memories and making giftable keepsakes, which is why they’re often so popular for fairly “distinct” life event themes such as weddings, holidays/vacations, new babies, house moving, birthdays or other occasions that warrant any sort of commemorative approach beyond just stashing a bunch of photos somewhere.
Junk journaling, on the other hand, is a far looser and still-evolving trend that allows a lot more room to go off-the-wall creative with layouts. It tends to mostly (if not entirely) unstructured, combines all kinds of creative media from stories and notes to poems, photos, trinkets, sketches, and pretty much anything else you can think of and glue, fasten or otherwise cram into something vaguely notebook-shaped. It acts as more like a “spill your thoughts” notebook than the more orderly layout typical to most scrapbooks, and can be anything from a place to store your scribbles, art, poems or dream diary to just a sort of random collage of bits and pieces that you find fit together in an aesthetic you enjoy.
Both junk journals and scrapbooks are a way of creatively preserving thoughts and memories in a way that inspires creativity and a more emotional connection than just formal diarising or photo albums. Scrapbooks are often more memorabilia-focused, using photographs and relevant memorabilia like programs, ticket stubs or themed items like stickers, whereas junk journals tend to be more free-form and can include all these things along with more “scrappy” bits like news or magazine clippings, random glue-able odds and ends, word prompts, doodles, sketches, random words or mini diary entries, and pretty much anything else you can think of.
Choosing Between Junk Journals vs Scrapbooks
There are plenty of options out there when it comes to keeping memories as keepsakes, but if you’ve come across both you might wonder what will work better for you – a junk journal, or a scrapbook.
Junk journals are great if you want to really go bananas on the creativity side because you can make them however you like (even just fasten a bunch of random paper together if you don’t want to use an actual notebook as a starting point!), so they tend to be lightweight and fairly inexpensive because of how flexible they are with materials. If you’re looking for something really expressive that allows loads of room for improvisation and is highly forgiving of less-than-perfect finishes (including being able to glue things in straight lines, an issue I have myself!), a junk journal is probably the right choice for you. Pages may not even start completely blank if you’re using scavenged materials, which gives you a creative starter-for-ten on every spread, and you can just go at things however you want without needing to worry about getting well-placed angles or precise cut-outs.
Scrapbooks, on the other hand, allow for a much more organised layout with pockets and envelopes for easier storing of non glue-friendly mementos, but may be a little pricier as you’ll probably want to buy a scrapbook album as a starting point, and most people prefer to have shop-bought embellishments like frames or stickers in their scrapbooks, as well as printed photographs, rather than just including odds and ends salvaged from wherever. They also often call for more exacting placements and layouts of nicely arranged photographs and notes rather than junk journaling’s sometimes haphazard approach, but the end results are generally much more shiny and pristine looking for sharing and showing off.
When choosing between the two, make sure you consider your budget (a basic scrapbook album might set you back anywhere from £4-10 depending on size and features, whereas a fancier one with edge protectors and a nicer cover could be £15 or more) as well as how much time and effort you want to put into your creation. Personal, meaningful, and polished = you’re probably a scrapbooker. Personal, meaningful, and all over the place = you might be more comfy with a junk journal.
Not, of course, that the official label matters all that much – mix and match styles and approaches however makes you happy. You could create a journal album, or a junkier-style scrapbook, or anything in between on any spectrum you like. As long as you have fun, express yourself, and create something that gives you joy, you’re doing it right!
