One of the questions I’m asked most frequently is, “How do you use all of the books you make?”. While I don’t fill every single journal, I do often use them for keeping notes, journaling about the books I read, as a container for ephemera I collect, and to document my travels. There are a lot of journal types floating around these days, so I wanted to take a moment to explain some of the differences, albeit subtle, between them. I hope you’ll be able to use this as a starting point if you’re curious about how to use your handmade books!
Junk Journals
A junk journal is a unique, eclectic creation that reflects you and your personal style. Typically filled with found and recycled materials, it can serve as a mixed-media collection of musings, concepts, and creative sparks or as a chronicling of memories. Basically, junk journaling celebrates imperfection with no rigid guidelines. There’s really no “rule,” rhyme, or reason for what one should include. You can think of it like a literal junk drawer – it contains a hodgepodge of assorted treasures and odds and ends. Things like ephemera, photos, torn magazine pages, news articles, ticket stubs, cards, tags, envelopes, maps, etc. are all wonderful pieces to incorporate in a junk journal.
Artist Journal
An artist journal is a book where every page is a little work of art, or the whole book is a work of art in itself. The content can vary widely depending on the individual artist’s interests, artistry, and preferred mediums. They can be used to practice new techniques, record ideas, observations, thoughts, sketches, and anything else that inspires or influences the creative process. It’s a place to experiment, brainstorm, plan projects, and document their artistic journey. Ultimately, an artist journal is a deeply personal and versatile tool that helps artists explore their creativity and develop their artistic voice.
Check out this interview I did with one of our Handmade Book Club founding members, Lisa Merkin, about her creative process with artist books.
Travel Journal
A travel journal is basically a traveler’s diary, used to capture and reflect on moments from your journeys. From the sights you see to the foods you eat, it’s a place to document any of the experiences you’d like to record from a trip. Travel journals can include photos, sketches, memorabilia (souvenirs, ticket stubs, restaurant napkins, brochures, etc.), maps and itineraries, or written entries with descriptions of places visited, people met, events experienced, and feelings/emotions. Travel journals serve not only as keepsakes but also as a beautiful collection of memories to reminisce about past adventures and share stories with others.
Take a peek inside one of my travel journals here, or check out my tips for 25 Items to Include in Travel Journals!
Gratitude Journal
A gratitude journal is pretty self-explanatory in the sense that it’s a space for you to record the things you’re grateful for. This can be a daily practice or an intermittent one, but the intention is to fill it with words, thoughts, photos, ephemera, or anything that brings you joy and positivity. Below, you can watch a flip-through of one of my gratitude journals. If you’d like to make your own, check out my Coptic Gratitude Journal 5-Day Challenge!
Other Journal Types
Here are a few other suggestions for how to use your handmade books:
- Daily journaling
- Dream journaling
- Food journaling
- Nature journaling
- Prayer journaling
- Fitness journaling
- Photo book
- List/Note taking
- Daily calendar
- Poetry
- Haiku
Let me know in the comments how you love to use your handmade journals!
Hi! I’m Ali Manning
Years ago, I learned about handmade books, and ever since then, I’ve been hooked. I love creating new designs, learning about different techniques, and expanding my collection of paper. But what I love most about bookmaking is the community.
Through Vintage Page Designs and the Handmade Book Club, I’ve met thousands of other passionate bookmakers, mixed-media artists, and crafters. We all share a love of book arts and crafting, just for the joy of it.
I believe that bookbinding and book arts are for everyone, regardless of skill level or equipment. All you need is a little creativity and, of course, paper!
A journal I am loving, is one where I write quotes from books I have read. Sometimes one reads a passage that just is too wonderful to be forgotten or passed by. So I started to write them down and intersperce them with images that I love; photos from cards, drawings and even magazines.
I just watched your transfer photos to fabric. I need to see it again because now that I have matte medium on the photos what do it do next. Thank you in advance.
Hello! I’m Caren from West Virginia and a newbie at making handmade journals. Going to the beach, sitting in a low chair, burying my feet down deep into the sand, closing my eyes and feeling the warm sun beat down on my face is my favorite place to be. So with that said, it’s no wonder I wanted to use this theme in my home! And now, making my very first junk journal with beach sayings and magazine pictures and pictures I’ve taken, stickers and paints and more, I’m embarking on a fun and creative way to journal!
A thing I like to do with my books is when I come across something I like, such as a logo, piece of art, poem, typography, color combination, anything that catches my eye, inspires me or triggers a memory, I will snip it out and randomly glue it into my blank book as a reminder for future projects.
How much does it cost? Looks delightful