Last week I gave myself a challenge to create a junk journal using only non craft supplies I could find in my home. I cannot use anything I bought specifically for crafting.  (See my previous post for more details.) Today I started gathering my supplies. Before I show you what I ended up with, I should tell you a little bit about myself.

I am fortunate enough to have a well paying job and so does my husband. We are not rich by any means, but we are not struggling to pay the bills.  So I can afford to buy any craft supply I want or need. I have my own craft room. Yes, it is a bit messy.

See all those plastic containers? They are full of scrapbook paper. Paper I just had to have and yet never used. My impulse control is not existant. So why am I trying to make a journal with non craft supplies?  Because the basic premise of a junk journal is to use junk to make it. Scraps and found objects, things one would normally throw away. There are tons of videos and blogs about crafting on a budget, but what if you have no budget at all? The idea kept gnawing at me and so I came up with this challenge.

I want this blog series to be inspirational and informative. I know not everyone will have the same  supplies I do, so I will try to suggest alternatives where possible, and use only readily available items. I will also be showing some DYI supplies that can be made with a few ingredients from the kitchen.

The Supplies

Once I got started, I realized I could make several different types of journals with ease. I ended up with three different color themes. My favorite color is purple, so of course I have lots of purple items to choose from. I chose a hard cover book for my cover.

Then I chose teal, because I have been into that color lately. I am using a three ring binder for the cover, something I have not tried before.

 

Finally, I found a lot of brown items, and since I already have coffee stained paper( not cheating, more about that later) I decided that would be my third color. I will be using a reusuable shopping bag and a cardboard box to make the cover for this one.

I will be doing individual blog posts for each journal and I will be more detailed on the items I am using. Here are the rest of my items that I will use for all the journals. First I have my office supplies. I feel like most people should have the majority of these items in their homes already. The nail is my pokey tool. The glue stick is my cheat item.

Next is my paper dying items. The instant coffee I bought from Dollartree just to dye with, so I am not using that per my rules, but I included it for inspiration. Dan brews a pot daily and there is usually some left over. It doesn’t take much. We make iced tea, so that is always in the cupboard. Tip: save the bags after you brew , dry them and dump the tea in your flower bed. You can see some under the food coloring. The bags have many uses. I have grandkids, so I keep powdered drink mix on hand. I always have food coloring on hand too for cake icing.

Blank paper is not a necessity, junk mail is great for writable space! This is the paper I am using. The coffee dyed paper I mention earlier was from this pack, bought at Walmart.  Just paper dipped in leftover brewed coffee and dried. I had some on hand so I used it for the picture, but I will be making more. This is what I use in my printer. I also found an old spiral I had. I write fiction as a hobby too, and once tried to write long hand. It did not go well and this spiral got shoved in a drawer. Now it will find new life! I will be dying the paper to match my color scheme for each journal. I know some of you may not have  a printer, so no printer paper.  If you want to buy some, Dollartree has small packages, but the most cost effective is the big pack at Walmarts. The same with notebook paper.

Paper towels and toilet tissue  with glue are great for creating texture.

I found a bag of leftover Halloween makeup and costume jewelry, plus a bag of odds and ends makeup stuff my daughter gave me.

I shop at Costco,(I work there too) so I have the big packages of parchment paper and foil.  I don’t use wax paper in the kitchen as much, so it is from Dollartree. These are from my kitchen. Not going to lie, I have the same items in my craft room too, but I do use these for cooking.

 

From the garage, I am swiping some of my husbands things like paint and wood glue.

Magazines and catalogs and junk mail. I have so many magazines. Most I got for free or greatly reduced subscriptions. You can go online and request free catalogs.

And then there is the miscellanious stuff.

 

 

Last but not least is the sewing basket I inherited from my mother-in law. I will be using the needles and thread from it, and maybe some seam basting and buttons.

There will undoutably be more items added as I come across them, plus the DYI things. I am a border line hoarder, especially since I started making journals, but nothing here is something I would not have anyway. I tried to gather more than I would need, to give you an idea of options.

I hope you will join me in this challenge!