Scrapbook travel journaling is my newest obsession

Where to find inspiration, the supplies I purchased, and how to get started!

One of the (many) New Year’s aspirations I’ve set for myself is finding at least one sustainable creative pursuit that I can carry forward, through 2025 and beyond. Sustainable meaning it’s something that I truly enjoy, and that it has low barriers to entry, meaning it doesn’t involve a ton of pointless supplies and expensive trips to Blick. I wanted a year-long project that wouldn’t involve spending $$$ on a bunch of stuff that would be rendered useless should I not enjoy the project.

inspo from my pinterest board

After thinking through what I actually wanted out of a creative pursuit and thinking about the existing creative pursuits I already enjoy (writing on Substack/making collages), I was scrolling through pinterest and the algorithm angels hit me with scrapbook journaling (also called junk journaling). I instantly shared my inspiration and intentions to Substack notes, and was met with readers who wanted to join in on the fun!

Although it wasn’t originally my intention to document the process, I’ve had lots of questions about supplies, where to find inspiration, and how to get started, and selfishly, I like the internet accountability because I know it means that I’ll prioritize dedicating time to scrapbook journaling. So I’ve decided to share the first scrapbook journaling spread I’ve done, for my trip to Miami over New Year’s! It’s by no means perfect, and that’s the point.

Where to find inspiration

I headed into my Miami trip with the intention of collecting mementos I could use for this project. Everywhere I went, I asked myself if there was something that I could take (that could conceivably fit on a page) that would jog a memory or bring me back to the trip. I ended up bringing home a postcard, my room key holder, my baggage check sticker, and a cute sketch that the hotel was handing out at check-in. I didn’t use everything I brought home, but now I have an idea of what I will look for next time.

I will say I forgot several times to check for certain things I wanted (dinner receipts, cardboard drink coasters, stickers from tacky beach stores, candy wrappers, etc…), and had I remembered, this spread would have been less text heavy and more trinket heavy. To supplement, I tore through every Conde Nast magazine I had in my library and cut out some photos and textures (I knew hoarding them would pay off one day!).

If you’re not sure what to look for, check out my pinterest board of all of the journaling inspiration I’ve saved! Remember that this is for you to remember your travels and adventures by, so you should save the things you find meaningful — train and plane tickets, playbills, movie tickets, hotel room keys, there’s no right or wrong answer!

How to get started

my supplies and crafting lair

Just do it! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and take risks. I started my spread as soon as I got home from Miami, because I wanted something to look forward to once I landed in the New York cold. I spent 2 hours cutting things out, listening to music, debating my layout, thinking about what I wanted to include, etc, and the time flew by. In fact, I had so much fun that although I was originally going to do this only for travels, I’ve decided to do it for my adventures around NYC too!

The supplies I purchased

Since I decided to make this my “thing” of the year, I decided to buy some dedicated supplies to make the process easier/more fun. I will say, anyone can do this, and you don’t need to buy anything special to start. You can do this in a $1 composition notebook with regular markers, pens, tape, scissors, and a glue stick.

That said, I had specific requirements for the notebook I wanted to use. I wanted it to be spiral bound, so I could rip out pages easily if I wanted, and so that when I added things to the pages and the journal got thicker, that the binding wouldn’t break (which I had seen as a complaint about using leather notebooks).

After hours of searching high and low for something that met my requirements, here’s what I ended up purchasing:

• Junque journal notebook from Etsy. I love the colorful pages, and it is super sturdy and high quality! It also has a decent amount of room in it, so I know I won’t run out of pages this year if I go crazy during my travels.

• Canon Ivy mini portable printer / paper pack. I chose this printer over the others that I was considering because of its low cost and the sticker backs on the photo paper, making it hassle free for scrapbooking.

• Brush pen art markers. I thought these might improve my atrocious handwriting, and while they didn’t, the colors are so fun and they don’t smudge or bleed!

• A very basic glue stick that gets the job done and dries clear.

• New gel pens. I’m left handed, and everything smudges on me. In my years of adulthood, I’ve just been using freebie pens stolen from restaurants and bars, so it was time to actually get good pens. I fucking love these.

• I also purchased this journal to compare to the Junque, and it’s a really nice leather option if that’s the direction you feel compelled to go in! I’m using it for my to-do lists and therapy notes, and have really liked it so far. At $12, it’s a steal.

If you end up joining me on this journey, let me know in the comments! I’d love to make scrapbook journaling buddies.

xx,

Bella

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