Junk journaling is having a moment in 2026.

And while junk journals certainly aren’t new, something about them is changing.

I’m seeing fewer journals that feel like everything had to be purchased as part of a perfectly coordinated kit—and more journals filled with actual life.

Receipts.

Food packaging.

Coffee sleeves.

Tags from something you bought.

Tickets.

Little photographs.

Notes scribbled during the day.

Labels.

Mail.

Bits of paper most of us would normally throw away.

And I LOVE this direction.

Because isn’t that what a junk journal was supposed to be in the first place?

So instead of just looking at the trends, I decided to actually try seven junk journal trends I’m seeing in 2026 and decide:

Which ones are actually worth trying?

Here’s what happened.

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1. Real Receipts & Packaging

This was the trend I was most excited to try.

Instead of reaching for beautiful scrapbook paper or printable ephemera, I started looking around at things I would normally throw away.

A grocery receipt.

A piece of packaging.

A tag.

A coffee sleeve.

A label.

A shopping bag.

Suddenly I started seeing potential journal material everywhere.

The fun part is figuring out how to transform something completely ordinary.

A piece of brown cardboard packaging can become a pocket.

A receipt can become part of a collage.

A product label can add typography and color.

A paper bag can become a page.

And unlike purchased ephemera, these pieces actually document your life.

Six months from now, that receipt may remind you where you went that day.

Five years from now, the packaging itself may look completely different.

My verdict:

Absolutely worth trying.

This may actually be my favorite 2026 junk journal trend because it brings the junk back into junk journaling.

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2. Personal-Lore Journaling

This one goes beyond saving things.

You’re essentially creating a physical record of your own little world.

What did you do today?

Where did you go?

What are you watching?

What did you cook?

What did you buy?

What are you reading?

What made you laugh?

What annoyed you?

What are you obsessed with right now?

Instead of thinking, What should I put on this page?, you start asking:

What happened in my life that I want to remember?

And it doesn’t have to be important.

Actually, I think the ordinary things may eventually become the most interesting.

Imagine opening a journal ten years from now and finding a grocery receipt, a photograph of your kitchen, the wrapper from your favorite snack and a handwritten note about what you were watching on TV that night.

That’s a little time capsule.

My verdict:

Definitely worth trying.

Your life doesn’t have to be extraordinary to be worth documenting.

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3. Maximalist “Everything-at-Once” Pages

This trend gave me permission to stop worrying about whether everything matched.

And that is surprisingly freeing.

Put the receipt next to the floral paper.

Add the sticker.

Then handwriting.

Then a piece of packaging.

Then tape.

Then another scrap.

Maybe some stitching.

Maybe something completely unexpected.

Instead of creating a perfectly coordinated page, you’re building layers until the page feels finished.

There is definitely a fine line between interesting and too much, though.

I discovered that I still like having somewhere for my eye to rest.

My verdict:

Worth trying—with restraint.

If you’re normally very careful about matching everything, this is a great exercise in letting go.

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4. Phone Photos + Real-Life Ephemera

We take hundreds—sometimes thousands—of photographs on our phones.

And then what happens to them?

Usually they stay on our phones.

This trend brings some of those photographs back into the physical world.

Print one small photo from an ordinary day.

Then add something from that same experience.

Went for coffee?

Use the photo, receipt, coffee sleeve or sugar packet.

Went thrift shopping?

Print a photo of your favorite find and add the receipt or price tag.

Had lunch with a friend?

Use the photograph, restaurant receipt and maybe write down something funny that happened.

Suddenly one little page tells an entire story.

My verdict:

Absolutely worth trying.

This may be one of the best ways to make your junk journal genuinely personal instead of simply beautiful.

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5. Micro-Memory Journals

Not every junk journal needs to document an entire year.

That’s what makes this trend so much fun.

Make a tiny journal about one specific thing.

A coffee journal.

A thrift-shopping journal.

A garden journal.

A weekend journal.

A Christmas journal.

A vacation journal.

A “What I Ate This Summer” journal.

Or even:

One ordinary week of my life.

A smaller subject makes filling the journal much less intimidating.

And because the subject is specific, you naturally begin noticing things you might normally overlook.

My verdict:

Definitely worth trying.

This is also a fantastic idea if you’ve wanted to start junk journaling but don’t know what to make.

Pick one tiny piece of your life and document that.

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6. Interactive Pockets, Pouches & Hidden Pieces

This is where the journal becomes something you don’t just look at.

You explore it.

Open the envelope.

Pull out the tag.

Untie the ribbon.

Lift the flap.

Look inside the pocket.

Unfold the paper.

Discover the little note hidden underneath.

And here’s where this trend connects beautifully with using real junk.

That small envelope from the mail?

Use it.

A little paper bag?

Make it a pocket.

Interesting product packaging?

Turn it into a tuck spot.

You don’t necessarily need to construct complicated mechanisms.

Sometimes the simplest pocket holding a receipt and handwritten note is enough.

My verdict:

Worth trying.

But don’t make every page interactive.

A few surprises scattered throughout the journal make them feel more special.

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7. Modern Junk Journaling

This might be the trend I’m most curious to see develop.

When we hear the words junk journal, many of us immediately picture:

Vintage book pages.

Brown ink.

Lace.

Old photographs.

Botanical prints.

Beige.

Sepia.

More beige.

And I love that look.

But it doesn’t have to be the only junk journal look.

We’re seeing journals become brighter, stranger, more graphic and more personal.

Modern packaging.

Bold colors.

Magazine clippings.

Contemporary photographs.

Typography.

Advertising.

Doodles.

Neon colors.

Cute graphics.

Retro packaging.

Even things that clash.

Your journal could look romantic and Victorian.

But it could also look like 1973.

Or 1997.

Or 2026.

My verdict:

Absolutely worth exploring.

Because junk journaling shouldn’t have one aesthetic.

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What I Learned Trying These Trends

After experimenting with these ideas, I realized something.

My favorite 2026 junk journal trend isn’t really a technique at all.

It’s permission.

Permission to stop worrying about whether something is the “right” thing to put in a junk journal.

That little cardboard package?

Use it.

The receipt you almost threw away?

Use it.

The blurry photo you love anyway?

Print it.

The grocery list written on the back of an envelope?

Keep it.

The ridiculous label that made you laugh?

Glue it in.

And you don’t need to buy a pile of new supplies before you can start.

Look around your house.

Look through your purse.

Check the recycling bin.

Open that drawer where you put all the little pieces of paper you don’t know what to do with.

You probably already have the beginnings of a junk journal.

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So Which 2026 Junk Journal Trend Was My Favorite?

For me, it’s the move toward real-life junk and personal memories.

Pretty papers are wonderful.

Vintage ephemera is wonderful.

Printables can be wonderful.

But there’s something different about opening a journal and finding a real receipt from somewhere you went, the packaging from something you loved, a photograph you took and your own handwriting beside it.

Those things can’t be duplicated by anyone else.

And maybe that’s where junk journaling is heading in 2026.

Not toward prettier journals.

Toward more personal ones.

Journals that are imperfect.

Journals that are inexpensive.

Journals that contain ordinary things.

Journals that actually look like the person who made them.

And I think that’s a trend worth keeping.

Now I Want to Know…

Which of these trends would you try?

Are you ready to glue actual receipts and packaging into your journal—or are you still reaching for the pretty papers?

And most importantly:

What’s one piece of “junk” you threw away this week that you now wish you’d saved?

Let me know in the comments.

And if you’re following along with the video, grab some receipts, packaging and scraps from around your house and try one of these trends with me.

Because your next journal page might already be sitting in your recycling bin.

Creativity and Inspiration