Using My Junk Journal

[@lisasexton4727]

Folks need to see how to journal in junk journals; it reduces their “fear” of messing up. Thanks for sharing!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Absolutely!! Thank you Lisa!

[@karenkettering1725]

I made a prayer journal for a dear friend and it included lots of tickets. She uses them to write intercessory prayers and when God answers that particular prayer, she gives the ticket to the one for whom the prayer was spoken.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks for sharing that sweet tip Karen!

[@ginaravello]

Wow i love that! Thank you for sharing that ❤❤❤❤

[@jackiesticha6970]

Oh my gosh I love this!

[@paulaunger3061]

This is wonderful and beautiful idea! :D

[@JournalJourneys51]

I'm SO glad you posted this! I've been wondering how YOU use your journals and once again, I'm totally inspired. As you answered the questions of your subscriber I thought about my answers too. Being in my 70s I often think about how our world has changed during my lifetime and one reason I love vintage ephemera is as examples of how things used to be. In my own journals I use small pieces as places to write specific things I'm grateful for on the days I come across them. I love the definitions, quotes, and affirmation ideas too. Thank you, as always, for your continued postings and inspiration! - Trudy

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh Trudy - thanks so much for your feedback! and for your support of me. I’m glad to inspire you.

[@melissaealy]

You sound so sweet

[@marciamusiak7659]

thank you for sharing.

[@pinky-tl2bi]

so beautiful. i never know what to do with mine tho i so love them. so happy you shared. i plan to leave my notes and planners to my son.

[@BeAgainBooks]

@@pinky-tl2bi He will treasure them, I’m sure!

[@TeaandLaceJournals]

I came to the comments to see if anyone else wanted to marvel at her cursive with me! It’s a lost art. I think regular cursive is now vintage! I would definitely love and use papers with this style of cursive. Calligraphy is gorgeous but I think cursive has a vibe all its own. ❤ My own is not as nice.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Aww - thank you so much - my mother would be so proud, haha. I agree about cursive…we’re losing it.

[@TeaandLaceJournals]

@@BeAgainBooks Let us know if you create any digitals! I would buy them;)

[@tinafrompasadena3192]

It is a lost art and they no longer teach it in schools! I have a couple of employees who are under the age of 30 and their signatures look like a 5 year old's!!!

[@suruha2306]

I made a junk journal and gave it to my son's girlfriend. She's quite artistic, herself. I was surprised when she showed it to me! She had placed photos of the two of them in the slots I had made for such things. She wrote about them on the little cards and tickets. She stuck memorabilia in other pockets and slots. It was fun to make and she had fun filling it up! Win/win!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh yes! that certainly is a win - yay!

[@SusieCross]

I love the way you journal Thankyou for all the inspiration. Looking forward to more of your videos.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Aww-that’s great to hear! Thank you Susie!

[@lauriekerschner2925]

Thank you, ive been intereted in making a junk tracel joirnal for a friend....but didnt quite understand how to actually use one. This has been fantastic!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Glad it was helpful Laurie! You will have fun making it, I promise!

[@marilynmccormick1658]

I'm a writer, so I resonate with your style. I've heard others say that they never write in their journals. They tend to have lots of pockets to save pieces of ephemra. Junk journaling can be for everyone. I tend to do a lot of collaging in mine & do a page on what I'm feeling or thinking.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks very much Marilyn!

[@lisawagner6076]

Thank you so much for this video. I also had the same questions Joyce did. I was not sure about all the goodies we put in the journals. I guess it is because I don't journal and I imagine Joyce does not either. But now I can see why we put those goodies into a journal and it all becomes clear. This has made we want to start trying to do some journaling. I have no shortage of already made journals to choose from to begin with. And maybe my husband will quit asking "what are you gonna do with all these journals??" LOL

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh yes! Get started right away, It is another wonderful way of being creative -this time with your thoughts AS WELL as your materials. Try it!

[@Angellosa]

The meaning of this video is inestimable. Thanks a million🥰

[@BeAgainBooks]

My pleasure Angel! Thank you!

[@anndavidson287]

Thanks for sharing your journals. I have been journalind since I was in my teens..now nearing 70.. moved often..some of pages torn out..and saved.. Also many papers from family to save..I think I'll start a larger journal with your ideas!! Thanks again!! ❤😊 your journals so pretty.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you Ann! and may I say “well done” on a lifetime of journaling. I so appreciate you stopping by!

[@happyssightspectacle9551]

Kathleen Thank You for sharing your wonderful journals with us. I got so many ideas from this video. I am creating journals as a way to document things and people in my life who made an impact on my life, or things that made me happy. After my Mother died, I looked everywhere for things she had written, I longed for her penmanship.

[@BeAgainBooks]

I know just what you mean! Thank you for your sweet thoughts. I hope you found some of your mom’s handwriting. These little things come up in our memories and are so evocative.

[@amydastrab2638]

I enjoyed watching this! Your journals are wonderful and beautiful. You explained the how-to's of journaling very well and I have to say, you have lovely handwriting. Thanks for sharing!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh I’m so glad Amy - thank you very much!

[@chewie6658]

What a wonderful video. Thank you for sharing this very personal insight in how you use your junk journals. ❤ I love your handwriting - it is so beautiful. I use my junk journals mainly as albums for holding photographs and memory pieces. Therefore I decorate them along while using them. Also I did several junk journals for mothers day and birthdays - but always finished projects and already filled with photographs. One time I gifted a travel journal to friends and I plan to do one to hold all of these memes and pictures I liked and downloaded from fb. I think these will go very well with tags and journaling cards and so on. And then I will put it in the bathroom for my guests to enjoy. 😉

[@BeAgainBooks]

It’s a pleasure to share and I’m so glad you got something out of it. I’m glad you have a plan for your journals!

[@twinkletoes79]

Thankyou for sharing this! I love journals and making them but I'm often at a loss of what to do with them once I have them. Also, knowing I'm not the only one who will take years to finish a journal, I have also started one from Meg Journals for January and have only filled a few pages. I love your honesty and your gentle spirit. :)

[@BeAgainBooks]

@@twinkletoes79 My pleasure Stephanie! I’m glad this is helpful. Just go at your own pace and enjoy the process.

[@bettystychno5723]

I think all of us new to journal making wonder if they are really used for that purpose! Thank you for showing your experiences journaling. I’m 78 and I want to create memory keeping journals as well as loving the process of decorating as an artistic endeavor. I’m inspired by your creative ideas and beautiful journals. You set a very high standard that I’d love to emulate but mostly just admire!

[@MamaRazz]

I agree. I’m 72 and making junk journals for a year. I leave a lot of space for people to write. Never too late to document our own memories.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Haha - I think you are probably right Betty! It takes a creative eye to see the possibilities right? Thanks so much for watching.

[@sheilaedwards7152]

Hi Kathleen, thank you so much for this video!! I’m fairly new at this, I was excited about making a junk journal, so I’ve watched many videos on how to make them. But I didn’t really understand how One would journal in something like this!!! With all the pockets, the tucks The flaps, hidden pockets, I thought they were just for decoration, I didn’t understand what they were for, other than to look pretty . People in a video would decorate small cards to fit in a pocket, then they would say “See, the other side is blank so you can journal”. I always thought, You really can’t get that much information on such a small space. It hadn’t clicked with me on HOW to journal in one of these. Obviously, they’re not the traditional journal, you know, empty pages you write on every day and fill up with all your thoughts and activities. I guess you could, with a J.J. But, it would be HUGE!!! So, when I saw your video, I felt like I had found the Rosetta Stone of the,”Junk Journal World”!!! I’m not even kidding!! this changes everything for me, as far making them!! I know I sound like I’ve been living under a rock or a very slow learner, probably both. This was such a great idea you had to show how, YOU, personally, journal in a JUNK JOURNAL !!! I really enjoyed listening to you as well, you have such a soothing voice. Thank you for all your hard work.🙏🙏💕💕 I subscribed to your channel‼️😊😊😊👍

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh I am so glad to know you enjoyed the video and see the possibilities now - Thanks so much for watching Sheila!

[@MamaRazz]

This is the most beautiful, thoughtful, thought provoking flip through of such journals with wonderfully creative embellishments. My words cannot express all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.❤

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh I am so glad you enjoyed this Christine! Thank you very much!

[@mindyrobertson6203]

I'm borrowing your thought about time running faster, and I'm going to write it in my journal too. Thanks! I finally made myself a beautiful journal, full of all my favorite things, and have been using it much like you explained. It's not chronological, just memories of my life, my thoughts, etc. My daughter will receive it when I'm gone. I try to write something in it each week, as I just turned 62, and I'm not getting any younger!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh Mindy! I’m really so glad to hear this - well done! Congratulations on making a journal and even more kudos for writing in it! I’m sure your daughter will treasure your record!

[@dawnklein106]

Not only do you have an artist’s heart it is a tender one as well. Thank you for sharing.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Aw thank you so much Dawn!

[@lauragaudry3402]

Thank you for sharing your personal journals. Very inspiring! Hugs and blessings, 🤗❤️🇨🇦

[@BeAgainBooks]

You are so welcome Laura! Thanks for watching.

[@kellybrush4803]

Kathleen i think this is the first time I have commented. I just started watching your videos in the last couple of weeks. You seem like such a gentle soul and you have such a calm and soothing voice. Your journals are absolutely wonderful and I love your videos and ideas. I am a fan for life! God Bless you!!!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you so much Kelly for watching and especially for this wonderful encouragement. This makes me smile! 😀

[@JoansJunkJournalsAndMore]

Beautiful, thoughtful, gracious video. Thank you. I know a lot of people other than Joyce appreciates this. I used to write/journal lots before I even knew about junk journals. I would write in just plain notebooks and sketch pictures along the way. That is, until someone invaded my privacy and got into them and read them,. Then in the heat of the moment, I destroyed them so no one else would do that again. Big Regret. I think it is time for me to start writing again as there are things I would like people to know when I'm gone. I have no kids, but I do have siblings, nieces and nephews. ☺♥

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you Joan! Yes, give it another try - there are so many reasons to do it! Thanks for watching.

[@jea8a]

Good idea! I’ve had a similar experience and used my involvement in junk journaling as a way to reclaim and celebrate my writing again 😊 you can even tuck little inspiring notes to yourself in your journal.

[@BeAgainBooks]

What a great idea - I am a firm believer in positive self messages! Thank you!

[@a.katherinesuetterlin3028]

Joan, I completely understand why you did what you did. I will never understand that desire to invade like that. It always comes across as a "burning resentment," if you will, of someone else's mere existence. I don't know about you, but it always leaves me burning with anger that people like that were never taught any manners about privacy. It always comes across as a vibe of "entitlement." But I am glad you are feeling pulled to come back to what your soul loves to do. 😁

[@JoansJunkJournalsAndMore]

@@a.katherinesuetterlin3028 Thank you so much for the words of understanding. I had to let go of that "burning resentment" first as it was hurting me more than him or anyone else. What freedom to let that go. Now, to carry on with head held high(but not a snobby nose high lol ). ☺♥

[@dedeec3653]

As you were talking about the smaller pieces, it came to mind to create an inspiration book with quotes and affirmations.

[@BeAgainBooks]

The perfect thing - great idea! Thanks for the feedback!

[@d.r.mcmanus9640]

I find this super interesting! Being both a creator and user of JJs, I love to see how others are using their JJs! I draw/sketch a lot in mine or write in quotes I love or things that inspired me that day and I am also a fan of lists/brain dumps and will print things (like I just found a Jim Henson puppet I loved and printed her out) and travels/tickets/photos (I also glue in maps). I do mine quarterly, so I theme mine for each season. I also have a separate one that has been a work in progress for recipes that were handed down to me on the original handwritten index cards, mostly from my grandma's recipe swap nights (like a book club night but for recipes in the 1950s). I found an old Cookbook at a thrift store and the lady who owned it had placed in handwritten recipes and notes on lose papers. I tried some and have started adding these to my book. I have no idea who this lady was, but to think of all the time she took to write those out and to be tossed in a thrift store, I just had to save them! Also, you have the most beautiful handwriting! ❤

[@BeAgainBooks]

I’m so glad you came by! Thanks so much for watching and for your thoughts!

[@debif3230]

I wish we were neighbors ❤ I love my junk journals and I wish I could find “my tribe” besides just youtubers. Most people just don’t get it. It’s lovely to hear from people that do. 😊

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh I hope you can find your tribe soon Deb! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for your thoughts.

[@jensartyinclinations]

I love making and using JJ's sooo much. Thank you for this video - so inspiring and expresses our love of papers and vintage ephemera. really lovely ideas & oh wow - your covid journal gave me a little catch in my throat. Thank you for sharing.

[@BeAgainBooks]

I’m so glad you stopped in Jen! Thanks so very much!

[@TheElly76]

I never thought about this until your video.. but I have a ton of vintage postcards and pictures I collected from thrift stores. This type of media would be a great place to keep them

[@BeAgainBooks]

So true - great idea! I hope you’ll try it! Thanks for watching!

[@Jeannes1234]

Your Covid journals truly were theraputic for you when you see that you filled 2 journals with your thoughts about it. That is one purpose of keeping a journal.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Yes, they were Jeanne! I’m so glad I decided to do that. Of course, we had more than enough time then, didn’t we? Haha. Thanks for watching.

[@StonewallArabians]

i am so sorry you for the trama youwent through during covid. i felt your pain and fear as you went through your journals and it touched me. i hope you will be able to able to move past this terrible event with out too much emotional scaring. that was a hard time for so many for many reasons. my prayers are with you.

[@BeAgainBooks]

@@StonewallArabians Thank you very much for the compassion and sympathy. It was a difficult time and I’m very glad I kept the journals - I do think it helped me get through it. Thanks so much for visiting.

[@Mommyoffive4Him]

Thank you so much for sharing not just your journals but your heart behind them! You are a blessing, Kathleen!!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you Kerri! That’s so kind and it makes me smile!

[@Spiritwood88]

I love the variety of journals that you have. I also admire your lovely handwriting. The beauty of journal making is that you can never have too many! They are fun to write random thoughts, quotes, song lyrics...whatever you want. They are an extension of us, and a treasure left behind. I often wish my grandmothers had written in a journal, what a gift that would have been!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed this video. My grandmothers DID writing in journals and I can testify that it is a gift.

[@evajordan9167]

This is a great video. I really enjoyed your artistry and your descriptions of how you think about what you write. I write in my journals, too, and am always looking for new ideas for the art part of a junk journal. You work is very inspirational.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you very much Eva! I’m glad you came by!

[@nancyludlum2646]

Wow--you have such talent for this! Truly, thanks for sharing!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you very much Nancy!

[@jea8a]

I really enjoyed this video. It’s funny that we don’t discuss actual journaling much, despite loving journals! I really liked how you discussed hidden journaling - it’s one of my favourite strategies, allowing me to incorporate art and fold outs and delightful surprises, as well as tuck away my writing. I mostly use hidden journaling so that when I look in my journal I am not drawn into my own past thoughts and feelings unless I choose to; it makes my journal more of a peaceful place.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks so much Jenan! 😊 It is kind of odd, isn’t it. I make journals the way I like to use them and it sounds like you do as well! Thanks so much for your thoughts!

[@sharilynsanford7820]

Thank you so much for this I have been so fascinated with junk journals but I could not figure out how people would use them I think now I am ready to make a junk journal and put it to use thank you

[@BeAgainBooks]

Wow Sharilyn! I’m so glad you have discovered how to use one of these journals and are ready to try it out. Get ready for a fun adventure!

[@kathytrakas772]

Great questions and so well responded to. Two of them have been bouncing around in my head for awhile: what to do with all the little bits and how to use my well loved antique and vintage pieces. I thank Joyce for asking them and you, Kathleen, for answering them. I appreciate so much that you shared some of your personal thoughts. ( I’m also a Kathleen.)

[@BeAgainBooks]

Glad it was helpful Kathy! Thank you for coming by!

[@sherfinds]

Thank you. I have admired junk journals and even collected many things to make one. Yet, I never have because I couldn't figure out how to use it. Some journals I've seen shared are so jammed-pack before ever getting used that I couldn't imagine using it would be satisfying. Now that you've shared your many examples, I have ideas and hope that I get around to making my first junk journal.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Wonderful news! Thank you for sharing that you are inspired to do it! Have fun - you’ll love it.

[@Pixieworksstudio]

Thank you for this. I just did not get it until I started journaling. I just love history and old things, I also write so it's great for things like that. I've put some family history in one of mine, and some photos. Some pages are simply just works of art for most of us, and wonderful collage. I laughed when I remembered collage to me was painting pasta in school😂. I also put my art in a journal, and use one for all my vintage cookery and recipes I've written over the years. I love old books and I often find an old envelope, shopping list, or handwritten recipe in them. They can also be themed too. One of mine is old knitting pattern and sewing pattern based.I hope that helps somebody 😊

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and tips!

[@sherylsantoro]

Thank you to Joyce for asking such great questions and thank you Kathleen for answering them in such great details. Your penmanship is exquisite. I enjoyed seeing all of your themed journals with reasons for making them.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks so much Sheryl! I appreciate it.

[@jeanettemisaiko9519]

Thank you so much for this video. I have been quite interested in the use of these journals and now I think I’m finally ready to dive into making one!!! I also wanted to thank u for sharing your personal journals/uses and your thoughts and writings. It was very moving. I can see your Covid journals being used in a documentary in the future to show what it was really like to live through that time. I wish I had thought to do it - I’m sure it was quite useful in helping you sort & process your thoughts & feelings.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you Jeanette! I hope you will dive in soon! I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

[@christy9945]

I’m a new subscriber because of this video. It was so lovely and your explanations and suggestions are so helpful and inspiring. I make journals, but rarely write in them. This makes me realize the importance and value it brings. Thank you😊🫶🏻

[@BeAgainBooks]

Welcome Christy, thank you so much for subscribing! I do hope you will write more often and I hope there is some other inspiration here also. Thanks for watching.

[@rjfaustralia2653]

Thank you Kathleen for taking the time to show us through a number of your journals and how you have gone about using them. I do card making and scrapbooking but am just entering the world of creating junk journals and this is going to be so helpful to me. I have “liked” it and will definitely be watching it a number of times in the future. New subscriber here. Best Wishes, Rebecca in Australia 🇦🇺

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks very much Rebecca and welcome! I hope you enjoy a new journey!

[@daricet.2958]

Beautiful response and share of your journals. You create from your heart, and this video truly shows that. I like to think of a junk journal like a cookbook. It’s more interesting if you have pictures or illustrations, tuck a shared recipe card and write in them. They are my personal collection to do as I wish.😊

[@BeAgainBooks]

So true Darice! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your comment!

[@Patricia.R.]

Hello Kathleen! I stumbled across your channel during the Dollar Tree JJ just recently. I have enjoyed watching your videos. This one, is a personal favorite! I loved to see how you journal. I do some of the same things. I'm a life long journaler, (auto correct is telling me that is not a word) ...is it diarist? Hmmmm. Anyway, I have often tucked things inside my journals, particularly our holiday book. I save notes, letters, cards, art work from kids and grandkids and often don't know where to put them. Now with junk journaling, I am finding a precious place for all the treasured things and memories. I loved seeing your grandchild's art work honored inside your book. I especially loved your pandemic journal. But want you to be encouraged, that one day that book will be regarded as helpful insight to our life at the time. Don't be afraid to know others might read it. After we're gone, it doesn't matter to us, but it will to someone. Of course you can never go wrong by putting God's word into our pages. Have a wonderful day!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you for the encouragement and reinforcement Patricia! I really appreciate your thoughts! (I think of a journaler as someone who deliberately keeps their thoughts and memories. I think of a diarist the same, only someone who does it regularly, haha.

[@TheElly76]

Your journals are beautiful & special ❤

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you Elizabeth - I’m glad you think so!

[@Lorraine24_]

Kathleen, thank you for this lovely illustration and explanation of how journals can be used. I have created and given away quite a few journals and too often the recipients are thankful and appreciative but also unsure what to do with them. This video has helped me to be better able to answer that question.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Hoooray Lorraine! I’m so glad to have helped you. Thanks so much for the support.

[@pamhall8475]

I am just so, so HAPPY that I just happened upon your page & this particular post. Thank you so much for doing this post it has helped me to clarify my thoughts to start vintage junk journaling. I am just starting out on this adventure & I just didn't know how to begin & how to approach posting. Now with seeing your incredible journals, I now have a way forward. Thank you again from a grateful knew subscriber, Pam.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Welcome to my channel Pam! This makes me very happy, myself, haha. I’m glad to be of help!

[@dianeruno4942]

Thanks Kathleen for sharing about your personal journaling , and use of a junk journal. The act of creating a journal and then going back and using it is calming, cathartic, and joyful at different times. It was fun to see how you use small ephemera too. Sometimes I use my journal just to save a small piece of paper that has a memory for me- no journaling needed. Thanks again!

[@BeAgainBooks]

I agree Diane! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!

[@lorhen82]

I haven't tried my hand at making a junk journal yet, but I really want to. I wasn't exactly sure how to use them either, other than just having something pretty to look at. Thank you for sharing your journals - it was inspiring, and they are just so lovely! I need to go see some of your other videos now! ~Lori

[@BeAgainBooks]

My pleasure Lori! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.

[@sheilaedwards7152]

Your writing is beautiful. It is becoming a lost art!!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you so much 😀

[@Scrapart_by_Zelinda]

I use my journals more for memory keeping. I’m not much of a writer. So I use it more as a scrapbook and record memories when I do something with friends or family. I also use it as an art journal.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Well that is a great use Zelinda! Thanks for visiting here!

[@lizardas]

Very well-explained, Kathleen. My husband had the same questions when I showed him a finished journal. I found that numbering all of my pages and tags, journaling cards, etc. makes it easier to write in a continuous flow. That way, I don't have to confine a thought to a small area, although jotting down a random thought on the back of a ticket is fun too. I also use extra note papers in tuck spots to increase the writing space. There are many little ideas that come to you as you write in a decorated journal. As with most things, you jump in and learn as you go.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Yes, I so agree. I make my journals to accommodate how I like to journal and I do think those little ideas that come to you are so helpful to journal makers! Thanks so much for watching.

[@FromRVtoCrafts]

Wonderful video and how awesome to be able to look back at history in your life and what happened in the world.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Glad you enjoyed it Irma! Thank you!

[@MarySullivan-zb3pf]

I really enjoyed this video! Thank you for sharing your personal journals with us!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you Mary! It’s my pleasure!

[@lindabosico835]

Oh my goodness thank you so much for making this video. It was excellent, thank you.

[@BeAgainBooks]

My pleasure Linda! Thanks for watching!

[@kerynokeeffe9133]

Wonderful video! Thank you, Kathleen, for sharing so much of yourself and being so willing to open your door to bring us into your personal space. This is such a generous gesture and a true indicator of the beautiful heart and soul that you are! Much love and big hugs, dear friend! 😀💞

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you so much Keryn! It’s easy to share with such a loving community and you are such a steady part of that.

[@celineworotniak4349]

Thank you for posting this. All those questions are on the minds of many. I’m hesitant to give the journals away for this reason as well. This is a great demonstration of how to use a junk journal.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks very much Celine! I’m glad it is useful!

[@buttonsforbrains]

Oh my, this is glorious 🥰 I love to see journals being used like this. I know often we can simply enjoy the decorating process but to see wonderful written entries is a joy, thank you 😊

[@BeAgainBooks]

Absolutely Liz, it certainly is a joy to me. Thank you so much for coming by!

[@sallymartin581]

This was the best explanation I have found. Thank you. As intriguing as I find these I still didn't understand the purpose.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh I’m glad about that Sally - happy to help! Thanks for watching.

[@cottonconfetti]

Thank you for sharing, Kathleen. I normally just make journals and rarely write in them. The last journal l made was for my recently deceased cat, Tinkerbelle, and l intend to add photos and other memories of her 🐈‍⬛🤩.

[@BeAgainBooks]

My pleasure Davina! I’m sorry you are missing Tinkerbelle!! Keeping the memories will be soothing I hope.

[@TravelProAlex]

Sometimes I tell people, this journal is going to mean something different to you than it does me. It may mention a place you have never been to. You might find a poem in here that is like an old friend or one you never ran across. The vintage ephemera may spur a happy memory or be your window to a time you didn’t experience. I hope you are for a moment elevated from your life and given a fresh perspective. And if you think, What will I ever do with this? Show others and allow them to continue its journey if yours is done.

[@BeAgainBooks]

@@TravelProAlex Thanks so much for those lovely thoughts.

[@MissDaisyParsley]

Love seeing how you use your journals! Thanks for sharing!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you Miss Daisy!

[@Bront-ki2im]

Beautiful journals, beautiful memories, grace records of the soul. Thanks for sharing and inspiring us. Much appreciated. 🙏☺️

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you so much Bront! This makes me happy!

[@neverwares]

I think of ephemera as little treasures you get to tuck away to find later ❤

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh yes, very much! Thanks for watching!

[@gypsyheart7370]

Beautiful, lovely, inspiring and so creative. You have impeccable handwriting. My mom had the same perfect writing also, a lost art !! Thank you for sharing, just subscribed 💖

[@BeAgainBooks]

@@gypsyheart7370 Why thank you very much! …and welcome to the community. Thanks for subbing!

[@Sujowi]

Your video is the most helpful I’ve seen on journaling, and your books are simply beautiful. I’m using one jj for memories. I left home a month after my mother died so a lot of memories seem lost, but they are coming back in bits, so by writing them down I may get more clarity. And then again, I just love old paper, cards and paper things for their own sake, not to use. Making these jj’s became logical when I realised what a stash of old paper I had from my career in publishing!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks very much Sujowi and I really appreciate your thoughts. I’m glad you can recover some thought and memories. Keep after that project.

[@mrssanders8047]

Thank you, Kathleen. Great tips and ideas. Your work is always beautiful!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed the video.

[@karenfrase9390]

Thank you for sharing your journals. I found them very interesting.

[@BeAgainBooks]

I’m so glad Karen! Thanks for watching.

[@temirafanka4175]

Thank you for sharing your journals.I am impressed with your writing in both senses.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks very much Temira!

[@thebadwitch3258]

Thank you for sharing. I do things in a very similar manner or I journal/collage, etc. everyday. I have many used journals. I've kept a journal on/off all my life, but didn't start the junk journal journey until January of 2020. It was a crazy year to start.

[@BeAgainBooks]

It is a grand community, isn’t it? Thanks so much for coming by!

[@Pattiemarie3]

creativity, artistic and recycling. Fun, fun, fun and cute, as well as often , most often pretty. When coffee dyed, colorful, crinkly or etc all your senses enjoy. Then again a naughty or lovely word hidden (tucked away) maybe someday to be read when you gone lol. Than you for sharing ,it was delightful 🤗🥰

[@BeAgainBooks]

Yes! Thank you Pattie!

I adore your weight loss journey journal. It’s such a gift to give yourself.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks very much! I’m glad you came by!

[@viannam5483]

What to include in those journal tags and pockets:? Anything that means something to you: tickets from a movie or show, a receipt for something you purchased or from a stay, a plane ticket, an image from a magazine that you glue onto a tag. I make my journals as I go along (and I journal 3-4 times weekly) so I make pockets sized to hold the 'ephemera' I want to use at the time (for example a postcard or a birthday card I received). I also glue envelopes into the journal if I need to enclose something that is larger but can be folded - a letter maybe? or hidden journaling). Affirmations are GREAT for tags inside your journal. Washi tape is your friend; you can use it to attach all sort of 'pages' where you need to on any specific day. On tags you could write a quote, a Bible verse, a poem, glue a photograph ... so many options! While my journals are handmade, I dont over decorate them when I make them - I decorate as I go along so they serve MY purpose for memory storing

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks so much for your thoughts and tips Viann! I appreciate you making such useful suggestions!

[@gothiccircle4283]

I envy your neat and consistent handwriting and that you were able to keep notes during the pandemic. I, too, wanted to and thought I should, but didn’t. I won a journal in 2022 and try to write at least 3 bullet points about each day. I’ve missed some brief periods, but for the most part, I’ve been consistent in writing every day. My first entry was February 10, 2022 and I’ve been writing on all the bits of ephemera and anywhere there’s space to write. It’s a 3 signature journal and I am getting close to the end of the second signature. So those little writing spaces, like on the backs of tags, really do give you more writing real estate than you’d think. Especially if you write small.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Exactly Bella! Congratulations on writing in your journal. It really does take some determination!

[@callycatus]

Thankyou I always wondered about Junk Journals .. they are very interesting and beautiful so you have given me some inspiration

[@BeAgainBooks]

My pleasure Cally! I’m so glad!

[@TheElly76]

I love how you incorporate your handwritten pages in the pockets

[@BeAgainBooks]

It’s sometimes so much easier to write on a separate paper and then just pocket it. Thanks for your company today!

[@mindybeveridge8377]

Thank you so much for sharing your personal journals with us. What a gift you have and I love learning from you.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh I am so glad you think so Mindy! Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@maggiequilts]

Wonderful example of journaling, Ty Kathleen for all the inspiration ❤ Love and hugs. Maggie❤️🤗🇨🇦❤️😊

[@paperlove5399]

Beautiful, as usual; and I am grateful for your willingness to share these things. (You are so much braver than I am.) But this video actually sparked something in me. I don't journal (just love the old ephemera and use them as something to platform those wonderful things) but I actually sat down and wrote some thoughts while watching this. Maybe it wouldn't kill me to try some journaling . . . Anyway, thanks for the inspiration! And BTW, what beautiful handwriting!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Oh I hope you will give it a try! There are so many reasons to do it and you will likely realize it when you start. It’s so good for you, haha. Thanks so much for watching and for the feedback!

[@nancypyter1511]

Kathleen, I really enjoyed looking through your journals! They are so beautiful! You have such a beautiful handwriting too! Thank you so much for sharing friend. Hugs!🥰🥰

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you so much Nancy! I always love a visit from you!

[@joandamerow3518]

Thank you!!! You have made me look at writing my thoughts a lot different and I want you to know it is very helpful.

[@BeAgainBooks]

This makes me so happy Joan! I am glad that this video is helpful to you and inspires you to write your thoughts! Thank you for telling me and for watching.

[@caroltanzi29]

Kathleen: really nice to look though. A lot of clever ideas. Thanks, Carol from California

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks so much Carol! 😊

[@sandracapps5543]

I use those old picture cards as journaling prompts. That card made me think about a funny incident when my brother learned to crawl.(MANY years ago😏). It also made me think about a baby I saw that ‘crawled’ by using his hands and feet, not hands and knees.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Yes! Pictures are the best prompts in my opinion too! Thanks for watching Sandra!

[@lisavanalen2581]

Thank you so very much for taking the time to share this. I get asked frequently by friends and family about how to use these journals. I actually do write in mine as well. I have had family members tell me that they don't keep a diaries and they don't journal. I try to explain to them that it can be a place to keep memories or jot down your thoughts, inspirations, and affirmations. I have currently made 6 journals for gifts to different family members as of August 2023. The last one I made was for my 7 year old granddaughter who after seeing the poetry journal I made for my son (her father) told me, "Oh grandma, I gotta have one of these as she hugged her father's journal tightly. She lives animals and wants to be a zoologist when she grows up. And she is also very creative and loves art. Her art amazes me. She really has a talent for drawing and painting. So I made an animal, nature, Art journal. She lives it and yes she is using to to glue her own ephemera pieces that she is learning to make. ❤❤❤ My heart is filled to overflowing . So yes a journal can be just a place to keep things that are meaningful . It's not nesarary to even write anything at all. My 7 year old grandaughter understood this. Thank you again so much for sharing❤ Just wants to ask you about the "Layered" prompt you have on one of your journaling page...did you write the paragraph underneath that prompt...I love it! I would like to write that down and use it in my journal if I have your permission. ❤

[@BeAgainBooks]

I am so glad this is a useful illustration Lisa and I appreciate your thoughts. I did not write those thoughts - it is a quote by Bernhard Schlink, an author of a book called The Reader. The quote is public and I’m sure you can use it.

[@tencraftyfingers]

I agree with all the shared thoughts and comments. And your handwriting is simply beautiful.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you so much!

[@terrikimberling4876]

Im trying to understand junk journals also. I just don’t get a lot of the stuff that people put in them. It makes no sense to me. Then you have to store them when you’re done. You are helping me understand a little but I guess it’s either for you or it’s not. They are interesting and pretty. I think the bottom line for me is I wouldn’t want to store them but it might be fun making them.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you Terri! Yes, they are truly fun to make, but as you say, they do stack up. Someone, someday will have a hard choice.

[@tiffanywitmer6360]

I found it exciting finding notes of my grandmother or great grandmother. My great grandmother used to use a little notebook for grocery lists, scripture and then I found in amongst those notes a message from the day my great grandfather died, she noted "He went home". So sad, but so special to me.

[@BeAgainBooks]

That’s lovely Tiffany - I’m so glad you have that legacy! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@YvonneA60]

Thank you for sharing. This is so incredibly useful to someone new to junk journaling like myself. Your journals are beautiful as are the ways you use them to keep your memories and thoughts.❤

[@BeAgainBooks]

I’m really so glad this is useful. Thank you so much Yvonne!

[@clarebarrett3269]

I’ve just discovered your channel, I love what you make! This video is so inspiring x

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you so much!!

[@JanSims-p9x]

I'm glad you shared your gratitude journal. I'm amazed at how focusing on gratitude can change your mood. I decorate a calendar page each month. On the square for that day rather than writing what I did that day I write what I'm thankful for about that day. If I've had a bad day then I write down general things I'm thankful for. My favorite quote: "A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles." 😊 Your journals are lovely and so is your handwriting. :)

[@BeAgainBooks]

You are so right! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! …and for watching!

[@billiejoethomason6075]

I’m not an everyday journalist. I don’t need & am intimated by pages & pages of empty space. I may only want to write a few paragraphs, a couple sentences or just a word, a blessing or inspiration word for the day. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts as well BillieJoe!

[@gardengate1339]

I am so happy you answered all these questions! I have seen so many "journals" that have no place to actually journal.

[@BeAgainBooks]

I’m so glad you enjoyed my journals! Thank you for watching.

[@Selinas_Reborn_Nursery]

Good morning! I’m a new subscriber and I have been wanting to start junk journaling. I love your channel and you have given me so much inspiration. I love your journal’s. Have a wonderful and blessed day! 🩷🌸💕

[@BeAgainBooks]

Good morning Selina! Thank you for subscribing and welcome!

[@pjaneheil]

Hi, I stumbled across ur channel, and I truly DID NOT KNOW how to use a junk journal for myself, now I know. Oh my goodness, I had to return to edit my message, everything you were feeling and expressing in ur journal, is how I feel & felt. I'm 79 now, and I seem to skim over 2019 not knowing & understanding about a president that sat back in the oval office & DID NOTHING for the ppl. My heart is saddened now that I understand what has truly happened, now I want to turn a new page in life & VOTE in a new generation of brilliant minds that understands a blue collared workers, the shame of elder abuse as myself. The many heartbreak of our veterans in our military that died to save America. This list goes on & on, so I'm excited now to know I'm gonna create my own junk journal for ME 💙💙💙💙💙

[@BeAgainBooks]

Well, that makes me so happy Jane! Thank you for the feedback and I'm so glad you are in tune with your feelings and emotions and now know how to get them done on paper. Yay!

[@carolmunford6623]

Your journals are beautiful! Your writing and ideas of what to write notes about are inspiring. Thank you for opening them up for us and sharing your thoughts, dreams, worries and memories!

[@BeAgainBooks]

My pleasure Carol - I’m glad it’s helpful!

[@yoliebean]

This is such a great video! I love your journals and the reasons behind each one. These will be even more treasured keepsakes years from now as they are now. I journaled a little about Covid but didn’t finish. Now I wish I had. We always think we’ll remember stuff. Thanks for sharing ❤

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for watching.

[@gaylemunn1011]

I can’t relate to old letters, pictures of unknown people, old ledgers etc. I have to feel a connection with what I include in my journals. It may sound crazy but I often feel like the bits and pieces I gather actually guide me to the journal they want to be included in. ❤

[@BeAgainBooks]

I’m so glad journaling can be such a personal thing, rather than an assignment. I’m glad you enjoy the process in your own way! Thanks for watching.

[@deborahmcnamer5347]

Met your sister at a craft show that I had a booth in a few weeks ago and she gave me your page info. Love your journals!!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Well hello Deborah! I have two sisters, so that means that you live in either Oregon or Idaho. Sisters are such a blessing. Welcome to my channel and I appreciate the visit. Thank you!

[@deborahmcnamer5347]

@@BeAgainBooks Sorry...haven't been on here in a while. The lady I met that gave me your channel info lives in San Diego??

[@BeAgainBooks]

Well, that’s a little strange, but maybe she considers us soul sisters, and that’s okay with me, haha. I’m still glad you found me!

[@JustAprilakaJuJu]

Thank you for sharing. Very Pretty journals.

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thanks so much April! I appreciate that!

[@jackieo8693]

Wow super pretty! I really like your Christmas journal. A great spot to write down Christmas memories!

[@BeAgainBooks]

Thank you Jackie!