A Beginner's Guide to Journal Emphera

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What Is Junk Journal Emphera?

    Emphera, by it's simplest definition, is things that are made to be used once. Junk journal emphera, then, is anything you can add to your journal. Journal emphera is usually items like material paper, post cards, stickers, beads, ribbon, receipts, stamps, and so on. Emphera adds a personal decorative touch to your journal, and I've found the most interesting emphera usually isn't the expensive nice kind you find in a craft store. I personally believe too many people stress over buying nice emphera, which can put a hole in your wallet and make the experience significantly less personal. So without further ado, this is Sharky's guide to gathering interesting emphera for your personal use in your journals!

How Do I Get Emphera?

    First off, don't worry about the fancy expensive stuff you may see being posted online or for sale. That's a later thing you can get if you really want it, but if you're new to junk journaling, I advise against it as it can be very costly. My suggestions as a beginner would be the following:

  • Junk mail
  • Magazines (you can ask your local library what they do with outdated magazines, and request buying them from them in bulk)
  • Tags
  • Shopping receipts
  • Movie tickets
  • Arcade tickets
  • Cheap stickers
  • Pretty napkins
  • Photos (use FreePrints or print them for cheap at a local Walmart)
  • Press flowers
  • Soda can tabs
  • Cut-out letters from junk mail and magazines

Using Emphera

    Using the emphera you've collected is where the process gets a lot more fun. I honestly consider junk journal collages to be an art form. To use emphera effectively, all you need is scissors and glue or tape. Tweezers are optional, as are hole punchers or corner paper punchers. You can randomly arrange pieces together, or you can try to pre-plan the designs like I do. I feel the more thought that goes into it, the more and more satisfaction you feel at the end of finishing the spread. Try to arrange the pieces, snap a photo of your favorite composition, then glue them down back to front after you've picked a layout you're happy with. Below is a short (edited down to delete parts where I sat zoning out staring at the page) video of my process laying out items on the page!


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