Collecting memories has always been part of the human experience. Whether through photographs, letters, ticket stubs, or handwritten notes, people have long sought to preserve the moments, people, and places that shape their lives. Scrapbooking emerged as one of the most popular ways to do this, transforming everyday keepsakes into personal books that captured not only memories but also personality, creativity, and storytelling. While traditional scrapbooking has declined in popularity over the last twenty years, a new craft has taken its place. Junk journaling embraces many of the same core ideas while encouraging greater creative freedom, sustainability, and experimentation.
Background and History of Scrapbooking
The origins of scrapbooking can be traced back centuries to the Medieval period, where educated people kept detailed journals expressing their thoughts on their everyday life through writing and drawing. It wasn’t until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries that educated people assembled books known as commonplace books, in which a more random collection of personal interests was brought into this growing practice. Rather than just documenting personal events, these books gathered poems, recipes, letters, sketches, quotations, and observations that readers found meaningful. They served as personal collections of knowledge, inspiration, and ideas.
By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, these books became more personal in nature. Families preserved newspaper articles, cards, invitations, recipes, and other mementos that documented everyday life. As photography became more accessible during the late nineteenth century, daguerreotype and tin type photographs naturally found their way into these albums, gradually shifting toward preserving family memories rather than simply collecting information.
Scrapbooking experienced its largest boom during the 1980s and 1990s. Entire industries formed around decorative papers, stickers, specialty punches, die-cut machines, and themed albums. Dedicated scrapbook stores appeared across the world, while workshops brought together people who shared a passion for preserving memories creatively. For many families, creating yearly scrapbooks became a tradition, documenting birthdays, holidays, vacations, weddings, and milestones through carefully designed pages.
The Fall of Traditional Scrapbooking
As digital photography and social media grew during the early 2000s, traditional scrapbooking began to lose popularity. Thousands of photographs could now be stored on computers and phones without the need for physical albums. Social media platforms offered an immediate way to share life events, reducing the need for carefully assembled books.
At the same time, many people found traditional scrapbooking expensive, time-consuming, and intimidating. The expectation of perfectly coordinated layouts, matching embellishments, and themed collections often made the hobby feel more like a design project than a personal creative practice. Instead of documenting everyday moments, many scrapbookers waited for special occasions or large milestones, causing fewer books to be completed over time.
The Rise of Junk Journaling
While scrapbooking declined, another creative movement quietly gained momentum. Junk journaling embraces many of the same goals: preserving memories, collecting meaningful objects, and telling personal stories, removing many of the expectations surrounding perfection.
Rather than purchasing a highly coordinated collection of supplies, junk journals celebrate repurposed materials that already exist around us. Old book pages, envelopes, maps, sheet music, receipts, fabric scraps, vintage photographs, packaging, postcards, tickets, and handwritten notes all become potential embellishments. Objects that might otherwise be discarded are given a second life through creative composition and storytelling.
Unlike traditional scrapbooks, junk journals are often intentionally imperfect, showcasing the handmade nature of the hobby. Torn edges, visible stitching, layered papers, handwritten reflections, and mixed media techniques become part of their character. Many people use them as travel journals, memory books, sketchbooks, or daily creative practices. Others simply enjoy the process of collecting beautiful things and assembling them into something uniquely their own.
This flexibility has helped junk journaling appeal to a new generation of makers who value sustainability, slow creativity, and individuality over polished perfection.
A Return to Handmade Storytelling
Although the materials and styles have changed, both scrapbooking and junk journaling share the same purpose: preserving the stories that matter most. They encourage us to slow down, reflect on our experiences, and create something tangible in a world where so much of life exists on screens.
A handwritten note tucked into a pocket, a pressed flower from a walk with a loved one, or a ticket from your favorite concert may seem ordinary today, but years from now, these small objects become powerful reminders of people, places, and moments that shaped our lives. Whether carefully organized in a traditional scrapbook or layered into the pages of a handmade junk journal, these collections become far more than a scrap; they become personal histories.
At Dovetail Studio, we believe handmade books provide the perfect home for these stories. There is something satisfying about filling a handbound journal with memories collected over time, knowing that each page reflects not only your experiences but also the care taken to preserve them.
We hope you enjoyed learning a little more about the history of scrapbooking and the creative evolution of junk journaling.
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We also offer private group workshops for anyone interested in learning bookbinding, junk journaling, or linocut printmaking to help kickstart your creative hobbies. Perfect for friends, families, team events, and special occasions. Email us at DovetailStudioFL@gmail.com for more information.
