Got scrap paper? Make an easy journal for on-the-go!
At this time of year, with the end of the school year looming and wiggly children who just want to go outside and play, we always recommend a project where children can use their hands to make something. Using grown-up tools like hole punches, staplers, or glue guns will make the experience even more engaging. We also recognize that you may have a sizable collection of scrap and leftover paper material, so we wanted to share our favorite scrap paper journals!
The beauty of a scrap paper journal is that you can use anything you have!
A scrap paper journal can serve many purposes:
Consider it a place to experiment and play. With so many different textures, weights, colors, and sizes, it can be an interesting way to test mark-making materials of all kinds. An oil pastel, for example, will behave differently on a toothy brown paper bag, a smooth vinyl wallpaper, or a crepey doily. How will watercolor or even just pencils work on all of these different papers?
Or, the scrap paper journal can be a more contained and curated way to offer collage. A few years ago, Bar made Calvin, Shannon’s son, a scrap-paper journal and sent it in the mail. After carefully and thoughtfully flipping through all the different papers, Calvin envisioned a crown. He used scissors to cut strips, glued them together, measured his own head, and was so proud when the crown fit (see a video of the crown-making here). At this age, he was so very capable of executing an idea and allowing it to twist and turn as ideas typically do.
The scrap papers in the journal Bar made and sent to Shannon’s son, Calvin, found a new life in the hands of a 5-year-old maker. That Anthropologie gift bag never knew it would end up as a crown!
Here’s how to make a scrap paper journal.
You’ll first need to curate a collection of interesting paper scraps and flat surfaces. Some might be whole sheets of paper, some might be scraps with cutouts, and some might have interesting textures or patterns. You can include envelopes and small paper bags for tucking in little treasures, too. If you have a paper punch, add holes and texture that way as well.
Stack the scraps and even them up on one side, then staple them together. Cover the staples with a strip of masking tape on the front and back. If the scraps are not too thick and you have access to a sewing machine, try using a zig-zag stitch to bind the journal together (go slow so you don’t break a needle).
Present the journal to children with scissors, a glue stick, and mark-making tools such as paint sticks, oil pastels, or black Sharpies. Just set out the materials and see what happens!
This young artist popped the bubbles first then attached styrofoam, ribbon, and coffee bods with wire.
We encourage you to see the possibilities in every paper scrap that comes through your daily life. Read more about curating these scraps for collage, a long list of all the different papers we collect, and a video of Shannon making her own scrap paper journ over on our Substack.