OrdinaryPaperPDX

It's an unflattering name, for sure, but a junk journal is a handmade book made primarily from materials that would otherwise be thrown away. I use old office supplies, thrown-away books, junk mail, packaging, and other found items to make my unique journals. I add coffee and ink stains, torn edges, and other mixed media techniques to add to the aesthetic.

I heard about junk journals during the quarantine months of 2020. I started making them out of supplies I had around the house - the perfect craft when we couldn't go out shopping! It brought together many things I love - paper crafts, sewing, thriftiness, writing, and seeing beauty in unexpected places.

Right! I was inspired by many of the YouTubers I learned from during the early 2020s and I decided to start posting regular videos myself in late 2023. It gave me a chance to connect with other junk journalers and helped push me creatively. I'm very fortunate to have gained more than 18,000 subscribers from all around the world. You can find me on YouTube - @annekenlon - and I typically drop new videos every Tuesday and Friday.

Well, I'm starting to consider myself a paper artist. But for most of my career I was a writer - in newspapers back in the 1970s and 80s, then in business communications throughout the rest of my professional career. I was an employee communications manager and executive speechwriter for several large companies, and in my retirement I taught business writing through Portland State University. My education and my training was not in art, but in journalism and business.

I've been selling my journals at craft fairs in the Portland, Oregon area for several years, and I love the one-on-one interactions with people. I may still do that as my schedule allows, but being on Etsy helps me offer up my creations to a larger audience and at times that suit the shopper, no matter the day or time.

Sorry, I'm only doing U.S. shipments right now. Shipping costs are expensive even domestically, and I couldn't see charging international folks more than the price of the product itself. Plus, the paperwork! I invite my international friends to join me for free on YouTube and get lots of ideas for making their own journals, just like we've been doing together since 2023.

I start with nabbing things at home before they hit the recycling bin! Junk mail, packing paper, food packaging, clothing tags - they all become craft supplies. I love to haunt thrift stores, estate sales, and even eBay for pre-owned books, buttons, maps, etc. Occasionally I will buy, for instance, a pack of die-cut images at the craft store if I just can't resist it - but that's pretty rare for me. I'd much rather use unconventional materials and turn them into something beautiful. Oh, and my friends give me things, too - when we meet up for coffee, it's not unusual for one of them to bring me a stack of vintage magazines or old Valentines they found in a closet clean-out! About the only "new" things I purchase are thread and glue.