Junk Journal Cover Ideas – Creative Designs for Every Skill Level

Your junk journal cover is the thing you grab every single time you pick it up. It’s the first impression, the protective layer, and honestly one of the most fun parts to make. I’ve spent anywhere from five minutes to an entire Saturday afternoon on a cover and they all turned out great in completely different ways.

If you’re brand new to this whole world, start with our guide to what is a junk journal for the basics. But if you’re ready to make something gorgeous on the outside? Keep reading.

Choosing Your Cover Style

Honestly, your cover comes down to three things: what materials you’ve got on hand, how adventurous you’re feeling, and what this journal is actually for. A quick daily journal? Kraft paper wrap, done in ten minutes. A travel keepsake you want to treasure forever? That deserves something sturdier and more decorative.

Think about how the journal’s going to live. If it sits on your desk and gets opened gently, go wild with dimensional embellishments and delicate details. If it’s riding around in your bag or getting passed around at craft night, you’ll want something that can take a beating. The great news is you can reinforce or simplify pretty much any cover style to fit your life. There really aren’t any wrong answers here, which is one of my favorite things about junk journaling.

Paper and Cardstock Covers

Paper covers are where most of us start, and for good reason. If you can fold paper and use a glue stick, you can make a really beautiful cover. I made my very first junk journal cover from a cereal box and some scrapbook paper, and I still have it. It’s not fancy but I love it.

The most basic approach uses chipboard (the heavy cardboard from cereal boxes or shipping packaging) as your structural base. Cover it with decorative scrapbook paper, wrapping the edges around the back like you’re wrapping a gift. Kraft paper wraps are another clean option that give your journal a warm, natural look.

Collaged cardstock covers are where things get really fun. You layer multiple papers, images, and flat embellishments right onto a sturdy cardstock base, basically creating a little piece of art on your cover. Decoupage with old book pages, maps, or dictionary pages gives this amazing literary feel. Just brush a thin layer of matte medium over the surface to seal everything down.

And don’t sleep on paper bags from the grocery store. They make surprisingly charming covers when you fold and layer them. They’ve got this instant rustic quality and they accept stamps, stencils, and ink so well. For extra durability on any paper cover, a coat of matte Mod Podge or clear gesso goes a long way.

Fabric Covers

OK fabric covers are where I really fell in love with junk journal making. There’s a warmth and texture to fabric that paper just can’t match. Plus fabric is way more forgiving – it doesn’t crease or tear as easily, and it gives everything this cozy, handmade feel that I’m obsessed with.

Cotton and linen are the easiest to start with. Cut your fabric about two inches larger than your cover boards on all sides, wrap it around chipboard or heavy cardboard, and secure with fabric glue or a thin line of hot glue. Fold the corners neatly like you’re wrapping a present and you’ll get nice clean edges.

Canvas and burlap create this rugged, textured look that pairs beautifully with vintage and farmhouse themes. I’ve made a couple of covers from old jeans and the built-in character is unreal – the pockets, seams, and faded wash marks add so much visual interest without you having to do anything. Vintage textiles like old tablecloths, linen napkins, or quilt fragments bring history and sentiment to your cover that you just can’t replicate any other way.

If sewing isn’t your thing, no worries. Wrap and glue fabric directly to your cover boards and call it done. If you’re comfortable with a needle and thread though, a simple running stitch along the edges adds both security and a gorgeous handmade detail. Ribbon ties, buttons, lace trim, or embroidered accents give fabric covers that finished, polished quality.

Altered Book Covers

This is one of my all-time favorite junk journal techniques. Old hardcover books give you a ready-made cover that’s already structured, hinged, and durable. The hardest part of cover construction – getting the boards and spine to work together properly – is already done for you. You just get to make it pretty.

Start by picking a book with a cover size you like and a spine thick enough for however many pages you’re planning to stuff in there. Cut away the interior pages with a craft knife, leaving about a quarter inch attached to maintain the structure. If the spine feels wobbly, reinforce it with a strip of fabric or heavy paper glued along the inside.

From here you’ve got options. Paint the existing cover with gesso to create a blank canvas, then go to town with acrylic paint, stamps, and stencils. Collage over the original cover with decorative papers and images but let bits of the original book cover peek through for contrast. Or honestly? Just leave a beautiful vintage book cover exactly as it is. Sometimes the natural aging and character says everything.

Old hardcover children’s books, hymn books, and readers from the early 1900s make particularly stunning bases because their covers often have embossed designs and textured cloth bindings. I find mine at thrift stores and estate sales – you can usually grab a stack for almost nothing. For a full list of materials you might need, check our junk journal supplies guide.

Mixed Media Covers

Mixed media covers are where you combine paper, fabric, paint, metal, found objects – basically everything – to create these dimensional, artwork-quality journal fronts. I won’t lie, they take more time and skill. But the results? Truly one-of-a-kind pieces that make your journal feel like a treasured object you’d display on a shelf.

Start with a gessoed chipboard or altered book base so you’ve got a surface that accepts paint and glue well. Build up your layers gradually – background of paint or patterned paper first, then progressively smaller and more detailed elements on top. Torn paper edges, vintage lace, book page strips, and painted textures create your foundation layers.

Then add the dimensional stuff. Old keys, small charms, watch parts, dried flowers, broken jewelry pieces, chipboard shapes. Hot glue or E6000 works great for attaching heavier three-dimensional items. Metal findings like hinges, brads, and corner brackets add an industrial or steampunk edge that I personally love.

Distressing is what ties everything together visually. Sand the edges of paper and chipboard to reveal layers underneath. Apply dark wax or walnut ink to recesses for depth. Splatter some watered-down acrylic paint for texture. Stamp random text or patterns in a coordinating ink color to fill empty spaces. The goal is a cover that looks like it has a history, even if you literally made it yesterday afternoon.

Closures and Finishing Touches

How your journal closes and what finishing details you add can take a simple cover and make it feel really special. Closures pull double duty – they keep pages protected AND add character.

Ribbon ties are the simplest closure. Glue or sew a length of ribbon to the inside of each cover board so they meet and tie in the front. Satin ribbon gives an elegant look, while jute twine or baker’s twine feels rustic and casual. Button and string closures use a button sewn or glued to the front cover with a loop of string or elastic attached to the back – wrap the string around the button to close. So satisfying.

Magnetic snap closures hidden inside the cover boards give a clean, modern finish. Elastic bands wrapped around the journal are the quickest open-and-close option and come in every color imaginable. Vintage buckles, old belt clasps, and antique hook-and-eye fasteners work beautifully on journals with a heritage feel. And wax seals on a ribbon tie? Dramatic and gorgeous. Use washi tape along the spine or edges for a quick decorative detail that also reinforces your construction.

Don’t forget about the spine itself as a decorative surface. Wrap it in complementary fabric, paint it, or leave the raw binding visible as a design element. A title label or metal nameplate on the front helps identify the journal at a glance, especially if you’re like me and you’ve made… several. Small tags, dangling charms, or a tassel attached to a bookmark ribbon add movement and personality that makes the whole thing feel alive.

Cover Ideas by Skill Level

Beginner: Start with a paper or fabric wrap over chipboard. You only need basic materials – paper or fabric, cardboard, and glue – and these techniques totally forgive mistakes. A kraft paper cover with a few stamps and a ribbon tie makes a beautiful first journal cover. Fabric wraps are equally forgiving and produce a polished result even if you’ve never made anything like this before.

Intermediate: Move into collaged covers and altered books. You’ll build on the basics by adding layering skills, decoupage, and some basic painting. An altered book cover with a collaged front and fabric spine combines several techniques in one project and teaches you how different materials interact with each other.

Advanced: Go all in with mixed media and sewn fabric covers. These projects involve multiple techniques, three-dimensional elements, and a more developed eye for composition. A fully mixed media cover with paint, collage, dimensional objects, and custom closures is a serious project, but it showcases everything you’ve learned and looks absolutely incredible.

Honestly, every cover you make teaches you something for the next one. I look back at my first covers and laugh a little, but they got me here. Start simple, experiment freely, and add complexity as you get comfortable. Our step-by-step guide on how to make a junk journal walks through the full process from cover to binding to pages. For inspiration on what goes inside once your cover is done, browse our junk journal ideas collection. And check out our journaling gallery to see finished journals with creative cover designs from our design team.

For a different creative outlet with many of the same supplies, explore our art journal ideas guide.