Receipts, colorful stickers, photographs and random gum wrappers in the bottom of your bookbag all might be junk you’re unsure how to get rid of. Within blank pages of a journal, your crumpled up junk can become an artistic way to wind down.  

After going down a rabbit hole of junk journaling club videos on TikTok in September of this year, Berenice Santillan and Janielle Camantigue found each other in the comment section of a video.

The SF Junk Journal Club was inspired by the DIY Gals Club in Los Angeles, a social club that curates events for the community to mingle and share crafts. Their social media clips have everything from junk journaling to bracelet making and more. 

Camantigue was born and raised in the Bay Area. At the age of 10, she was given a film camera; An item that would go hand in hand with her scrapbooking. 

“I’m Filipino American,” said Camantigue, “So, I feel like we’re very sentimental with the things we have; coming from that immigrant mindset.”

Growing up, Camantigue watched her mother struggle to part with items.

“As I got older I felt like it was hard for me to let go of certain knicknacks,” she said. “So, I thought junk journaling was such a beautiful way to take these things and make it into something more beautiful. To make it more memorable.”

Camantigue began to wish she had a club like this in San Francisco. After seeing Santillan comment under the post, she would reach out.

“I said, ‘hey, this has always been a dream of mine,’” said Camantigue. “I’ve always been in a few social clubs here in San Francisco, and nothing has really fit my niche and kind of arts and crafts styles.”

The social clubs that both women had attended in the past lacked the inclusivity and community they were seeking. After meeting in person for the first time at a winery, the strangers instantly clicked and alas, the SF Junk Journal Club was born.

The women began to advertise the club on Instagram and plan their first event at Mission Dolores Park. At the event, they’d have social bingo for others to meet new people, form connections and show off their own junk journals.

“It’s kind of hard to make friends in the city once you’re out of school and outside of work,” said Camantigue. “It was kind of nice for us to connect on that kind of deeper level together.” 

Camantigue is a kindergarten teacher. Santillan is a first grade teacher.

“Funnily enough, most of the people in our attendance have been a lot of people who seem to dabble in art as an occupation or teachers as well,” said Camantigue. She describes her own junk journaling as her time to play and be creative after teaching children.

The freebies they’d give out to members, which were filled with stationery such as unique and colorful stickers for junk journaling, ran out quickly. They took this as a good sign.

“I think it’s actually astonishing, just because our first event was just 40 [people],” said Santillan. 

By the second event, 70 people filled the designated spot in Golden Gate Park.

After receiving an ad for the club through Instagram, paraeducator Carmen Liu attended the first meeting. She couldn’t believe there was a community in San Francisco who, just like her,  enjoyed the hobby of junk journaling.

Junk journaling is a way for her to unwind after a hard day at work. Whether it be a good day or a bad one, documenting her life in an interpretive way is an escape for her. 

“It’s an escape because, you know, working at a school, I need outlets,” said Liu. “So, this is a way for me to unwind and do something.”

In her own free time, she collects things such as stamps, stickers from restaurants and receipts in her everyday life for her junk journal. 

“Things that kind of remind me of what happened during the day is what really is the beauty of junk journaling,” said Liu.

SF Junk Journal Club member Jaudine Delute always had a journal as a kid. As she grew into her twenties, it was filled with her to-do lists and random thoughts. Today, her journal is a log for her memories.

“I’m very much into brain-off hobbies where it’s not so focused based on technical stuff, just something very free handed, something to wind down,” said Delute.

Before sitting down to junk journal, Delute pops open her craft box and selects items that can work throughout her journal. She tunes into her favorite podcast while spending hours laying out her spread, planning the placement of photographs and stationery before finally gluing it down.

As someone who is both extroverted and introverted, Delute enjoys the option to socialize with others who share the same interest or the option to completely zone into the craft.

“I think the concept and the community is so beautiful, and meeting everyone at these events has been so fun and so rewarding,” said Delute.

Attendee of the SF Junk Journal Club Jill Chen began junk journaling earlier this year. Her journal consists of stationery from stores like Daiso and from Los Angeles’ Chinatown.

Shortly after beginning her journal, she realized she needed a ‘brain dump journal’. One which highlighted major holidays like Halloween and memories of trips such as her most recent one to Japan, filled with photos from her travels.

“It’s kind of like a stress away from stress,” said Chen.

For Chen, attending the events allows her to enjoy a moment to journal and people watch.

“It helped me get out of the house and not feel as alone,” she said. According to her, there are no strict rules to junk journaling. “You just kind of have fun wherever your mind takes you.”