Table of Contents
This mermaid junk journal kit gives you 32 printable pages built around one underwater world, with no two scenes alike. You get 22 full scene pages (a mermaid on a sunset rock, a sunken ship heavy with treasure, a seashell throne deep in a coral palace), 5 seamless background patterns of scales and pearls, and 5 lined writing pages trimmed with shells and sea glass for your own notes.
Print on matte cardstock heavy enough to hold paint and ink without curling, set your printer to its best photo or high quality setting, and trim each sheet to your journal size before you glue anything in. Everything here is ready to cut and paste straight onto your pages, no extra assembly needed.
Using these images: free for personal projects such as printing, coloring, cards, journals and gifts. Handmade items that include them may be sold up to 30 pieces per design. More than that is commercial use and is not permitted, and neither is selling or sharing the images themselves or passing them off as your own. Please ask before any other use.
Mermaid Portraits
A lone mermaid rests on a rock as the sky turns coral and gold behind her, her tail catching the last light over the waves.
Pair this page with the Scales And Pearls Pattern for the facing sheet: let her tail hang over the pattern edge so the two pages read as one spread when the journal lies open.
A shell comb in hand and a small mirror of sea glass nearby finish the scene, with soft underwater light painted behind her in deep blue-green.
Tuck a real folded note inside your journal pocket near this page, written as if the mermaid found it washed up on the shore that morning.
The usual mistake here is painting the pearl too small to notice, so let it fill a third of the page and give the mermaid’s hands plenty of room to cradle it.
Small fish circle at a distance, with coral shapes painted soft and hazy behind the whole scene.
Shipwreck and Treasure Pages
An old wooden ship lies broken on the sea floor, its open hull spilling coins and chests across the sand below.
Glue a small paper coin cut from gold cardstock right onto this page, or tuck a real ticket stub behind the chest lid as a tiny hidden surprise.
Pearls, a string of beads and one broken goblet lie scattered near the chest, with soft sand and sea grass painted behind everything.
An old brass diving helmet rests half buried in coral, a reminder of some sailor who never made it back to the surface.
The five minute version of this page is simple: one rusted anchor, one coil of rope, and a wash of deep water behind them is enough to finish it.
Give this page to a reader who loves old sailing stories more than mermaids themselves, since the ship’s wheel carries the whole scene on its own.
A cracked lantern still hangs nearby, with barnacles and small fish painted drifting through the dark water behind it.
Underwater Palace Pages
A grand throne built from layered shells and coral sits empty at the center of a palace hall, waiting for its queen.
Write a short invitation on this page, as though the mermaid queen is calling her court to gather for the evening tide.
Tall coral pillars frame the gate on either side, with strands of pearls draped across the opening and a dim palace glow painted behind it.
A pearl crown rests on a cushion of woven kelp, set on a stone pedestal inside the quiet palace chamber.
This page suits a window fold if you like to cut one, but it works just as well flat: the arched opening alone carries the depth.
Beyond the stone arch grows a garden of anemones and sea fans, painted soft and glowing in the distance behind the frame.
Sea Creature Pages
Two mermaids race a pod of dolphins through open water, trailing bubbles and loose pearls behind them as they go.
Pair this page with the Scattered Shells Pattern as a lining behind a photo of the real ocean, since the turtle’s slow pace suits a quiet corner of the spread.
A small glass lantern rides on its shell, with soft rays of light painted falling through the water above.
An octopus curls its arms around an old bronze bell, half hidden among the coral near a broken ship’s bow.
The usual mistake with a crowd of fish is making them all identical, so vary a few sizes and tilt several at different angles as they swim past.
Ask the journal keeper a short question on this page: which small sea creature would she want as a companion on a long voyage.
A pair of seahorses curls their tails together among tall kelp fronds, with smaller fish resting nearby and a soft green water wash painted behind them.
Mermaid’s Belongings Pages
A small vanity table built from driftwood holds a mirror of polished shell, strung with pearls and sea glass jewelry.
Tea stain the edges of this page before you glue it in, so the paper looks like it truly traveled from the bottom of the sea.
A rolled letter sits sealed with a pearl drop, resting on folded seaweed near a scattering of small shells.
A woven basket holds loose scales, thread made of silver kelp fiber, and a small bone needle resting across the rim.
Three glass bottles sit half buried in the sand, each one holding a tiny patch of coral or a curled strand of sea grass.
Background Papers
This page suits a gift journal made for someone who loves beachcombing more than mermaids themselves, since the basket holds only real shoreline finds.
A woven basket sits at the tideline, filled with shells, sea glass and one starfish, with wet sand and shallow waves painted behind it.
Small overlapping scales in dusty teal and pale gold repeat edge to edge, with single pearls scattered between the rows, fit for a cover sheet, a photo backing or a plain page lining.
A loose all-over scatter of small shells and sea glass pieces covers the sheet, good for lining a cover, backing a photo or filling a quiet gap between two scene pages.
Fine branching coral shapes repeat in soft rows across the page, useful behind a photo of real coral, as a cover lining or as a quiet page break between busier scenes.
Narrow bands of sea glass in soft green and blue run in stripes down the sheet, suited to a cover, a pocket lining or framing a title page.
Lined Writing Pages
Strings of pearls cross the page in a loose lattice, a soft pattern for a cover sheet, a photo mount or backing behind a window cut into another page.
A border of small shells and sea glass runs along the bottom edge, leaving faint ruled lines free for a tide pool find list, a shoreline sketch note or a short sea poem.
Corner sprays of coral and pearl frame the page, leaving open ruled lines for a letter to next year’s self or a short entry about today’s swim.
A thin band of rope and anchor shapes runs down the left side, leaving the ruled lines free for a ship’s log entry, a packing list or a treasure inventory.
A full frame of small pearls and scallop shells borders the sheet, leaving the center open for a gift list, a guest list for an undersea feast or a quiet daily note.
What to Do Next
Print the pages you want first, let the ink dry fully, then trim and arrange them in whatever order tells your sea story best. For more themed sets to build out the rest of your shelf, look at the vintage junk journal pages or the full junk journaling handbook for binding and layout ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What paper works best for printing these pages?
Matte cardstock around 65 to 110 lb holds color washes well without curling or showing through the back. Thinner paper works too if you plan to glue each sheet onto a sturdier journal page afterward, which also hides any show-through from double sided printing.
What printer settings give the best color?
Choose the highest quality or photo setting your printer offers, and select the matte or cardstock paper type if that option is available. This slows the print slightly but keeps the washes smooth and prevents the muted palette from printing too pale or too dark.
What size should I print the pages at?
Print at full page size on standard letter or A4 paper, then trim to match your journal’s trim size once everything is dry. Trimming after printing gives cleaner edges than resizing in the print dialog, especially around the scene pages with details near the border.
Can I color or add to these pages myself?
Yes, a light wash of watercolor pencil or a few ink details over the printed scenes blends well with the soft palette already on the page. Keep any additions loose and pale so they sit with the washes instead of fighting them for attention.
What do I use to glue the pages into my journal?
An acid free glue stick works well for flat pages and will not wrinkle the cardstock the way wet glue can. For the seamless background pages used as cover linings or photo backing, a thin even layer along the edges only keeps the paper flat.
Have any thoughts?
Share your reaction or leave a quick response — we’d love to hear what you think!
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