- Garden Gates and Lane
- Bouquets and Still Life
- Market and Washstand
- Porch and Arbor
- Background Papers
- Lined Writing Pages
- Frequently Asked Questions
This lilac junk journal kit brings late spring indoors with heavy purple and white blooms over gates, porches and farmhouse lanes. Inside are 19 scene pages full of cut bouquets, bees and garden corners, 4 seamless background papers in soft lilac shades, and 4 lined writing pages with floral borders for your own notes.
Print the set on matte cardstock for the scenes and backgrounds, and on a slightly lighter paper for the lined pages if you want the ink to sit well when you write. A home inkjet on its best quality setting will hold the fine linework and pale colour nicely, and a paper trimmer gives you cleaner edges than scissors when you cut the pages down to journal size.
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.
Garden Gates and Lane
Heavy purple blooms spill over a white garden gate, with a worn path, a watering can and a scatter of fallen petals finishing the scene.
Pair this page with the mint lilac pattern paper later in this set: use the pattern as a facing page or a pocket lining so the enamel pitcher sits against a matching background. The repeat pulls the colour from the jug straight across the spread.
Set a basket of freshly cut lilac on a porch swing, with cushions, a pair of garden gloves and a trailing ribbon finishing the corner.
The usual mistake here is leaving the background plain, which flattens the bloom. Paint a soft wash of sky or hedge green behind the butterfly and lilac cluster so the colour has somewhere to land, and the petals read as light and airy rather than cut out.
An old farmhouse sits behind rows of lilac hedges along a quiet lane, with a mailbox, a fence line and a few birds finishing the view.
Bouquets and Still Life
Tuck a pressed lilac floret or a short line about the scent of spring behind this page, since the open window leaves a natural pocket for a small keepsake.
A girl in a light dress carries an armful of lilacs down a garden path, with a trailing hem, a sun hat and a low hedge finishing the scene.
Cut this page close along the teacup’s edge and tea-stain the border lightly before gluing it in. The soft brown edge sits well against the lace tablecloth already painted underneath and ages the page without touching the lilac colour itself.
Bumblebees work a dense lilac hedge beside an old stone wall, with moss, a trailing vine and a patch of clover finishing the base.
A lilac wreath hangs on a pale green door, with a brass knocker, a doormat and a small potted plant finishing the step.
Market and Washstand
Fold this one into a quick five minute page: glue it flat, skip any extra trim, and let the galvanized bucket and the market crates behind it do the work of a full spread on their own.
Lilac soap sits on a washstand with a curl of ribbon and a few dried sprigs, alongside a small jug and a folded towel.
This page suits a journal made as a gift for a grandmother or an aunt who keeps a garden cat of her own, since a sleeping cat under the lilac asks for nothing more than a quiet caption.
Lilac bushes frame a small red brick cottage on either side of the door, with climbing roses, a chimney and a garden path finishing the view.
Porch and Arbor
What would you write here: a short list of errands run on a spring afternoon, or just the street name where the picket fence stood. Either suits a bicycle basket full of lilac sprays parked by a fence.
Lilac blossoms float in a shallow bowl of water with lit candles, with a lace runner and a few loose petals finishing the table.
Place this page beside the floating blossom bowl from the previous spread and let the two share a fold: the arbor overhead gives height to the spread while the candlelit bowl sits low, so the pair reads as one afternoon rather than two separate scenes.
Pressed lilac florets rest beside a mortar and pestle on a wooden tray, with a small glass bottle and a folded paper label finishing the set.
Pair this quiet page with the garden ideas and planting notes found in this garden junk journal set, since a lilac tree reflected over a lily pond reads well right after a page of planting plans.
Background Papers
Tiny lilac sprigs scatter edge to edge on a cream base, light enough to sit under a photo, line the inside of a pocket, or wrap a journal cover without fighting for attention.
Purple lilac clusters repeat over a soft mint base, strong enough to work as a journal cover, a divider page between sections, or backing for a cut-out bouquet scene.
White and lavender lilac heads repeat over a soft grey base, well suited to a pocket lining, a photo mat, or the inside cover of a lilac-themed journal.
Small lilac florets and leaves repeat over a blush base, soft enough for a tea-themed pocket, a frame under a handwritten note, or a cover for the whole set.
Lined Writing Pages
A lilac branch runs along the top border above faint ruled lines, ready for a spring gift list, a short letter to next year, or notes on this year’s bloom time.
A small lilac bouquet sits in one corner beside faint ruled lines, good for a garden menu, a visitor’s note, or a short memory from a spring walk.
A lilac hedge and garden gate run along the bottom border beneath faint ruled lines, suited to a planting record, a recipe using lilac syrup, or a letter kept for later.
A full lilac wreath frames the edges of the page around faint ruled lines, ready for a gift list, a short poem, or a page kept just for pressed flower notes. This border pairs well with ideas from the secret garden journal set if you keep both kits side by side.
What to Do Next
Print the full set, trim the pages to the size your journal needs, and start with the garden gate scene as your opening page before working through the bouquets, the backgrounds and the lined pages in order.
Frequently Asked Questions
What paper works best for a lilac junk journal kit like this?
Matte cardstock around 90 to 110 lb holds the watercolour linework cleanly without buckling. Thinner cardstock works for the lined writing pages if you plan to write on them often, since it folds and glues more easily into a journal spine.
What printer settings give the best colour on these pages?
Use your printer’s best or photo quality setting with matte or plain cardstock selected in the driver. This keeps the pale lilac and sage tones from printing too light, and holds the fine ink outlines sharp instead of soft.
What size should I print the pages for a junk journal?
Full letter or A4 size suits most home-bound journals and gives room to trim down. Many journal keepers print at full size, then trim a quarter inch off each edge for a slightly smaller, neater finished page.
Do I need to colour anything on these pages myself?
No, every page prints fully coloured and ready to use straight from your printer. You only add your own writing on the lined pages, or trim, fold and glue the scene and background pages into your journal.
What do I use to glue the pages into a journal?
An acid free glue stick works well for flat pages and keeps the paper from wrinkling. For pockets or layered pieces like the basket and washstand pages, a thin line of craft glue along the edges holds better over time.