- Garden Naps And Burrows
- Baby Bunny Moments
- Meadow And Garden Chases
- Cottage Helpers
- Nursery Keepsake Shelf
- Background Papers
- Lined Writing Pages
- Frequently Asked Questions
peter rabbit junk journals make a gentle keepsake for a new baby or a spring memory book, and this kit gives you a full set to print at home. Inside are 19 scene pages with Peter and his garden friends, 4 seamless background patterns for covers and fillers, and 4 lined writing pages for notes about the season or the little one the journal is for.
Print everything on heavyweight matte paper, ideally 28 to 32 lb so the washes stay crisp and the paper does not curl. Set your printer to its best photo or highest quality setting, let the ink dry flat for a few minutes, then trim each sheet to your journal size before you glue anything in.
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 Naps And Burrows
Peter curls up fast asleep inside a large terracotta flower pot, tucked among trailing ivy and a few fallen petals, with a soft blush sky painted behind the garden bed.
Tuck a small handwritten recipe card for the picnic basket treats right onto this page, a carrot cake or a jam tart, so the scene becomes part of the story rather than just a picture.
The rabbit family sits on a checked blanket under a blossom tree in full pastel bloom, with teacups, a basket and petals drifting onto the grass around them.
Peter leans against the round wooden door of the family burrow with his paws folded, a watering can and a row of tiny daisies keeping him company against the sloped grassy bank behind him.
Baby Bunny Moments
Give this one to the newest member of the family, the baby the whole journal is for, and write the date of arrival along the bottom edge in soft pencil before the ink dries.
Three sleepy baby bunnies rest together inside a wicker basket lined with straw and pastel painted eggs, with a sprig of blossom tucked over the rim.
Two baby bunnies sit nose to nose sharing one long carrot between them, a scattering of clover and a small butterfly painted around them on a pale sage background.
Pair this page with the Daisies And Baby Carrots pattern a few sheets along, using the pattern as a facing page so the teacup scene has a quiet matching border on the spread.
A single baby bunny naps curled inside an oversized painted teacup, steam lines replaced by a few floating petals, with a saucer and a sugar cube resting nearby.
Meadow And Garden Chases
Peter bounds through a patch of tall bluebells with his ears flying back, chasing a pale yellow butterfly just out of reach above the flowers.
The usual mistake with a hiding scene like this is making it too empty, just one rabbit and blank paper, so keep the can, the fence post and the flowerbed all visible around him.
Peter peeks out from behind a tall tin watering can at the edge of a vegetable bed, one ear raised, with a wooden fence post and rows of young lettuce painted nearby.
Write a short list of the garden’s spring arrivals on this page, the first crocus, the first robin, the first warm day, tucked beside the hopping bunnies as a small seasonal record.
Fold this page gently down the middle before gluing it in, so the vegetable rows on the left and Peter squeezing through the fence on the right open like a tiny two part scene.
Peter squeezes under a wooden garden fence with rows of carrots and cabbages painted on the far side, a lost blue coat button left behind in the dirt.
Cottage Helpers
Mrs Tiggy Winkle pins small linens to a line strung between two apple trees, her apron pockets full of clothespins and a basket of folded laundry resting at her feet.
This page suits a grandmother building the journal, since it slows the pace down with a quiet pond scene rather than more rabbits, and gives her a gentle new character to introduce.
Jemima Puddle Duck paddles across a calm pond edged with reeds and lily pads, a few soft ripples and a dragonfly painted above the water.
Mrs Rabbit stands at a small burrow kitchen table rolling out pastry, with a mixing bowl, a rolling pin and a string of dried herbs hanging on the wall behind her.
What is the first thing this new little one might plant or grow one day: write that single line beneath the gathering squirrel as a soft prompt for a future entry.
A red squirrel gathers seed pods into a small cloth sack at the base of an oak tree, with acorn caps and new green shoots scattered around its feet.
Nursery Keepsake Shelf
A worn copy of a rabbit storybook leans against a small lamp on a nursery shelf, with a knitted bootie, a wooden rattle and a sprig of dried lavender arranged beside it.
Tea-stain just the bottom edge of this page before gluing it in, a faint warm line along the hem of the gown, to give the sheet the feel of something kept in a drawer for years.
A small christening gown hangs from a garden line between two posts, with a basket of flowers and a few butterflies painted in the soft air around it.
Leave a small space along the bottom of this page for a printed family photo, since the doorway scene is painted wide enough to frame it without crowding the rabbits standing in it.
Keep this page for the five minute version of the kit: a quick wash of blossom pink and sage behind two small rabbit figures walking a path, nothing more detailed needed.
Two rabbits walk a quiet path through a blossoming orchard, petals drifting down around them and a low wooden gate visible at the far end of the row.
Rows of tender lettuce and radish tops catch the early light in a tidy vegetable bed, with a small wooden sign, a trowel and morning dew painted across the leaves.
Background Papers
Place this scene beside the Daisies And Baby Carrots pattern page so the loose carrots in the basket echo the small painted carrots repeating across the facing sheet.
A wicker basket brims with freshly pulled carrots and their leafy tops, set against a low garden fence with a few stray daisies growing up through the slats.
Small daisies and tiny baby carrots repeat in an all over pattern across the sheet, running edge to edge in butter yellow and sage, suited to a cover, a photo backing or a filler page.
Clusters of bluebells scatter evenly across the page in a soft repeating pattern, pale blue against cream, ready to sit behind a photo, line a cover or fill a quiet spread between scenes.
Falling blossom petals drift in a loose repeating pattern from corner to corner, blush pink and sage, useful under a baby photo, as a divider page or as the outer cover sheet.
Lined Writing Pages
A soft gingham check repeats across the full sheet like the picnic blanket from the garden scenes, pale blue and cream, a steady background for photo pages or a journal cover.
A row of small bunny ears peeks up along the bottom border with soft ruled lines above for writing a gift list, a list of visitors, or a short welcome note to the baby.
Carrot tops cluster in each corner around faint ruled lines, suited to a planting record, a list of first foods, or a short letter written to the child for next spring.
A daisy chain runs along one side of the page like a painted ribbon, leaving ruled lines free in the middle for a lullaby, a nursery rhyme, or notes from the christening day.
What to Do Next
Print the full set, trim each page to size and start gluing the scenes in order, then keep the lined pages open until the baby arrives so the first real entry can go straight onto the page. For more seasonal pages to mix in, see the Easter junk journal set, the spring junk journal pages, or the garden junk journal ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What paper works best for printing these pages?
Heavyweight matte cardstock between 28 and 32 lb gives the softest result and keeps the pastel washes from showing through the back. Avoid glossy photo paper, since it makes the watercolor look plasticky rather than soft, and the ink takes longer to dry on it.
What printer settings should I use?
Choose the best or photo quality setting in your printer menu, even though it uses more ink and takes a little longer. Turn off any automatic color correction so the pastel tones print true, and let each sheet sit flat for a few minutes before you stack or trim it.
What size should I print the pages at?
Standard US Letter or A4 works well for most junk journal covers, then trim down with scissors or a paper trimmer to the exact page size of your album. Keep a small margin around the trim line so none of the painted scene gets cut off.
Can I add my own photos or writing on top of these pages?
Yes, the scene pages leave room around the main subject for a small printed photo or a few handwritten lines, and the lined pages are built for writing directly onto them. Use a fine permanent marker or a pencil so the ink does not smear against the painted background.
Do I need anything beyond the printed pages to finish the journal?
A glue stick for assembling the sheets into a journal and scissors or a trimmer for sizing are really all that is required. A few watercolor pencils are handy if you want to touch up a trimmed edge or add a small detail of your own.