- Living Room Glow
- Kitchen And Party Table
- Street And Travel Scenes
- Diner And Record Shop
- Background Papers
- Lined Writing Pages
- Frequently Asked Questions
Retro Christmas junk journal pages bring back the whole look of a midcentury holiday: aluminum trees under a color wheel, pink kitchens full of cookies, station wagons with a tree lashed to the roof. This kit gives you 24 scene pages, 5 seamless background patterns and 5 lined writing pages, each one a different corner of that 1950s and 1960s Christmas world so nothing repeats across the set.
Print everything on a matte cardstock heavy enough to hold glue without warping, and set your printer to its best or photo quality so the colors stay rich. Trim to your journal size after printing, since full bleed color runs edge to edge on every sheet.
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.
Living Room Glow
A glowing aluminum tinsel tree catches color from a rotating wheel spotlight below it, with foil branches throwing pink, gold and blue light across the room.
Pair this page with the boomerang pattern background later in the set for a slipcase or divider, letting the clock’s rays echo the pattern’s curved shapes on facing pages.
Try tea-staining just the bottom edge of this page before gluing it in, so the lamp glow at the base of the tree looks slightly warmed with age.
The small ceramic tree sits on a lace doily with its plastic bulb lights lit from within, a bowl of ribbon candy and a greeting card propped beside it on a side table painted in muted gold light.
Add a folded TV guide clipping or a handwritten show title to the empty corner of the tray for a small personal touch when you glue this page in.
Kitchen And Party Table
Cookies cool on a wire rack across a pink countertop while a mixer, a rolling pin and a tin of sprinkles sit nearby, with cheerful wallpaper painted behind the whole scene.
The usual mistake with this page is gluing it flat against a busy pattern page, which buries the mold’s shape. Back it with a plain lined page instead so the jello’s curves stand out clearly.
A frosted sheet cake holds a tiny plastic Santa figure at its center, surrounded by candy canes and a scatter of red and green sprinkles across white icing.
This page suits the reader who remembers her mother’s holiday parties more than her own, so give it to a mom or aunt in a gift journal rather than a younger recipient.
Martini glasses with cocktail cherries sit on a round bar tray next to a silver ice bucket and a dish of olives, with a cluster of party guests painted softly in the background.
Street And Travel Scenes
Paste in a small drawn map or a scribbled route name near this page, since a station wagon scene pairs naturally with the idea of driving out to buy the family tree.
Several ranch style houses glow with string lights and lit windows along a snowy street, a lamppost and a few parked cars dusted with snow completing the quiet evening scene.
What is the first store window display that comes to mind when you think of a childhood Christmas, and what would you put in yours if you could build one today.
A small camper trailer sits parked in snow with a wreath hung on its door, a folding lawn chair and a thermos resting beside it under a string of bulb lights.
Place this page across from the snowy street scene in your layout, letting the lodge’s fireplace glow answer the porch lights on the facing page for a warmer winter spread.
Diner And Record Shop
Decorated garland frames a diner’s front window where a jukebox glows softly inside, booth seats and a chrome counter visible through the glass on a quiet snowy evening.
For the five minute version of this page, paint just the record player and its glowing dial, skipping the shelf of albums and letting a plain warm wash fill the rest.
Sprigs of holly and a small bow decorate the curved glass front of a glowing jukebox, its chrome trim catching light beside a scatter of coins and a song selection card.
Background Papers
Lined Writing Pages
What to Do Next
Print the pages in order, trim them to match your journal, and start gluing in scenes and patterns as you build your spreads; for more holiday pages to mix in, see the Christmas junk journal ideas and the winter junk journal pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What paper works best for these pages?
A matte cardstock around 65 to 90 lb holds the color well without curling or letting glue show through. Lighter copy paper works for test prints but feels flimsy once glued into a finished journal.
What printer settings give the best color?
Set your printer to its highest quality or photo setting and choose the matching paper type in the print dialog. This keeps the midcentury palette rich instead of washed out or streaky on cheaper settings.
What size should I print the pages at?
Standard US Letter or A4 suits most home printers and most journal covers. Trim down to a smaller size such as 6 by 8 inches afterward if your journal base runs smaller than a full sheet.
What glue is safe for junk journal pages?
A thin acid free glue stick keeps pages flat and will not wrinkle the cardstock the way wet liquid glue can. Apply it in a thin even layer and press the page down right away.
Can I color or add to these pages by hand?
Yes, a few extra details in fine tip pen or colored pencil along the borders add a personal touch. Keep any additions light so they do not compete with the painted scene already on the page.