- Feeder And Berry Birds
- Window And Branch Birds
- Garden And Gate Birds
- Cottage Garden Birds
- Background Papers
- Lined Writing Pages
- Frequently Asked Questions
A winter birds junk journal turns a quiet backyard into something worth keeping: the cardinals on the dogwood, the chickadees crowding the feeder, the junco hopping along a snowy step. This kit gives you 20 scene pages full of these small moments, 4 seamless background papers for covers and pockets, and 5 lined writing pages for the notes that go with them.
Print everything on heavyweight paper so the ink sits well and the page feels sturdy under glue. A home inkjet on its best photo setting will give you the clearest color, and a sharp trim around each sheet before you bind it keeps the whole journal looking tidy.
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.
Feeder And Berry Birds
Pair of cardinals rests on a snowy dogwood branch, red berries bright against the white, perfect as the opening page of the whole journal.
Tuck a real feeder receipt, a seed packet label or a short list of which birds visited this week onto the page beside the chickadees crowding the wooden feeder.
A folded corner pocket works well here too, holding a feather or a pressed sprig of pine from the same bough the feeder hangs from.
Pair this page with the dove grey frosted branches background from later in this set, slipping a strip of it behind the fence post as a sky.
The jay’s blue stands out best against a quiet backdrop, so keep any added paper pale and let the bird carry the color.
The usual mistake with a birdhouse page is leaving the roof plain white paper instead of painted snow, which flattens the whole scene and makes the wren look pasted on rather than sheltered.
Paint a soft blue-white shadow under the snow cap and let a little ivy trail down one side for the fix.
Robin stands among winterberry holly beside a frozen birdbath, the still water and red berries giving the quietest moment in the whole set.
Window And Branch Birds
This page suits anyone making the journal for a grandmother who feeds birds from her own kitchen window, since the frosty panes and sunflower seeds bring that view straight onto paper.
Beginners can leave the frost simple, just a faint white edge, while a more confident painter can build fine fern-like frost patterns across the glass.
Climbing a birch trunk dusted with snow and patched with lichen, the nuthatch gives this page its whole quiet story in under thirty words.
Write a short answer to this on the page itself: what still stands in your own garden in winter that the birds use. Dried coneflower heads like these are a good place to start.
Place this page across from the birdhouse-and-wreath lined page later in the set, letting the lantern and wreath on both sheets echo each other in a spread.
Mourning doves huddled together read as warmth even in snow, so keep their feathers soft and rounded rather than sharp.
The five minute version of this page is just the branch and two waxwings, no extra fruit scattered below, finished with a light wash for the sky and nothing more.
Garden And Gate Birds
Bluebirds settle on a snowy picket gate beside a holly bush, their color a welcome surprise against so much white and green.
Glue a small tag or luggage-style label onto this page naming the date of first snow, then let the downy woodpecker at its suet cage anchor the corner.
A real apple tree twig pressed flat and glued beside the painted one adds texture without covering the bird.
Sparrows fluff themselves against falling snow on a garden bench, a watering can standing frozen beside them, the whole page a small study in staying put through weather.
A cardinal rests on a pinecone garland draped across a frosted window box, bringing the feeder birds right up against the house itself.
This still life suits the gift journal of a quiet nature lover rather than a loud celebration, since a nest holding pinecones, berries and a single feather asks to be looked at slowly.
Leave space beside it for a pressed leaf or a small sketch of your own, so the page grows once it is in the journal.
Cottage Garden Birds
Chickadees perch on a teacup feeder in a snowy cottage garden, the mismatched china and scattered seed giving this page its whole charm.
Write what the garden looked like the morning after the first real snowfall, using the juncos pecking seed on the stone steps beside terracotta pots as your prompt.
Tea-stain just the bottom edge of this page before gluing it in, letting the warm tint settle under the snowy birdhouse roof and its tiny wreath on the door.
Evening grosbeaks gather on a snowy feeder platform among scattered seed and pinecones, a busier page to close out the scene section with plenty happening at once.
Rose hips, a pine sprig, a brass bell and a scatter of feathers rest together on linen, closing the scene pages with a quiet table instead of a bird in motion.
Background Papers
This cream paper scattered with tiny cardinals and red berries works well under a photo of a snowy garden, as a pocket lining for keepsakes, or folded into a simple cover.
Pale blue and scattered with small chickadees and snowflakes, this background suits a journal pocket, the inside of a gift sleeve, or a backing sheet behind a lighter scene page.
Dove grey and quiet, this pattern of little winter birds on frosted branches works best as a journal cover, a divider between sections, or a wrap for a small gift.
Soft sage and filled with small birdhouses and holly leaves, this paper suits a pocket page for feathers and tickets, a cover, or a lining behind the nest still life.
Lined Writing Pages
A frame of cardinals and berry branches runs around faint ruled lines, ready for a gift list, a short letter to next winter, or notes on the first bird seen each morning.
Chickadees rest along a snowy branch across the top of this page, leaving the ruled lines below free for a feeder log, a menu for a cold-weather supper, or a daily weather note.
A small bird feeder with scattered seed sits in one corner, leaving space for a shopping list for seed and suet, a letter to next year, or notes on a new visitor to the yard.
A frosted birch twig runs down one side with a small wren perched partway along it, the lines beside it suited to a gratitude list, a recipe, or a note about the coldest day of the season.
A small birdhouse sits among a pine bough framing the top corner, the ruled lines below good for a holiday card list, a letter to a friend who loves birds, or a season’s log of sightings.
What to Do Next
Print the set, sort the pages into the order you like best, and start gluing the first spread this week while the feeders outside are still busy. For more cold weather pages to add alongside these, look through the winter junk journal and nature junk journal kits, or the garden junk journal pages for the warmer months ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
What paper works best for a winter birds junk journal?
Heavyweight matte paper, around 24 to 32 lb, holds ink cleanly and feels sturdy once glued into a journal. Thinner paper can wrinkle under glue or show ink through from the other side.
What printer settings give the best color for these pages?
Select the highest quality or photo setting on your home inkjet printer for the clearest reds and greens. Matte or heavyweight paper settings, if your printer offers them, stop the ink from smearing.
What size should I print the pages?
Standard US letter or A4 suits most home printers and most journal covers. Trim a little from each edge after printing for a tidier finished page, especially on the background and lined sheets.
What do I use to color or finish the pages?
The pages print in full color already, so coloring is optional. Fine tip pens work well for added journaling, and a light tea stain along an edge adds extra warmth if you want it.
What glue works best for assembling the journal?
A standard acid free glue stick holds paper flat without wrinkling and is the easiest choice for most pages. Liquid glue suits pockets and fold-outs but needs time to dry flat under light pressure.