Signature Framework
The JJY L.A.Y.E.R. Method
The framework I built to make junk journaling feel less overwhelming and more like you. Five steps to take you from a blank page to a spread you're proud of. No art degree. No rules.
The L.A.Y.E.R. Method is the framework I created to help people approach junk journaling with more confidence and less overwhelm. It is guidance, not rules, so every spread still feels personal, expressive, and true to the maker.
What is the L.A.Y.E.R. Method?
It is a five-step framework for building a junk journal spread that hangs together. It gets you past the blank page and into making, whether you have ten minutes or a whole afternoon. Same starting point every time, so you never have to wonder where to begin.
Built for Beginners
You do not need any experience. Every step is simple enough to follow even if you have never made a page in your life.
Works for Experienced Creators Too
Seasoned journalers use it too. It keeps you intentional when you would otherwise autopilot, and it pulls a spread together when the pieces are not talking to each other yet.
Every Spread Is Different
Two people, same method, same kit, two completely different pages. That is by design.
Rooted in Storytelling
The junk does not make the journal. The story does. The method keeps you focused on what you are actually trying to say.
What L.A.Y.E.R. Stands For
Five steps. One cohesive spread. Follow them as a guide, remix them as you need, and let your story lead the way.
Lay Your Base
Choose your background paper and place it on the page. This one choice sets the mood for everything that follows. Warm tones, textured pieces, torn edges, a page from an old book. Your base is the foundation everything else builds on.
Add Texture
Tear, layer, and overlap papers, scraps, and washi to build depth before any focal pieces go down. This is the messy middle and one of the most satisfying parts. Layers give a spread a richness a single flat sheet never can.
Your Hero Pieces
Place your focal elements, a photo or a piece of standout ephemera, and let the spread build around them. Your hero pieces are the emotional center of the page. They are what make this spread yours and no one else's.
Embellish and Anchor
Add stickers and supporting scraps with intention to balance the composition. You are filling negative space thoughtfully, not desperately. When something feels right, start gluing it down.
Refine the Details
Step back and look at the whole page. Move pieces before committing, add a final detail, adjust an overlap. When the spread feels complete and true to you, press everything down and call it done.
Guidance, Not Rules
Your story, your pace.
- It is a starting point, not a script. Follow it loosely, skip a step, double back. It still works.
- There are no mistakes here. The torn edge, the smudge, the layer that went sideways, those are the parts that make a page feel real.
- Junk journaling comes from the oldest human habit there is: keeping memory. You are part of a long line of people who made something out of scraps.
A Few of My Spreads
Pages I have made at events and on the road, all built with the same five steps.
Seattle · Paper World
Madeira, Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal
Chá da Ilha, Madeira
Madeira, Portugal
Objetos de Desejo, Lisbon
About Abby
Abby Flores is the founder of Junk Journal and Yap, a community built around telling your story through paper. She created the L.A.Y.E.R. Method to make junk journaling feel less intimidating for every kind of maker, and she hosts workshops and meetups across Southern California and beyond.
Everything You're Wondering About
- Do I need to bring anything?
- Nothing! Supplies are included in every workshop. Just bring yourself, and maybe your excitement.
- Do I need any experience?
- Nope. Truly. The L.A.Y.E.R. Method was built so anyone can pick it up from zero. First-timers and experienced crafters sit at the same table and both leave happy.
- I'm not artistic. Is this really for me?
- Yes, and honestly this one's for you especially. Junk journaling isn't about being good at art. It's about telling your story with what you have. Nobody's judging your spread. We're all just here making things.
- What will I actually make?
- A junk journal page that's yours. Same kit as everyone else at the table, totally different result. That's kind of the whole magic of it.
- Can I share what I made?
- Please do! Tag me at @junkjournalandyap. I love seeing every single spread and I share them whenever I can.