If you have ever bought a beautiful sticker book and then felt slightly guilty about actually using the stickers, this article is your official permission slip.
Stickers are made to be peeled. Journals are made to become wonderfully lumpy. And junk journaling is one of the few crafts where adding “just one more thing” is usually exactly the right decision.
Two new sticker books have arrived for anyone who loves illustrated stickers, playful paper crafts and gloriously eclectic junk journal pages: The Little Frog Sticker Book by Maybell Eequay and The Eclectic World of Julia Rothman Sticker Book by Julia Rothman.
They have very different personalities, but both are packed with the sort of small illustrated details that can turn a plain journal page into a tiny story.
Why Sticker Books Are Perfect for Junk Journaling
One of the things I love about junk journaling is that there really are no strict rules. You can combine vintage papers, ticket stubs, old envelopes, fabric scraps, handwritten notes and modern stickers on the same page.
If you are completely new to the craft, start with our guide explaining what a junk journal is and how to begin. You do not need a cupboard full of special supplies. An old notebook, a glue stick, a few paper scraps and a sheet of stickers are more than enough.
Stickers are especially useful when a page feels almost finished but is missing one small detail. They can:
- Create a focal point
- Fill awkward spaces between paper layers
- Add captions and visual jokes
- Cover torn edges or glue marks
- Connect mismatched pieces of ephemera
- Introduce a repeating colour or theme
- Turn an ordinary page into an illustrated story
They are also wonderfully beginner-friendly. There is no cutting, stamping or drawing required, although you can certainly add all three if your desk is already covered in supplies and you have decided subtlety is overrated.
The Little Frog Sticker Book by Maybell Eequay
The Little Frog Sticker Book contains more than 700 stickers across 72 pages.
Little Frog is a charming, slightly nostalgic character known for fabulous shoes, mushroom hats, gentle encouragement and compassionate messages. Maybell Eequay’s artwork has the feeling of an old children’s book mixed with modern self-care humour.
This is the sticker book I would reach for when making:
- A self-care junk journal
- A gratitude journal
- A cottagecore or woodland spread
- Encouragement cards for friends
- Happy mail and decorated envelopes
- Mood trackers and weekly journal pages
- Tiny affirmation tags tucked into pockets
Try placing one Little Frog sticker beside a handwritten reminder such as “Rest is productive too” or “Today only needs to be good enough.” Add torn green paper, a scrap of floral fabric, a pressed leaf or a little mushroom-printed washi tape.
You could also create an entire “small comforts” page filled with things that made you smile that week. A cup of tea, a sunny afternoon, a good book or simply finding the scissors after spending ten minutes accusing everyone else of moving them.
Released in August 2026, the hardcover book contains artwork inspired by The Little Frog’s Guide to Self-Care and The Little Frog’s Guide to Life.
Take a closer look at The Little Frog Sticker Book here.
The Eclectic World of Julia Rothman Sticker Book
If Little Frog is the gentle woodland friend of the pair, The Eclectic World of Julia Rothman Sticker Book is an enormous illustrated treasure drawer.
This 208-page hardcover book contains more than 1,000 stickers featuring animals, food, everyday objects, alphabet letters, holiday images and delightfully unexpected items.
Think picnic baskets, cameras, broken umbrellas, friendship bracelets, bicycles, ballerinas, books, cats, kitchenware and all sorts of curious little illustrations waiting to become part of a story.
The sheer variety makes this sticker book particularly useful for junk journalers who do not want to commit to one theme. You could use it for:
- Everyday memory keeping
- Travel journals
- Food and recipe journals
- Reading journals
- Pet-themed pages
- Halloween spreads
- Christmas gift tags
- Alphabet headings and monograms
- Collage art and handmade cards
Julia Rothman’s stickers lend themselves beautifully to busy, layered pages. If your preferred crafting style is “one more layer won’t hurt,” have a look at our guide to creating a maximalist junk journal spread.
Choose one sticker as your starting point and let it suggest the rest of the page. A bicycle could lead to an old map, a handwritten travel memory and a ticket stub. A picnic basket might be paired with gingham paper, a tea-stained recipe and a scrap of red ribbon.
See The Eclectic World of Julia Rothman Sticker Book here.
How to Make a Sticker-Led Junk Journal Spread
Choose one sticker you genuinely love.
Do not begin with the one you like least because you are “saving the good ones.” We all know how that ends. The book sits untouched for three years while the nice stickers wait for an occasion important enough to deserve them.
Next, select two or three papers that suit the colours or mood of your sticker. These might include:
- Old book pages
- Sheet music
- Scrapbook paper
- Tea-dyed paper
- Packaging
- Envelopes
- Receipts or tickets
- Printed junk journal ephemera
If you are printing your own backgrounds, our guide to the best paper for junk journal printables will help you avoid pages that feel too thin or colours that print disappointingly flat.
Arrange the papers before gluing anything down. Tear some edges and leave others straight so the page does not look too tidy. Place your main sticker slightly off-centre, then add one or two smaller stickers nearby.
Finish with handwriting, a date, a stamped word or a short memory. A black fine-line pen is useful for adding little arrows, borders and labels around your stickers.
Try a Full Sticker-Sheet Challenge
If you have a habit of saving stickers, try making one spread using an entire sticker sheet.
Use the largest sticker as your focal point. Place the medium-sized stickers around your paper layers, then use the tiny flowers, leaves, letters and decorative bits to fill awkward spaces.
This works especially well with the Little Frog designs because you can build a complete woodland scene around the characters. Julia Rothman’s everyday objects can be used to create a visual record of a day, hobby, holiday or favourite collection.
Our roundup of 15 junk journal spread ideas you’ll actually want to try has more prompts that can be adapted to either sticker collection.
Make Your Own Chunky Sticker Journal
You could also use one of these books as the starting point for an entire handmade journal.
Create signatures from mixed paper, including old book pages, kraft paper, envelopes, maps and scrapbook paper. Bind the pages inside a recycled book cover or a sturdy piece of decorated cardboard.
If the binding stage is the bit that makes you quietly push the project to one side, our guide to five easy junk journal binding methods for beginners walks through several achievable options.
Give the journal a loose theme, such as:
- Little things that made me happy
- Ordinary days worth remembering
- Woodland walks and garden notes
- Favourite foods and family recipes
- Books I have read
- Places I would like to visit
- Things found in my handbag
Then use the stickers to connect all the different papers and memories together.
More Ways to Use Illustrated Stickers
You do not have to limit these books to traditional junk journal spreads. Use the stickers to decorate handmade envelopes, create bookmarks, seal folded notes or add personality to plain gift tags.
You can also make small journaling cards by adding an illustration to cardstock and drawing writing lines on the back. Tuck the finished card into a pocket or belly band so you still have room to write without covering your decorative page.
Other ideas include:
- Decorated pen-pal letters
- Handmade greeting cards
- Planner pages
- Recipe cards
- Gift wrapping
- Scrapbook layouts
- Luggage tags
- Reading journal tabs
- Mini collage cards
- Handmade bookmarks
Which Sticker Book Should You Choose?
Choose The Little Frog Sticker Book if you love woodland characters, cottagecore details, gentle humour and uplifting self-care messages.
Choose The Eclectic World of Julia Rothman Sticker Book if you want maximum variety and enough illustrated objects, animals, letters and seasonal designs to cover almost every journaling theme imaginable.
Or choose both and let Little Frog ride a bicycle through a page covered in picnic baskets, friendship bracelets and broken umbrellas.
Junk journaling does not ask sensible questions.
Both books offer far more than a few sheets of decorative stickers. They are generous collections of tiny illustrations that can prompt memories, inspire page themes and help turn ordinary scraps of paper into something playful, personal and worth keeping.
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