Nesting With Grace

by Brooke Christen

Junk Journaling Birthday Party for Ella

January 27, 2026

There are birthdays… and then there are milestone birthdays. Ella turning 18 definitely fell into that second category for me. It’s hard to put into words how bittersweet it feels to watch your oldest step into adulthood. When Ella told me how she wanted to celebrate, by doing one of her favorite activities, junk journaling! So we created a junk journal party, and it was a hit.

She invited her girlfriends over to celebrate and spend the evening junk journaling together. Capturing memories and creating. Honestly? It was the most “Ella” idea ever.

A Creative, Cozy Celebration

To make the night special, we set up everything the girls would need to start their own junk journals.

Each girl received a notebook, and we laid out craft supplies galore: doilies, washi tape, stickers, patterned paper, and all the little creative details that make junk journaling so fun and personal.

We also had cameras and a small photo printer so they could take pictures that night and immediately add them into their journals.

Watching them snap photos, print them out, and thoughtfully place them on the pages, writing notes, decorating, reminiscing in real time was really sweet.

They were completely in their element. In fact, they would have happily journaled all night if the party had ended there.

Later in the evening, Ella invited her boy friends to come celebrate too, they were going to swim! I expected the vibe to shift but to my surprise, a couple of the boys actually joined in on the junk journaling as well! Honestly, it made me think… maybe we should have invited them to be part of that part of the night from the start!

Junk Journal Supplies-

Everything Linked Here

Sweet Treats & Party Details

Of course, no birthday party is complete without good food and I wanted it to feel just as fun as the rest of the night. I put together a candy and fruit charcuterie board, mixing colorful sweets with fresh fruit to match the cute party decorations. (We get all our candy from Jolley’s, lots of yummy options, the Swedish candy is my personal favorite).

It was simple, yummy, and a total hit with the kids.

For the cake, we ordered from Nothing Bundt Cake (really easy and so good).

Everything Linked Here

A Night To Remember

As I watched Ella and her friends laugh, create, and document this moment in their lives, I felt incredibly grateful. Surrounded by friends who genuinely enjoy being together. If this is what 18 looks like for her, I can’t wait to see where life takes her next.

And I’m so glad we junk journaled this night, because some memories deserve to be kept forever.

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Comments

Stacy says

January 28, 2026 at 7:08 am

What a great birthday activity — love it! And I love that boys were invited and some wanted to make journals — I would have assumed they wouldn’t be interested. Food and decor were perfect, too! Happy Birthday Ella and Way to Go, Mom!!

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