Little Autumn Ghosts: A Cozy & Whimsical Halloween Junk Journal Collection
The idea for Little Autumn Ghosts started with wanting to create a softer, more whimsical take on Halloween.
I imagined little ghosts wandering through an autumn storybook world, surrounded by pumpkins, fallen leaves, cozy treats, tiny spell books and all the little things that make October feel special.
I wanted the collection to feel cozy and playful rather than spooky – a little world where the ghosts are more likely to be gathering leaves or carrying a lantern than frightening anyone.
The collection grew from that idea: a little storybook world where autumn and Halloween meet. I created several coordinating printable pieces so you can bring that little world into your own journal, either by using them together or simply choosing the pieces that inspire you.
A Little Freebie for You
If you love the Little Autumn Ghosts collection, I have a little extra for you!
I’ve also created two coordinating printable envelopes as a free download from my Planner Lovers Resource Library.
The envelopes can be printed double-sided, with a pretty watercolor orange pattern on the inside of the flap, and they’re perfect for tucking away journaling cards, tags, notes and other tiny pieces of ephemera.
Get the Free Little Autumn Ghosts Envelopes →
Little Autumn Ghosts Junk Journal Pages
The Little Autumn Ghosts Junk Journal Pages are designed to bring the atmosphere of the collection to life.
Instead of heavily decorated pages filled with lots of tiny elements, I wanted these illustrations to feel more like pages from a beautifully illustrated autumn storybook.
There are woodland scenes, pumpkins, moonlit skies, autumn leaves and little ghosts tucked naturally into the illustrations. The watercolor palette brings together warm pumpkin, moonlight blue, muted sage, lavender mist and antique cream, giving the collection its distinctive look.
These pages can be used as the main pages of a junk journal, but they don’t have to be.
You could use one as the starting point for a seasonal memory page, add photographs from an autumn outing, write about your favorite Halloween memories, or simply build a small collage around one of the illustrations.
And because the illustrations are fairly open and atmospheric, you can add as much or as little as you like.
Little Autumn Ghosts Folio Kit
The Little Autumn Ghosts Folio Kit takes the collection in a more interactive direction.
I love the idea of opening a little folio and discovering things tucked inside – a tag, a tiny note, a photograph, a little piece of ephemera or something you’ve collected along the way.
The folio pieces are designed to work together to create pockets and spaces for those little discoveries, while still leaving plenty of room for you to add your own touches.
You could make the folio into a small Halloween keepsake, an fall memory book, a mini journal for October, or simply a little creative project to play with.
And it doesn’t have to be filled with important memories or carefully planned journaling.
You could tuck in a favorite recipe, a list of movies you want to watch, a photograph, a ticket from an outing, a little note about something funny that happened, or a few words about something you’re enjoying this autumn.
I think those ordinary little details are often what make seasonal journals so lovely to look back on.
Little Autumn Ghosts Words & Ephemera Kit
The Little Autumn Ghosts Words & Ephemera Kit is the big collection of little pieces designed to bring everything together.
There are 180 pieces in total, giving you lots of different ways to add layers, details and personality to your pages.
I’ve included:
- word strips and hand-lettered phrases
- decorative tags
- cute little postage stamps
- Halloween and autumn tickets
- fussy cut Little Autumn Ghosts
- tiny fall accessories
- journaling cards
- additional decorative pieces for layering and collage
The idea was to give you plenty of small pieces to play with without making everything feel overly complicated.
You can use a word strip to finish a page, tuck a tiny stamp into a pocket, layer a ghost over an illustration, add a tag to a photograph or combine several small pieces to create a little cluster.
And because there are so many different types of ephemera in the set, you can use the pieces in lots of different ways.
A little ghost might become the focus of a page, or it might simply peek out from behind a photograph.
A postage stamp could sit in the corner of a journal page, while a tiny autumn accessory could become part of a layered collage.
The journaling cards can be used for writing, tucked into pockets, added to a folio or simply layered into a larger spread.
I wanted the whole set to feel like a box of little treasures that you can keep reaching into as you’re making your journal.
A Little Autumn Ghosts Freebie
As mentioned above, I also have a little extra for you if you’d like to add even more tiny treasures to your journal.
I created a printable page with two Little Autumn Ghosts envelopes, designed to coordinate with the collection. They weren’t included in the Etsy collection, but I thought they were too cute to leave unused, so I’ve made them available as a free download in the Planner Lovers Resource Library.
The envelopes can be printed double-sided, with a second page of coordinating watercolor artwork included in the PDF. When you fold and open the envelope flap, you’ll see a lovely warm orange watercolor pattern on the inside rather than a plain white background.
They’re perfect for tucking away little notes, journaling cards, tags or other tiny pieces of ephemera. You could even use one to hold a private journal note or a little list of things you want to remember from the season.
And because they’re small, they’re also a fun little project to print, cut and fold when you want to make something without committing to a bigger journaling project.
✨ Get the Free Little Autumn Ghosts Envelopes
Creating Little Autumn Moments
One of my favorite things about this collection is that it doesn’t have to be all about Halloween.
Although there are pumpkins, ghosts, and other Halloween-inspired details, the overall feeling is really about autumn moments.
A warm drink on a cool evening.
A walk through fallen leaves.
Lighting a candle while you journal.
Watching a favorite Halloween movie.
Making something cozy to eat.
Decorating the house for October.
Collecting little things that remind you of the season.
Those are the kinds of moments that can become the stories inside a seasonal journal.
You could even create a page called Little Autumn Moments and use photographs, handwritten memories and a few of the smaller ephemera pieces to record them.
Let the Little Ghosts Wander
One thing I really wanted with this collection was for the individual pieces to be useful beyond one particular page.
You don’t have to keep every ghost with the same background or use every element from the collection together.
Let them wander!
A little ghost can appear on a completely different autumn page. A postage stamp can be added to a vintage envelope. A word strip can finish a scrapbook page. A tag can be tucked into a pocket. A journaling card can become the place where you record a favorite October memory.
You can also combine the collection with your own vintage papers, photographs, book pages, fabric scraps, pressed leaves and other ephemera.
That’s where junk journaling becomes really personal – when the printable pieces become just one part of a collection of things you’ve gathered and made yourself.
A Few Little Autumn Ghosts Ideas
If you’re looking for somewhere to start, here are a few ideas I think would be fun:
An October Memory Journal
Use the journal pages as your foundation and add photographs, handwritten notes and small pieces of ephemera throughout the month.
You could record one little moment from each day, or simply add pages whenever something worth remembering happens.
A Halloween Movie Night Page
Create a cozy page about your favorite Halloween movies or autumn shows. Add a journaling card, a few word strips, a tiny ghost and some of the smaller decorative pieces.
A Little Autumn Bucket List
Use one of the journaling cards to create a list of things you’d like to do during autumn – bake something, visit a pumpkin patch, have a cozy movie night, go for a walk, make a seasonal craft or simply spend an afternoon doing nothing.
A Cozy October Folio
Turn the folio into a little October keepsake and use the pockets for photographs, tags, lists, recipes, movie recommendations, tickets and other small pieces.
A Ghostly Little Story
Use several of the fussy cut ghosts to create a tiny story across a couple of pages.
Perhaps one is carrying a lantern, another is hiding behind a pumpkin and another has wandered into the woods. You don’t need to write a complicated story. A few handwritten lines can be enough to give the characters a little personality!
A Page of Little Things I Love About Fall
This could be as simple as a list of all the little things that make fall special to you.
Add a few words, a photograph, some leaves, a little ghost and perhaps one of the journaling cards.
It’s the kind of page that could become a lovely snapshot of what this particular fall felt like.
You Don’t Have to Make a Halloween Journal
Although Little Autumn Ghosts was created with Halloween in mind, you don’t have to make an entire Halloween journal with it.
The softer watercolor artwork and autumn palette make the pieces easy to mix into seasonal journals, scrapbook pages, memory keeping projects and everyday creative journals too.
Use the ghosts when you want a little whimsy.
Use the autumn leaves and pumpkins when you want something seasonal.
Add words and tags wherever a page needs a little extra personality!
Make It Your Own
However you use them, I hope the Little Autumn Ghosts bring a little more fun and imagination to your autumn journaling. After all, Halloween doesn’t always have to be spooky. Sometimes it can just be a little magical, a little cozy, and filled with tiny ghosts!
And if you’d like to add another little handmade detail, don’t forget the free Little Autumn Ghosts envelopes available in my Planner Lovers Resource Library.
Happy journaling x