Diwali junk journal ideas: 15 festive pages to keep this year's memories

Diwali leaves a trail of paper behind it. The ribbon off a mithai box, a greeting card from an aunt who still posts them, the Dhanteras shopping bill, a gift tag with your name on it, a few marigold petals from the puja thali. Most of it gets swept up with the leftover diya wax by Bhai Dooj.

This year, keep it. A Diwali junk journal turns all those little scraps into pages you'll actually want to open next November. Here are 15 easy page ideas, what to collect, and a few prompts to get you writing.

Why make a Diwali junk journal?

Your phone will have hundreds of Diwali photos by the end of the week, and you'll probably never scroll back to most of them. A junk journal is different. It holds the real things: the card someone chose for you, the label from the kaju katli everyone fought over, the rangoli you sketched before drawing it on the floor.

It's also a lovely slow activity for the festive break. No rules, no perfect pages. You cut, stick, write a line or two, and move on. If you're new to it, our junk journaling for beginners guide covers the basics.

What to save this Diwali

Start a small "keep" pile (an envelope or a shoebox works) a few days before Diwali. Things worth saving:

• Mithai box labels, ribbons and the pretty paper liners inside sweet boxes
• Greeting cards, invitation cards and Diwali party e-cards (print the e-cards small)
• Gift tags and scraps of wrapping paper from gifts you receive
• Dried marigold or rose petals from the puja (press them in a heavy book for a few days)
• The packaging from diyas, candles or fairy lights
• Your Dhanteras or festive shopping bills
• A rangoli stencil, or a quick pencil sketch of your design
• Printed photos: family, the lit-up balcony, the food spread
• A recipe card in Mummy's or Nani's handwriting
• The card-party scoresheet, if your family plays

Before Diwali: 4 pages to start now

1. The cleaning-and-shopping list page. Stick down your actual to-do list, ticks and all. Add a receipt or two and a line about the one thing that always gets left to the last minute.

2. The Dhanteras page. Paste the bill or the price tag from what you bought this year, and write why you picked it. In ten years, you'll love seeing what things cost.

3. The rangoli plan. Sketch your design, note the colours you used, and add a photo of the finished rangoli once it's done. A lace paper doily makes a perfect rangoli-like frame around the photo.

4. The outfit page. Tape in a fabric swatch from a tailor's scrap or a tag from your new kurta or saree, and write who you wore it with.

On Diwali: 6 pages for the big day

5. The puja page. Press a few petals from the thali and seal them under a strip of washi tape. Write down the aarti line that always gets stuck in your head.

6. The mithai rating chart. Cut out labels from each sweet box and give every mithai a rating out of five. (Someone will disagree. Write that down too.)

7. The lights page. Use the diya or fairy-light packaging as a background and stick your best photo of the lit-up house on top.

8. The family spread. One printed family photo, everyone's names around it, and one funny thing each person said that day.

9. The "who came over" page. Collect a signature, doodle or one-line wish from every guest. This one becomes priceless fast.

10. The food page. List everything on the Diwali table, star your favourite, and tuck a recipe card into an envelope pocket.

After Diwali: 5 pages to wrap it up

11. The gratitude page. Stick down the gift tags you received and write one thing you're grateful for next to each name.

12. The card collection. Trim the fronts of the greeting cards you got and layer them into a collage.

13. The Bhai Dooj or friends page. Save a tilak-stained tissue, a chocolate wrapper or a message from your sibling or best friend.

14. The card-party scoreboard. Paste in the scoresheet and crown the winner. Bonus points for a sticker trophy.

15. A letter to next year's you. Write a short note about this Diwali (who you were with, what you hoped for) and seal it in an envelope. Open it next Diwali.

Prompts if you're stuck

• What did this Diwali smell like?
• Which tradition felt most "us" this year?
• What's one thing I want to remember about my family right now?
• Which gift did I love giving the most, and why?
• What am I bringing into the new year, and what am I letting go of?

Make it look festive

• Go warm. Marigold orange, deep pink, gold and green make pages feel instantly Diwali.
• Use doilies as rangoli. Lace paper doilies look just like rangoli patterns. Stick a photo or a diya sticker in the middle.
• Make a washi toran. Run washi tape across the top of a spread and add small paper "leaves" under it.
• Layer, don't line up. Overlap the box label, the card and the photo. Messy layers are the whole charm.

Everything you need in one box

If you'd rather not hunt for supplies in the middle of festive prep, The Moodboard Junk Journal Kit (₹1,499) has it all in one keepsake box: an A5 junk journal notebook, 8 sticker sheets, 18 craft sheets in assorted designs, scissors, glue, washi tape, 2 lace paper doilies, an envelope and a prompt card. That's the doilies for your rangoli page, the envelope for your letter to next year's you, and plenty of patterned paper to layer under your mithai labels.

It also makes a thoughtful Diwali gift for a sister, a cousin or a friend who keeps every ticket stub.

Keep your favourite Diwali photo out on display

Some memories deserve more than a page. Pop your best family photo into a Photo Card Holder (₹199) for your desk, or a Wooden Photo Frame (₹499) for the living room shelf.

Want a separate festive journal?

If your kit is already full of everyday memories, start a dedicated festive notebook. Warm covers like Tangerine Dream (softcover ₹399, hardcover ₹450), Golden Ochre (hardcover ₹450) or Delicate Florals (hardcover ₹450) suit Diwali pages beautifully.

Order in time for Diwali

Diwali falls on 8 November 2026, and Moodboard orders take about 7–14 days to arrive. If you want your kit in hand before Dhanteras, or you're gifting it, order by around 22 October.

Happy Diwali from Moodboard. May this year's pages be full of light, laughter and a little too much mithai.