A junk journal from four envelopes
A complete junk journal from a small stack of envelopes — no cardboard, no glue for the cover, and built-in pockets from the start.
Dear friend,
Who doesn't have a small stash of envelopes somewhere — in a drawer, a craft box, a bag of things you kept meaning to use? Envelopes are one of those materials that feel too good to throw away and too specific to just grab. This journal is the answer to that.
Four sturdy envelopes slotted together become the cover — no cardboard, no glue, no waiting for things to dry. The binding holds everything in place, and you end up with a front cover, a back cover, and built-in pockets on both sides before you've even made a single page. It's one of those constructions that feels almost too simple until you're holding it and realise it actually works.
The inside is a pamphlet-stitched signature of mixed papers — tea-dyed, vellum, onion-skin, whatever you have — and the closure is a length of twine threaded through an eyelet and wrapped around two buttons with a few small beads at the bottom. The whole thing has a settled, finished quality that takes some people by surprise, given how straightforward the making is. If I'm honest, that's exactly what I love about it.
If you'd like to make one of your own, here's the whole thing — start to finish.
EASIEST Envelope Junk Journal TUTORIAL - Step-by-step
What you'll make
junk journal·butterfly embellishments·closure·journaling spot·pages·paper flower
What you'll learn
batch production·upcycled·binding·cutting·embellishing·folding
What you'll need
beads·buttons·cardboard·die cuts·envelope·eyelets
That's the thing about a project like this: it rewards making more than one. The second journal goes faster, the decisions come easily, and you start to see all the variations. A gift journal with a few tags in the pockets. A travel size. A batch of ten on a quiet afternoon. It starts with whatever envelopes you have — and it tends to go from there.
If a friend forwarded you this — you can get the next one too.
Leave your email — I'll do the rest.
Your email is safe with me — and you can leave whenever you like.
Two more ways to be part of this.
Join the Facebook group
The daily conversation, and where the movement lives between videos. Share what you're making, find your people — and the bigger it grows, the further every new idea reaches.
Join the group →The Patreon inner circle
Private videos, weekly challenges, a closer view of the work — for those who've made this a real part of their lives. The place to go once you know this is for you.
See the inner circle →Or, if a video's helped you — leave a tip on Ko-fi ↗. The price of a coffee, no commitment.