If you've been thinking about making handmade Christmas gifts this year — or stocking up your Etsy shop with something seasonal — these Christmas journal and embellishment kits might be exactly what you're looking for. In this flip-through I go through all six kits I made for a restock of my TreasureBooks Etsy shop: two large, three medium, and one small. Each one comes boxed and ready to gift, with a handmade mini journal plus a whole collection of embellishments and supplies for decorating it further.
What we cover
I open up all six kits on camera — the two large ones together, then each of the three medium kits, and finally the small. For each size I show the journal inside (covers, signatures, pockets, and decorative details), then walk through every extra item in the kit: altered envelopes, die cuts, tassels, pom-pom paperclips, stamps, wooden and foam embellishments, ribbons, threads, stickers, tags, metallic gift bags, and the paper pack. I also note where kits in the same size differ from each other — because they're not perfectly identical, and I think that's worth knowing before you decide to buy.
What you'll learn
What's inside a large Christmas journal kit — the most complete offering in this restock, including:
- A handmade mini journal with gold elastic closure, sewn details, a paper ruffle at the top, assorted patterned and designer papers, and a middle signature from a Christmas book
- An altered thick-card envelope, embossed and decorated on both front and back, with a die-cut cluster and a small angel charm
- 20-piece Christmas die-cut and tag set (slightly varied between the two large kits, but matched in count)
- Three altered pom-pom paperclips in different colours
- A set of Christmas-themed rubber stamps (wording varies between kits — think "Season's Greetings," "Merry Christmas," "Holly Jolly Christmas")
- A handmade Christmas tassel (I have a separate video on making these)
- A mixed ribbon and thread bag including eyelash trim
- A miscellaneous embellishing baggie with foam pieces, mini cards, tags, and shaker-card supplies
- Christmas stickers, a small metallic envelope, two metallic gift bags, and a 10-sheet pack of velvety designer paper
What's inside a medium Christmas journal kit, including:
- A handmade journal with gold elastic closure, light embellishing, stamped details, a pocket, a scalloped edge page, and a middle book page (differs across the three journals)
- An altered envelope with a Christmas cluster; one of the three has a red envelope rather than cream
- 17-piece Christmas die-cut and tag set, with postage stamp-style pieces and Christmas tags
- Handmade wooden (or plastic) embellishments per kit
- Two altered pom-pom paperclips
- A Christmas tassel
- A stamp (different across the three kits)
- Stickers, a bow embellishment, foam pieces, a chipboard embellishment, shaker-card supplies
- Ribbon and red thread for ruffles and tags
- A small metallic gift bag, a mini Christmas envelope, a sewn journaling spot, and a 10-sheet velvety designer paper pack
What's inside the small Christmas kit — a more compact version, including:
- A small die-cut and tag pack
- A tassel, two altered pom-pom paperclips
- An embellishment pack with a foam flower, shaker supplies, and mixed bits
- A bag of ribbons and threads
- A small Christmas stamp
- The same 10-sheet designer paper pack as the other kits
- A tiny handmade journal with elastic closure, scalloped edges, decorative sewing at both ends, and an unembellished interior with varied papers
How the journals are deliberately left minimal — the covers have light stamping, small stitched details, and a pocket or two, but the inside pages are largely blank. That's intentional: the whole point is that the person receiving the kit can put their own mark on it. I kept the embellishing light so there's room to actually use the supplies that come with the kit.
How the kits within each size vary — the journals in each size share the same internal structure (signatures, pockets, scalloped edges, closure style) but differ in their cover papers, middle pages, and small decorative details. Die cuts and embellishments are matched in quantity but not identical across kits, so two people buying the same size will get something slightly different. I show this side by side for the large kits and note the variations across the medium ones too.
Tips & gotchas
Full specifications — number of pages, exact sheet counts, and that sort of thing — will always be in the Etsy listing rather than the video. If you're buying and need those details, that's where to look.
The tassels in the small kit are made to the same scale as the ones in the larger kits, which means they can feel a little oversized against a tiny journal. You can shorten a tassel easily enough, or use it somewhere else entirely — on a tag, a gift, or a different journal.
The pom-pom closures are versatile. I show them threaded through the elastic closure on the journal covers, but they work just as well as loose decorative pieces on tags or cards. Don't feel locked into using them one way.
The designer papers in particular have a lovely raised, velvety quality that photographs well and feels substantial in the hand. If Christmas tassels catch your eye, I do have a separate video walking through how I make them — worth a look if you want to add that element to your own seasonal projects.
