If you've got a stack of junk mail envelopes sitting in a drawer — or a pile of brand-new ones in your stash — this tutorial shows you exactly what to make with them. I walk through building expandable accordion pouches from scratch: cover, pockets, spine, and closure, all using envelopes (or any paper you have on hand) and a few basic supplies. They're perfect for storing ephemera, receipts, or anything else that tends to float around loose.
What we cover
How to build an accordion-style expandable pouch using stacked envelopes as pockets, including two different closure styles and an alternative method for making pockets from folded paper when envelopes aren't available. I make two versions side by side — one with clean store-bought envelopes, one upcycled from junk mail — so you can see how the process adapts depending on what you're working with.
What you'll learn
How to prepare envelopes for stacking — remove the flaps, trim the edges so they're all even, and decide how many pockets you want (I find eight is a good number, ten works too).
How to glue envelopes into a pocket stack using double-sided tape, including:
- Why you only need tape near the top edge — not corner to corner — and how that small strip holds everything securely while still letting the pouch expand
- How to align corners before pressing down so the stack stays neat and even
How to cut and prep a scrapbook paper cover, including:
- Sizing it so there's a margin at top and bottom and enough length to wrap around with room for a closure
- Choosing which side faces out and which becomes the flap
How to create a rounded spine vs. a folded spine, including:
- Rolling the cover closed (no pre-creasing) for a soft curved spine
- Scoring and creasing first for a sharper, more defined spine with a visible fold line
How to glue the envelope stack into the cover — centering it with a margin on each side, making sure the envelope opening faces up (not down), and using just enough double-sided tape so the first and last envelopes attach without the cover feeling stiff.
Two closure styles, including:
- A single brad and twine wrap-around on the flap — one brad, one length of twine, looped and wound closed
- A two-brad, two-circle closure on the front and spine — two raised brads with small punched circles, twine running underneath the scrapbook paper flap, tied in place
How to embellish junk mail envelopes before assembly, including:
- Inking the edges for a cohesive, finished look
- Adding washi tape to the envelope edges or across the openings to keep stray flaps closed and add color
How to make pockets from folded paper when envelopes aren't available, including:
- Folding printer paper, book pages, or vellum in half and trimming to match the cover size
- Securing the open sides shut with washi tape, a thin strip of double-sided tape, glue, or sewing (I sew mine — two sides per pocket, so plan for the time that takes)
Tips & gotchas
Keep the opening facing up. When you glue your envelope stack to the cover, double-check that the open edge is at the top before pressing down. It's an easy mistake to make when you're moving quickly, and there's no recovering from it once the tape grabs.
Double-sided tape can be too sticky to reposition. If yours is very aggressive (mine turned out to be carpet tape — oops), rub a glue stick lightly over the tape surface before placing. That layer of glue stick dulls the grab just enough that you can shift the paper slightly if it lands wrong. As it dries, the double-sided tape reasserts its hold. This is a small trick that has saved me a few covers.
Don't use double-sided tape inside the pockets themselves. It can sound tempting as a quick way to seal the sides of folded-paper pockets, but anything you store inside — a card, a bit of ephemera — can end up stuck to the tape. Washi tape, glue, or sewing are all better choices for sealing pocket sides.
Score and crease the spine before gluing the envelopes in. I learned this the slightly frustrating way on the second pouch — I creased after gluing and had to work around the stack. Doing it first gives you a much cleaner fold and a neater spine, whether you're making a sharp folded spine or just creating the two small creases for a narrow flat spine.
If the twine won't loop easily under the brad, lift the scrapbook paper slightly. On the two-brad closure style, the paper sitting flat against the cover can leave almost no gap for the twine. Just ease the paper up a little with your finger — you'll see the space open up — and the looping becomes easy.
The junk mail version especially — there's something satisfying about turning a gas bill into something you actually want to reach for. From here, the natural next step is varying your pocket material: book pages give a literary look, vellum makes the whole thing semi-transparent (I showed a quick glimpse at the end and I'm still thinking about it), and music pages add texture and pattern without any extra decoration. These pouches also sit nicely alongside other accordion-structure projects — the same folding and gluing logic carries into accordion books and folded pocket inserts for junk journals, so the skills transfer directly.
