If you've been curious what goes into a TreasureBooks junk journal — the layers, the tucked-in surprises, the pages that unfold when you least expect them — this flip-through shows four completed journals from my Etsy shop, along with the goodies packs that come with them. It's equal parts show-and-tell and source of ideas: every spread is a different combination of materials and techniques, and even if none of these particular journals is available by the time you find this, there's plenty here to spark your own making.
What we cover
A close-up flip-through of four handmade junk journals made from repurposed books and a cereal-box mini journal, plus a detailed look at the ephemera and goodies packs included with each one. Along the way I talk through the structural choices — spine reinforcement, signature construction, sewing on pages — and point out the materials and techniques that show up across all of them.
What you'll learn
How I turn old Reader's Digest and hardback books into junk journal foundations — including why the very first thing I do with any repurposed book is reinforce the spine. Used book spines want to bend and collapse; a little reinforcement at the start means the finished journal stays sturdy no matter how full it gets.
Why I cover repurposed book spines with snippet rolls, layering different laces and fabric scraps and sewing right through them into the signatures. It hides the original title, adds texture, and — because the signatures are sewn through it — that spine treatment isn't going anywhere.
How scrapbook paper becomes a cover, including why sealing and protecting it matters before you bind. Unsealed scrapbook paper on a cover that gets handled daily will not hold up; a proper sealing coat makes all the difference.
The role of sewing on journal pages — straight lines, wiggly lines, stitching around edges. It's time-consuming, genuinely, but it adds a kind of character to a page that nothing else quite replicates. My sewing machine is the one tool I couldn't do without.
How coffee dyeing and tea dyeing create texture you can actually feel, not just see. The effect isn't something you can fully plan or control — the variations just happen — and that unpredictability is part of what makes dyed pages so satisfying to work with.
How to build in surprise elements that move, including:
- Double tags that open up to reveal extra journaling space
- Acetate pockets (so you can see what's tucked inside)
- Scrapbook pages folded into pockets
- Belly bands that wrap a signature and open out for additional writing room
- Tucked-in overlays, tags, and journaling spots that can be removed and repositioned
How to construct a mini journal from a cereal box covered in upholstery fabric, with three sewn-in signatures and every possible inch used for writing or tucking things into.
What goes into a journal goodies pack — the ephemera and small handmade pieces that come with each journal. Across the packs shown here: handmade tags and envelopes, origami bags, fabric envelopes, playing cards, page corner bookmarks, paper flowers, hidden paperclips, small booklets, photo overlays, embossed paper, tea-dyed magazine images, plastic card bookplates, and more. Most of these have their own tutorial videos — I mention that as we go through them.
How to look at everyday objects with different eyes — the thing that makes this whole practice work. A fishing tackle holder from a two-dollar shop becomes a dangle bookmark with a charm on one end and a gold paperclip on the other. Dollar-store earrings become charms. The material isn't the point; what you see in it is.
Tips & gotchas
Reinforce the spine before you do anything else. With repurposed hardbacks especially, the spine has years of use in it and will flex and collapse if you don't address it early. Once you've added signatures and filled the journal with layers of paper, it's much harder to go back and fix. Do it first, every time.
Seal scrapbook paper covers properly. Scrapbook paper is beautiful but it wasn't made for a surface that gets handled constantly. A sealing coat — applied before the journal is finished — protects it from wear, moisture, and the oils from your hands. I showed one journal in this video where I hadn't sealed it yet and noted the difference.
When sourcing embellishments, look past the craft shop. The fishing tackle holders I use as dangle bookmarks in all four journals came from a two-dollar shop; I had no idea that's what I'd use them for when I bought them. Earrings, buttons, small findings from second-hand shops — anything with a loop or a charm can become part of a journal. Keeping that "what else could this be?" habit going is genuinely one of the most useful things in junk journaling.
On goodies packs: don't open them before they ship. I deliberately didn't open one of the sealed packs in this video — partly because it's a nicer experience for the buyer to discover the contents, and partly because once you open a sealed pack, reassembling it to look intentional takes more time than you'd think.
On stenciling: layer it with different paper tones for depth. Throughout these journals, the stenciling lands differently depending on what paper it's on — a book page gives a different result than wallpaper or handmade paper. The variation across signatures is part of what makes each page feel distinct even when you're using the same stencil.
It's what ties mismatched papers together, what makes a pocket feel finished, what gives a plain book page something to look at. Tea-dyed and coffee-dyed papers work the same way: they bring a warmth and a tonal unity to pages that would otherwise look like a jumble. Once you start combining those two things — dyed papers and sewn pages — even very simple layouts start to look considered. That's the thread running through everything shown here, and it's what I find myself reaching for first when a new journal needs a direction.
