Five handmade junk journals, each one built from upholstery fabric covers, natural-dyed papers, napkin transfers, faux rice paper, and more scraps than I can name — this flip-through is a long look at what's possible when you treat a journal as a place to use everything up. If you've been sitting on a pile of magazine cutouts, leftover masterboard pieces, washi tape, and fabric offcuts and wondering what to do with them, this video is the answer.
What we cover
All five journals are shown page by page — covers, first pages, pockets, tags, tuck spots, fold-outs, and the little clustered embellishments that make junk journaling so satisfying. Along the way I point out the specific techniques behind the pages: napkin transfers ironed onto shiny wrapping paper, faux rice paper made from cereal bags and napkins, masterboards cut down into varied journal pages, doilies with napkin collage, washi tape pockets, and natural-dyed papers made with cabbage, turmeric, and paprika. The journals were made for sale in my Etsy shop, and each one is a complete, working piece — not a demo.
What you'll learn
The napkin transfer technique on shiny wrapping paper — ironing the single white ply of a napkin directly onto the shiny side of a wrapping paper roll so it adheres without glue. I show why I always sew around the edges afterward: the napkin peels off surprisingly easily on its own, and the stitching is what keeps it secure.
How to use a doily as a collage base for napkin transfer — gluing the top decorative ply of a napkin directly onto a paper doily. The result looks beautiful in a finished journal, but be warned: the glue-and-water mixture warps the doily dramatically at first. It flattens out over time on its own, which I didn't expect the first time around.
Faux DIY rice paper and how to use it in a journal, including:
- Peeling the plain white ply from a decorative napkin and gluing it onto a cereal bag
- Painting with watercolors while it's on the bag, then peeling it off to get a transparent, textured sheet
- Sewing it onto a book page to create a journaling spot instead of folding it into an envelope
- Ripping up leftover pieces, adding a little water to reactivate the glue, and using them for collaging or masterboards
How to cut down a masterboard into varied journal pages — when I make a large masterboard I deliberately leave some areas with strong focal points and some areas without, so that when I cut it down the pieces naturally have different visual weights. Some will draw the eye; some will sit quietly in the background. You don't have to plan every cut in advance — the composition does the work.
Making a washi tape pocket — laying strips of washi tape directly onto cardstock, sewing around the edges, and using the finished panel as a pocket page. The tape strips become decorative and functional, and you can peel individual strips off and use them elsewhere in the journal.
Building an "over the page" banner or tuck spot — sewing or gluing a piece so it folds over the top edge of a page and creates a tuck spot or journaling area on both sides without adding bulk to the binding.
Using leftover project pieces as journal elements — after finishing a tutorial (tunnel books, circle punches, mason jar ephemera shapes), I collect the offcuts and leftover shapes and work them directly into journal pages. A leftover file folder shape becomes an extended journaling spot; leftover circle punches become a decorative first page; tunnel-book cutouts become small embellishments.
Natural-dyed papers as journal pages and ephemera, using:
- Cabbage leaves for soft purple tones on watercolor paper
- Turmeric for warm golden pages
- Paprika/red paprika for reddish-orange hues
- Avocado for envelope pieces (shown embossed as well)
Making a corner hugger bookmark from layered lace and paper scraps — building up a small book-corner piece from magazine pages, lace, and small bits of ephemera. I have a dedicated tutorial on several variations of these, linked in the description.
Hiding a paperclip under ephemera to create a large, decorative clip — layering small scraps and bits of paper over a standard paperclip so it becomes an embellishment you can slide onto any page as a tuck spot.
Tips & gotchas
When you iron a napkin onto shiny wrapping paper, don't assume the bond will hold permanently — it won't. The napkin can be peeled off with very little effort. I go around the entire edge with a sewing machine after ironing, and that's what actually secures it. If you don't have access to the same kind of wrapping paper roll (one side matte, one side shiny — and you really can't tell until you unroll it), this technique is hard to replicate, which is also why I haven't done a standalone tutorial for it.
Warped doilies after the glue-and-water treatment are not a lost cause. They really do flatten out over time, especially if you stack something on top. I threw out a few early ones convinced they were ruined — they weren't.
The faux rice paper has a side that looks like plastic because it dried against a cereal bag and the glue left a shiny surface. That's not the bag — it's just dried glue. If you have leftover pieces, rip them up, add a little water, and the glue reactivates. You can press those pieces into a collage or a masterboard and they'll bond without any additional adhesive.
When you're making a masterboard, resist the urge to fill every inch with focal-point elements. Leave some quieter areas — plain backgrounds, open texture, less-busy sections — because when you cut it down, those become the pieces that let other elements breathe. A masterboard that's busy all over will give you pages that compete with themselves.
That's part of why I make them — not just to show what's available in the shop, but because seeing finished pieces all together, hearing the paper, noticing how different techniques combine on a single spread, often sparks an idea faster than any tutorial does. If you want to go deeper on any of the techniques here — the faux rice paper, the corner huggers, the mason jar ephemera shapes, the natural inks, the tunnel books — I've linked all of those videos in the description.
