If you've ever sat down with your junk journal, stared at a blank page, and thought "I have no idea where to begin" — this video is for you. It's a real journaling session, not a polished demonstration: I pick up a few materials from my desk, find a page I like, and work through it in real time, including the moments of second-guessing and changing my mind. The result is a spread with a sewn pocket, a handmade tag, a flip-out element, and some embellishments made almost entirely from rescued and recycled materials.
What we cover
This is a junk journal-with-me session built around a single spread — from choosing the page and covering it, through making a magazine-image pocket with a zigzag-stitched edge, building a layered tag to sit inside it, and adding a second flip-out pocket with washi tape and lace. Along the way I talk through how I think about creative decisions, what to do when overwhelm sets in, and why I keep coming back to this practice even through creative ruts.
What you'll learn
How to turn a magazine image into a sewn pocket on a journal page, including:
- Trimming the image to size and positioning it on the page
- Sewing three edges with a zigzag stitch on a basic sewing machine to create the pocket opening
- Gluing the pocket page down with both glue stick and a stronger craft glue so it holds over time
How to cover an existing page as a full journaling surface — I use a tea-dyed paper that didn't dry the way I hoped, but it works beautifully here. Covering a page with text or print you don't want to write over gives you a clean journaling canvas without wasting the original page.
How to make a layered junk journal tag, including:
- Starting from a piece of cereal-box card for structure
- Covering it with a rescued book page
- Adding a corrugated cardboard texture piece (painted to leave line impressions) and a hand-cut paint-swatch heart
- Inking the edges
- Sewing around the layers for extra hold and visual texture
- Finishing with a stapled ribbon and a tied bow
Using a corner-rounding card as a reusable template — I keep a scrap of card with one trimmed corner and use it every time I make a tag. Both sides come out identical without measuring, every time.
How to add a flip-out pocket element using washi tape — folding and taping a piece of paper so it folds back to reveal a hidden writing space, then decorating it with lace (sewn on) and a small handmade booklet as a tag.
Why I use two different glues on the same project — glue stick is easy to work with and positions things quickly, but I don't trust it to hold embellishments for years. I follow up with a stronger craft glue (similar to fabric tacking glue) on anything I really want to stay put.
How to write into a junk journal — not just decorate it. I copy a quote that had been sitting on my desk, add my own thought underneath it, and talk about how I collect little nuggets of wisdom from books and magazines to store in the journal. The writing doesn't have to be planned.
What junk journaling actually looks like on an ordinary day — using what's already on your desk (a cutting scrap you liked the look of, a cereal-box vision board piece from last year, magazine flowers you made in a batch months ago), rather than pulling out a curated collection of supplies every time.
Tips & gotchas
Put a scrap page underneath when you cut. My trimmer is old and genuinely blunt — I've tried sharpening it with aluminium foil, but it's past saving. A scrap sheet underneath still gives a clean cut every time.
Use two glues, not one. Glue stick is fine for positioning, but for embellishments you want around for a long time, follow with a stronger craft glue. I use one that behaves a bit like fabric tacking glue — it dries fast and holds well. Belt and braces, but I've had things fall out of journals I didn't double-glue, and it's frustrating.
Take the tag out of the pocket before you glue nearby embellishments. I nearly sealed my pocket shut at one point in this session. When you're gluing anything close to the pocket opening, remove the tag first, apply glue carefully, and let things dry before putting the tag back. A sealed pocket is annoying to unpick.
Have a rough plan before you sit down. Creative overwhelm is real — I talk about it honestly in this video. There are so many options in a junk journal that sometimes I'd just sit there unable to start. Even a loose idea ("I want to make a pocket on this page" or "I'll use this image somehow") is enough to get moving. You don't need a full layout in your head, just an entry point.
Date your journaling sessions. I nearly forgot in this one and caught myself at the end. I wrote 10th January 2020 at the back of the spread. Years from now, when you're flipping through a journal full of pockets and tags and flip-outs, it matters to know when each session happened. It's an easy thing to skip and a slightly sad thing to have missed.
That's what junk journals are for. Not a finished object to display, but something to come back to, pull apart, read, and remember. If you want to see how this journal was put together in the first place, the construction video is linked in the description — and if you'd like a tutorial on making the magazine-page flowers, let me know in the comments and I'll put one together.
