If you've ever wished for a crafty companion to sit alongside while you make things — someone who keeps the ideas flowing, shares a few useful systems, and occasionally goes on a heartfelt tangent about a rescued dog — this long video is exactly that. Filmed over several days and compiled into one comfortable session, it works a bit like body doubling: you do your thing, I do mine, and we keep each other company. There are mini tutorials woven throughout, practical tips on organizing your craft room and busting through creative ruts, and a fair amount of junk journal making from whatever happened to be on the desk that day.
What we cover
This is a craft-along compilation covering a mix of scrap-busting projects — upcycling old book pages, greeting cards, op-shop grab bags, and paper offcuts into readymade journal elements — alongside two systems I use to stay creative and organized: a ideas jar for when you're in a rut, and a labelled box approach for readymade journal pieces. There's also a section on harvesting pages from a secondhand book and binding signatures into it to make a personalized mini junk journal.
What you'll learn
How to harvest an old book for journal use — including how to identify which signatures pull out cleanly, which pages are better used loose, and what to do with short offcuts so nothing goes to waste.
How to turn greeting cards into multiple journal elements from a single card, including:
- Cutting into tag shapes and inking edges
- Making a simple pamphlet-stitched booklet using crochet thread
- Binding pages with ribbon through chunky holes for a quick, pretty finish
- Creating a pocket element by gluing three sides and sewing around
- Making a scrunch-ruffled paper strip embellishment at the sewing machine
Paper grain identification — a quick, practical check: fold your paper in both directions, and whichever way gives less resistance is with the grain. Always fold that way for cleaner results.
How to layer fabric doilies fussy-cut from upholstery fabric, including attaching them with a sewn shank button, a brad through a punched hole, or layered with Hawaiian-style fabric flowers for a quick embellishment.
The ideas jar system for creative ruts — a physical jar filled with small folded notes, each referencing a project idea and its corresponding materials bag or box. When you're stuck, pull one out and give yourself 15 minutes. I've been using variations of this system for years; the details of how I pair the notes to actual stored supplies make the difference between a system that works and one that just collects dust.
How to make a batch of staggered scrap-paper booklets from your offcuts box, including:
- Simple two-hole binding with baker's twine and a bow
- Straight machine-stitching through the spine as an alternative to hand-binding
- Staple binding for the fastest possible finish
- Gluing multiple stapled booklets together into one chunkier journal and covering the spine with scrapbook paper or fabric
Binding your own signatures into an existing book — replacing removed pages with handmade junk journal signatures so the original book becomes something you'd actually want to write in or gift. I tried this for the first time in this session; it was semi-successful and taught me a few things about spine fit and signature tension that I'll do differently next time.
How to process an op-shop grab bag or scrapbook kit without drowning in it — sorting into piles, deciding quickly what has a home in your stash, and letting go of things like non-sticky old stickers without guilt.
Craft room organization by zones — active projects, unfinished projects, and supplies by type (brads with brads, buttons with buttons, strings in a repurposed tub). The point isn't perfection; it's knowing where to put something when you have it and where to look when you need it.
Tips & gotchas
Don't keep every scrap — or as I put it, that's just craziness. Being selective actually makes your stash more useful, not less. Non-sticky alphabet stickers, rusted closures, rick rack you'll never touch: into the bin.
Fold paper with the grain — if you feel resistance when folding, you're going against the grain. Flip it. It's a small thing that makes a real difference, especially for booklet covers and signature pages.
Glue stick first, then craft glue on top — glue stick lets you position and cover everything evenly, but I don't trust it long-term on its own. Going over with craft glue gives it staying power.
Iron packaging paper before using it — it goes from scrunchy and curved to nicely uniform sheets that are much easier to work with for journal pages, painting, or napkin transfer.
Store readymade journal elements in labelled boxes — tags in a tags folder, frames in a frames pile, readymade pockets and booklets in their own box. When you're mid-journal and need something, you can grab and go instead of hunting.
Washi tape loses its stickiness over time — those old sticker sheets I found in the grab bag were a good reminder. Use things up; don't just store them indefinitely.
When rescuing a dog, pick it up as a whole family — this one is hard-won. I spent three hours bonding with Banjo alone before my kids came home, and that turned out to be the source of a very stressful first week. Rescue organizations don't always tell you this, but it matters enormously.
Don't scan and reuse images from books or magazines — using the original physical page is fine; reproducing it by scanning and reprinting crosses into copyright territory. I mention this when working through the card-making booklet, since it's an easy mistake to make without thinking.
A note on the scanned copyrighted-images tip above
I should say: old card-making magazines and scrapbooking books from op shops are wonderful for ideas — the techniques, color combinations, layouts. Take inspiration freely. Just use the original pages, not copies.
The projects are self-contained enough that you can watch one, then go do your own thing for a while, then drift back. That's the whole idea. And if the Banjo story sends you off to look at rescue dog photos for twenty minutes — well, I can't be held responsible for that.
