If you've ever picked up a phone case at a thrift store and wondered what on earth you'd do with it, this tutorial is exactly where that question leads somewhere interesting. I take a magnetic-closure wallet-style phone case — the kind with a flip-out pocket and a card slot already built in — and turn it into a small removable-signature journal with decorated pages, a chest-of-drawers flip panel, body-tattoo cover embellishment, and a beaded tassel with chain attachments. The whole thing closes with the original magnet and fits in your hand.
What we cover
Starting from a bare phone case with the plastic phone holder removed, this tutorial walks through covering and decorating the exterior, setting eyelets and threading elastic for a traveler's-notebook-style removable binding, making and embellishing two signatures with patterned paper, stenciling, machine sewing, transparent stickers, and photo corners — then finishing with a flip-out pocket panel, a beaded tassel, and jump-ring chain attachments. The video also includes a complete flip-through of both finished journals side by side.
What you'll learn
How to remove the phone tray and prepare the case for covering — using an X-Acto knife carefully along the edges, working gently so the outer material stays intact while the plastic housing comes free.
How to cover the interior panel with scrapbook paper, including:
- Measuring height between the stitch lines rather than the raw edges, leaving a small margin
- Using a corner punch to match the case's curved edges
- Inking all visible edges before gluing down
How to work with the window cutout — placing a sentiment or printed image behind it, layering a cut piece of acetate over the top to protect it, and gluing the whole assembly cleanly so the window reads as a finished design element rather than an afterthought.
How to set eyelets and thread elastic for a removable traveler's-notebook binding, including:
- Punching a second eyelet hole with a Crop-A-Dile to match the existing one
- Threading elastic from the inside out and back through both eyelets to hold two signatures
- Tying a square knot (left over right, right over left) with the twist and the knot sitting on the inside face, not on the spine
Why the elastic tension matters — too tight and the elastic degrades faster; too loose and signatures fall out. I also show how to do the same removable binding with twine or yarn if you don't have elastic, using a wraparound method that still lets you slip pages in and out.
How to size pages so they're removable — the height must sit between the two eyelets with a little clearance, and the width can't protrude past the case edge or the magnetic closure won't reach. I use the first trimmed page as a sizing template for all the others.
How to arrange and assemble two signatures, including:
- Working from the middle of the signature outward when arranging page order
- Keeping pocket pages separate during trimming so they don't get cut down
- Folding longer pages into pocket pages rather than trimming them to standard height
How to embellish pages without adding bulk that would prevent the case from closing, including:
- Stenciling corners and pocket flaps for texture without thickness
- Stamping on a scrap page first to get a muted, bleed-resistant impression before stamping on thin paper
- Straight-stitching around pages and down pocket sides with two contrasting thread colors (one on top, one in the bobbin) for character
- Applying transparent stickers, photo corners, and flat vellum stickers that don't build up layers
How to apply body-tattoo transfers to a faux-leather phone case — soaking the paper backing with a wet cloth, pressing for around 20 seconds, and peeling slowly. Importantly: remove the signatures from the case before applying water so the pages don't get soaked.
How to build the flip-out pocket panel — cutting small strips of scrapbook paper, gluing three sides down to create individual pockets, and adding tiny sticker handles to make them read like a little chest of drawers.
How to make a beaded tassel with chain attachments, including:
- Gathering lace, yarn, gold thread, elastic lace, chain, and ribbon and threading them all through a jump ring using a short piece of wire as a threading tool
- Wrapping the gathered bundle tightly with a length of thicker thread and tying a square knot to form the tassel head
- Adding beads using a beading needle (for fine thread) or by pointing the end of lace to thread through larger bead holes
- Tying a knot above and below each bead cluster so beads stay positioned rather than sliding
- Attaching finished tassel elements and chain lengths at different heights using claw clasps and jump rings so the whole thing is removable
Tips & gotchas
Page height is the fit-or-fail measurement. Pages need to clear both eyelets with a little room so they slide out easily. If they're snug, take another small sliver off — a page that catches on the eyelets is frustrating every single time you open the journal.
Get the elastic tension right, then stop. I keep checking as I tighten: there should be just enough resistance to hold signatures firmly without the elastic being stretched taut. Over-tight elastic degrades noticeably faster, and in a binding this small, you'll feel it working against you every time you insert pages.
Keep the twist on the inside. When you thread elastic through two eyelets and loop it back, there will be a twist somewhere. Place it on the interior face before you tie the knot — on the spine it creates a visible lump and catches on pages.
Pull the signatures out before any water work. I learned this when applying body-tattoo transfers: even a small amount of water wicks through a faux-leather case edge and onto whatever's inside. Take thirty seconds to remove signatures before you start soaking.
Stamp on scrap first. When you're working on thin paper, pressing a freshly-inked stamp directly onto the page risks bleed-through. One impression on a scrap sheet removes enough ink to give you a muted, clean result on the actual page.
Tap excess glue off embellishments before placing them. Any glue seeping out from under a flat sticker or photo corner can bond the facing page when you close the journal. A quick tap on scrap paper before you press the embellishment down prevents stuck pages later.
Leave tassel threads long before you start knotting. Knots use up length — more than you'd expect when you're tying above and below every bead cluster. Cut back afterwards. Starting short and running out of length mid-bead is genuinely annoying.
Check the signature fit constantly as you add stitching and embellishments. Each round of machine sewing adds a small but real amount of bulk. I keep sliding the signatures back into the case as I work — it's much easier to stop adding than to unpick stitching after the fact because nothing closes anymore.
Keep embellishments flat. The magnetic closure is strong enough for a well-made journal, but it won't bridge a bulging stack of layered card, ruffles, or thick stickers. Transparent stickers, light vellum, and single-layer stamping give you a beautiful result without fighting the magnet.
Once you've made one of these, you start looking at them differently. The structure is already there: the closure, the card slots, the fold. What this project adds is the idea that the phone was never really the point. The same approach works for any wallet-style case you find, and the removable-signature binding transfers directly to other small upcycled covers — wallets, glasses cases, anything with two facing panels and a closing mechanism. Make one to keep, make another to give away.
