If you've been hoarding packaging paper — that crinkly, bubble-wrapped, tear-resistant stuff that comes with every delivery — this is the video that finally puts it to work. I made this journal from start to finish using packaging paper as the base material for every single page, plus a burlap-and-baking-paper cover, and along the way I worked through more than 30 techniques for decorating, texturing, and embellishing the pages before binding everything with a double three-hole pamphlet stitch.
This one goes back to the roots of junk journaling — the kind we all fell in love with before printable packs and purchased ephemera took over. The main material costs almost nothing. The techniques range from napkin decoupage and tea bag texture work to machine-sewn yarn lines and wooden bead embellishments. The whole thing is built to be an art journal you can keep working in once it's bound.
What we cover
This is a full journal build from loose packaging paper sheets to finished bound book — pages prepared, cover constructed, and the whole thing bound with a double pamphlet stitch. I work through over 30 page-decorating techniques including napkin transfer, tea bag texture, stenciling with modeling paste and ink, fabric sewing, contact paper application, collage with book pages and magazine images, beading, and more. The last section covers cover construction using burlap, baking paper, and flat plastic packaging layered together, plus a button-and-twine closure.
What you'll learn
How to prepare packaging paper sheets for an art journal — including whether ironing is worth it (spoiler: probably not if you're embellishing heavily) and how to sort and sequence pages before binding.
Napkin decoupage on packaging paper, including:
- Applying the napkin first, then going over it with diluted PVA glue — the technique that actually holds
- Why glue stick alone isn't reliable for napkin transfer, and what happens when it dries
- How to handle thin packaging paper that wants to warp under wet glue
Tea bag texture technique — gluing used tea bags flat and scrunched onto paper to build a raised, tactile surface that holds beautifully once dry and takes gesso over the top.
How to sew fabric directly onto paper pages, including why you need to glue the fabric down first before going anywhere near the sewing machine, and how a simple zigzag stitch gives you a clean, secure edge.
Yarn sewing technique — and why it fails on thin paper — I show what happens when you try to zigzag-stitch over yarn on flimsy packaging paper (it gathers and puckers), so you know when this technique works and when to skip it.
How to make a page with wooden bead embellishments on the edges, including:
- Reinforcing thin paper before attaching anything heavy
- Threading twine through punched holes with knotted wooden beads
- Using a small amount of PVA glue on hairy twine ends to stiffen them for easier beading
Over 20 additional page techniques, including:
- Paint application with a plastic card
- Stenciling with both modeling paste and archival ink
- Contact paper and glitter contact paper application with zigzag-cut edges
- Flat plastic packaging sewn as a pocket page
- Book page collage with gel medium
- Masking tape texture with machine sewing
- Easter egg–dyed paper smooshed and sewn down
- Doily and vellum layering with stamping
- Tissue paper from flower bouquets scrunched and glued
- Magazine image collage
- Doodling with a white Posca pen over painted pages
- Ruffles made from tea-dyed fabric strip
How to construct a layered junk journal cover from burlap, baking paper, and flat plastic packaging — sandwiching the layers, sewing them together at the machine, then trimming each layer to a different edge treatment (zigzag-cut plastic, torn baking paper, raw burlap) for texture and depth.
How to bind a journal with a double three-hole pamphlet stitch — using two separate sets of three holes rather than one, for extra hold on a thick, heavily embellished signature. I show hole placement, poking technique for thick pages, and why waxing your thread makes a real difference when you're pulling through multiple layers.
How to make a button-and-twine journal closure, including removing button shanks, combining PVA glue and hot glue for security, and why E6000 is worth reaching for when attaching heavier embellishments.
Tips & gotchas
With napkin decoupage, lay the napkin down first and then paint the glue over it — not the other way around. Painting wet glue onto thin packaging paper before placing the napkin makes the paper warp badly and gives the napkin nowhere stable to land.
Use baking paper as your drying surface, not regular scrap paper. Wet glued pages will stick to regular paper and pull apart when you try to lift them. Baking paper releases cleanly every time.
Wax your binding thread before you start. Threading a needle through a thick, heavily embellished signature is already slow work — unwaxed thread makes it harder and frays. The wax makes a noticeable difference.
When you're beading with twine, leave yourself more length than you think you need. I've ruined plenty of knots by being stingy with thread and then not having enough to tie off cleanly. Leave the excess and trim after knotting.
For hairy or loosely twisted twine, add a tiny drop of PVA glue to the cut end and let it dry before threading on beads. It stiffens the tip just enough to act like a needle.
Thin packaging paper needs reinforcement before you attach anything with weight — beads, buttons, heavy trims. Gluing a strip of scrap paper to the back of the section where you're punching holes takes a minute and saves a lot of frustration.
If you're sewing fabric onto paper, glue them together first. Even glue stick is better than nothing — it just keeps the fabric from shifting while the machine is running and the fabric edge from bunching at the corners.
The yarn zigzag technique only works on paper with some body to it. On very thin, flimsy packaging paper, the machine gathers the paper and you end up with puckered, useless stitching. Save this one for heavier stock.
Glue stick alone won't hold a napkin transfer reliably once it's dry. The surface feels sealed, almost glossy, but the napkin can peel away. Use diluted PVA or gel medium for anything you want to stay permanently.
Your sewing machine needle will pick up adhesive residue when you're sewing through sticky materials like masking tape or contact paper. Just run your fingers down the needle to clean it off — no need to stop and swap needles.
Ironing packaging paper flat is largely unnecessary if you're planning to embellish the pages. All the wet glue and texture work will re-crinkle the surface anyway, and some of that crinkle is exactly what makes the finished pages interesting.
Instead, I made 30 decorated pages before binding a single one, discovered a few techniques I now want to use in much neater projects (the tea bag texture especially), and found out the hard way that thin paper and yarn stitching don't mix. That's the real value in a project like this: you come out the other side knowing what works, what doesn't, and what you want to try next. If you've got packaging paper stacking up and a sewing machine gathering dust, that's a good enough reason to start.
