If you've got a stack of full-sized magazine pages or old book images sitting around and no idea what to do with them, this tutorial is exactly what you've been waiting for. I walk through several ways to turn those big, beautiful pages into pocket inserts, tags, journal pages, and even stuffed paper hearts — all without losing what makes the image worth keeping in the first place. Everything here is made from upcycled materials, and most of it costs nothing beyond a bit of glue and thread.
What we cover
This tutorial covers five main ways to work with full-sized magazine or book images: folded pocket pages with hidden slits, slanted-pocket variations, tag-shaped inserts, heart-shaped pocket pieces, and squishy stuffed paper hearts. I also show how to back images onto other paper to create journal pages ready for binding, and I close with a note about when not to repurpose a book — because that matters too.
What you'll learn
How to make hidden pocket pages from full-sized images — the kind where the picture looks complete until you slip something inside, including:
- Folding the page to create a clean edge before cutting
- Cutting evenly spaced horizontal slits for multiple pocket openings
- Using a ruler or straight edge to keep your cuts aligned
How to glue pockets correctly so each one stays separate — the key move here is applying glue above each cut line, not across the opening. This keeps every pocket as its own section so small pieces don't fall through to the bottom.
How to make slanted pockets from the same image — a variation where the slit cuts run at an angle instead of straight across. I wasn't sure it would work until I tried it, and I love how it looks. The gluing process is exactly the same as the straight-pocket version.
How to cut and shape pocket pieces into tags — trimming corners off a finished pocket page to give it a tag silhouette, then adding a hole at the top for ribbon or twine. The slanted pocket version especially lends itself to this.
How to make heart-shaped pocket pieces from magazine images, including:
- Drawing a heart template from cereal-box cardboard and tracing it onto the image
- Leaving a hinge rather than cutting all the way around, so both halves stay connected as one foldable unit
- Adding pocket slits inside the heart the same way as the flat versions
- Sewing around the edge (or gluing, if you don't have a sewing machine — the stitching is purely decorative)
How to make squishy stuffed paper hearts — closing the heart completely with glue all around, adding a small amount of fluffy stuffing in the center before sealing, and sewing shut. Paper doesn't give the way fabric does, so a little stuffing goes a long way.
How to back images onto other paper to create journal pages — covering the plain or text-heavy reverse of a striking image with a sheet of tea-stained or written-on paper, producing a double-sided journal page ready to bind in.
Why I think carefully before repurposing any book — magazines and heavily outdated hobby books are fair game in my view, especially when they're already headed for landfill. But some books — old editions, first prints, historically significant volumes — deserve to stay intact even when they're falling apart. It's worth pausing before you reach for the scissors.
Tips & gotchas
The most important thing to get right with the pocket pages: do not apply glue on the open side of each slit. It sounds obvious, but in the rhythm of gluing it's easy to run glue across the pocket opening by accident and seal everything shut. The glue goes above the cut line — that's what holds the pocket floor closed while leaving the mouth open.
Before you let anything dry, test every pocket opening with your finger. Glue can seep through the paper slightly, especially if you've applied a lot, and catching it wet is much easier than trying to unstick it later.
When cutting your pocket slits, run the paper against a straight edge — a ruler, a cutting mat, anything with a clean line. Slightly crooked slits aren't the end of the world, but straight ones do look better and make it easier to slip things in neatly.
For the stuffed hearts: less is more. I overfilled mine the first time and the paper buckles rather than plumping the way fabric would. A small, loose pinch of stuffing in the center is enough to give it that soft, cushiony feel without stressing the paper.
When cutting the heart shape (or any shape), leave a hinge on one side rather than cutting all the way around. That's what keeps the two halves as a single foldable piece instead of two separate cutouts. The hinge can be very small — just enough of an uncut edge to hold the fold.
One note on sourcing: magazines and outdated hobby books from thrift stores are wonderful for this. But if you come across a book with genuine historical value — old editions, early printings, books from the early twentieth century or before — it's worth sitting with that before you start cutting. I bought a book from 1913 specifically to repurpose and then couldn't bring myself to touch it. Some books just shouldn't be dismantled, even when the information inside is completely obsolete.
These pieces work especially well in junk journal signatures where you want texture and visual interest without sacrificing writing space on the pages around them. The images do the decorative work; everything else on the spread can stay functional.
