If you've ever wanted to make a journal that feels genuinely alive — one where every page holds a small surprise, something to pull out, unfold, peer through, or marvel at — the Little Book of Wonders is exactly that kind of project. This full tutorial follows the journal from its very first idea (a pink Christmas packaging piece and a title that came before anything else) all the way through to a finished, heavily interactive art journal bound with a five-hole pamphlet stitch and stuffed with pockets, weaves, flip-outs, Turkish map folds, and a miniature watercolor set tucked behind a sewn acetate flap. It's the kind of project where the ideas arrive slowly, one leading to the next, and that's exactly how this video is built.
What we cover
This is a full-process art journal tutorial — from fabric-covered spine construction and signature preparation through five-hole pamphlet stitch binding (with flat beads on the strings), and then deep into the interior: every interactive element, every fold and pocket and hidden tuck spot, shown in a complete flip-through with Natasa walking through what each thing is, how it was made, and what she was thinking when she made it. The journal uses watercolor paper signatures, book-harvested pages, vellum, and a wide mix of materials, and the interior techniques range from weaving directly onto journal pages to Turkish map folds to corset stitching to a tiny watercolor set you can actually paint with.
What you'll learn
How to cover a journal in fabric using fabric glue, including wrapping edges and corners without being pedantic about perfection — and why leaving things slightly imperfect in an experimental journal is a deliberate, freeing choice rather than a compromise.
How to build signatures with mixed paper types, including:
- Combining watercolor paper (180 GSM) with book pages, vellum, drawer-liner paper, and dyed paper in the same signature
- Keeping pages per signature manageable when using thick watercolor paper to avoid excessive spine gaping
- Sizing pages so they deliberately extend beyond the cover edges — and using that overhang as an invitation for ruffles and other edge embellishments
How to execute a five-hole pamphlet stitch on a multi-signature journal, including:
- Making a spine template to mark and pierce holes consistently across all signatures
- Adding flat beads to the binding strings — alternating top and bottom across signatures so the journal still closes cleanly
How to weave directly onto journal pages, using horizontal and vertical orientations, matching thread colors deliberately to the page palette, and threading through poked holes with needle and thread so the weave becomes a permanent, structural page element with a tuck spot on the reverse.
How to create a Turkish map fold as an interactive journal spread — the fold itself contains a surprise (Natasa made a whimsical house), held closed with a wraparound circle closure so it doesn't open randomly.
How to build a miniature watercolor set inside the journal — depositing watercolors into a flat case, adding a watercolor brush, covering with a sewn acetate flap to protect neighboring pages, and including a watercoloring bookmark.
How to make a vase slit element — cutting a slit into a page or image so sticker flowers (or other flat elements) can be "planted" and removed, turning a static page into a simple interactive moment.
How to use paperclip embellishments with beads — threading a small flat bead onto a paperclip and clipping it to page edges or signatures for a decorative, removable detail that doesn't add bulk.
How to build pockets, flip-outs, and tuck spots from leftover trimmings, including:
- Sewing fabric or paper pockets directly onto pages
- Making postage-stamp openings that fold back to reveal hidden messages
- Using a playing card with a hidden cut as a journaling spot that looks like nothing from the outside
- Turning two pieces of leftover trimmed paper into a pocket by sewing or gluing along three edges
How to make a removable booklet insert — a small staple-bound booklet that lives inside a pocket and can be taken out, used, and replaced.
How to finish a journal cover with metal book corners and embellishments — adding silver corners for protection, pearl gems, and found imagery, while leaving the back cover simpler when you've simply decided you're done.
Tips & gotchas
Watercolor paper and ink don't always cooperate. If you're inking the edges of your watercolor paper pages before gluing them in, know that the ink tends to stay tacky and transfer onto whatever it touches — even after it looks dry. Build in more drying time than you think you need before gluing anything adjacent to inked edges.
Let your fabric-covered cover dry fully — and dry in a semi-closed position — before moving on. Natasa left hers for a couple of days. This matters because the hinge needs to set in the right shape; if it dries flat or fully open, the resistance when closing will be wrong.
With thick watercolor paper and six pages per signature, the spine will gap. Natasa knew this going in and accepted it as part of the journal's character, but if a tight spine matters to you, drop to fewer pages per signature or use lighter paper for some of them.
Flat beads on the binding strings are worth choosing deliberately over round ones. Round beads sit proud of the spine and catch on things every time you open the journal. Flat beads lie much closer to the surface and stay out of the way in daily use.
When corners and edges get complicated — too little fabric, an awkward wrap, a glued-down element that isn't sitting quite right — resist the urge to unpick and start over. In an experimental journal like this one, the solution usually appears if you keep moving forward. Natasa's approach throughout is to commit to the attempt and find the fix on the other side.
Don't feel obligated to plan every page before you start filling the journal. The Little Book of Wonders was made with a rough list of ideas (Turkish map fold, pressed leaves, tiny booklets, color explosions, patchwork pages) that Natasa consulted loosely and then mostly departed from. The list is a springboard, not a contract — some ideas happened differently, some didn't happen at all, and several of the best things in the journal weren't on the list.
Pockets that are too deep are harder to use than shallower ones. Natasa mentions regretting a couple of very deep pockets where it's difficult to retrieve what's stored inside. If you're sewing or gluing a pocket, err on the side of making it shallower rather than deeper.
The Little Book of Wonders is in some ways a sampler: a single project that contains a dozen smaller ideas, each one worth pulling out and exploring further on its own. If any of them catch your eye, that's probably where to go next.
