If you've been eyeing a pile of packaging boxes after the holidays — manicure set boxes, old food packaging, anything that feels too good to throw away — this video is about where that instinct can take you. I work through two separate upcycling projects from start to finish: a fabric-covered journal built around a manicure box, and a decorated notebook tucked into a companion letter-set box. Both end up as sellable, gift-worthy pieces made almost entirely from things I already had lying around.
What we cover
Starting with a pretty manicure box and a lasagna-shaped piece of old packaging, I cover how to choose and reinforce cardboard packaging for a journal cover, how to cover it with fabric, how to bind removable signatures with twine and gold beads, and how to finish the whole thing with a bookplate, book corners, and a ribbon pull. The second project transforms a flat cardboard letter-set box into a decorated companion piece with an altered graph-paper notebook inside. Along the way there's a real-world glue testing segment — because knowing which glues warp your paper and which don't is one of those things that saves a lot of ruined projects.
What you'll learn
How to reinforce thin cardboard packaging into a sturdy journal cover — cutting additional panels from scrap cardboard and gluing them in place to add strength before covering. This matters especially when you're working with recycled packaging that wasn't designed to be handled repeatedly.
How to cover a journal with fabric, including:
- Using fabric glue for synthetic or "lively" fabrics that don't lie flat
- Applying glue in a thin, even layer to avoid pooling near the spine, which can seep through
- Using double-sided tape as an extra helper along edges before the main glue sets
How to identify water-based versus acetone-based glues at home — and why it matters for paper crafting. I walk through the labels on several brands side by side: if a glue says "washable" or "wipe with damp cloth," that's a reliable signal it's water-based and will warp paper. Acetone-based glues (typically the clear-gel variety) generally don't. The method is simple: test on a paper scrap first and write the name on the test strip.
How to do a simple twine binding with removable, re-insertable signatures, including:
- Wrapping twine around the spine once per signature, then twisting and passing under all the strings to lock them in place
- Tying the binding with enough give to slide signatures in and out
- Why the spine needs to be reinforced before you do this — a flimsy spine will bend under the tension of the twine
How to add beads to binding twine so they stay out of the way while writing — start the bead run well above the center of the spine so the beads can be pushed up and moved out of the writing area. A knot below the first bead keeps them in place without locking them down.
How to make a ribbon pull for a snug-fitting journal — gluing and taping a ribbon into the bottom of the box so you can lift the journal out cleanly rather than wrestling with the spine.
How to attach book corners to hide messy fabric edges — using glossy accents or a brush-on super glue inside the corner protector before pressing it closed. A useful move whenever your fabric isn't conforming neatly at the corners.
How to attach a bookplate with brads, including positioning it away from center, piercing clean holes, and using it to hide the brad backs.
How to alter a purchased notebook to fit a box, including:
- Trimming pages down to fit the box dimensions
- Covering the spine with washi tape
- Adding a napkin-decoupage panel to the cover for a quick decorative finish
Tips & gotchas
When you're gluing paper or fabric onto a box, use a glue stick first specifically to tack down the corners — liquid glue can seep through at the edges before it holds. The glue stick isn't doing the main structural job; it's just getting those corners to behave.
With fabric glue (or any liquid glue), apply a thin, even layer. Pooling near the spine is the main thing to watch for — if the glue sits in a puddle and you press your fabric over it, there's a real chance it bleeds through to the surface. Spread it out and let it sit for a moment before pressing the fabric down.
The washable label test is genuinely useful. If you're not sure whether a glue is water-based, look for language like "wipe with damp cloth," "washable," or "wash with soap and water." Those phrases mean water will activate it — which means it'll warp paper. If you can't tell from the label, test a scrap. Write the glue name on the test strip so you remember.
Reinforce your spine before twine binding — this is the step it's easiest to skip and the one that matters most. Twine puts real lateral tension on the spine, and if it's just a single layer of thin packaging cardboard, it will start to bow.
For bead placement on binding twine: don't start them at the center of the spine. Start them higher up so they have room to slide above the writing area when the journal is open. A knot right below the lowest bead keeps them from falling through but still lets you push them up.
Always check that your journal fits in the box before you finish all the decorating steps — specifically before you add the book corners, which add a small but real amount of bulk. I found this out mid-project when the fit went from comfortable to very tight.
If a glue says its first ingredient is acetone and doesn't mention anything about washing off with water, that's a good sign it won't warp your paper. These glues are usually a clear gel rather than a white PVA-type glue. When they dry on your hands they peel off in little rubber pieces — that's how you know.
Book corners aren't just decorative — they do real cover-up work on corners where fabric or paper hasn't sat cleanly. If you know you have book corners going on, you can be more relaxed about the corners during the covering step and let the hardware do the finishing.
What I find with this kind of video is that it's less about the specific box you have and more about seeing the structure inside the packaging: the spine, the hinge, the internal tray. Once you start seeing boxes that way, a lot of what used to go in the recycling starts looking like journal covers and companion pieces instead. The playlist linked below has more in the same vein if you want to keep going.
