There's a satisfying kind of unboxing video and then there's this one — where the box doesn't just stay on the table but turns into a craft project by the end. This is a review of three Grabie scrapbooking subscription boxes (the June, July, and September editions), plus a spontaneous little DIY that comes out of being genuinely inspired mid-unboxing: a multi-pouch organizer made from the pages of a broken expanding file folder, held together with rings, eyelets, and a bit of decorative chain. If you love the idea of a curated stationery delivery with a different theme each month — and you also want something to actually make with what arrives — this video covers both sides of that.
What we cover
Three Grabie scrapbooking subscription boxes get a full look-through — their themes (Mona Gardens, Take a Bite of Nature, and Timeless Elegance), and what's inside each: transparent stickers, vellum pages, die-cuts, dried flowers, postage-stamp accents, bookmarks, tags, and more. From there the video moves into a DIY upcycled pouch organizer — made from a salvaged file folder, sewn at the sewing machine, hole-punched, eyelet-set, and assembled on rings — as a way to actually store and use everything that just arrived.
What you'll learn
What's inside a Grabie scrapbooking subscription box — the range of materials, the aesthetic direction of each themed box, and how the contents differ month to month. The three boxes shown cover vintage botanical, nature, and dark-and-metallic gold directions, so you get a real sense of the variety rather than just one snapshot.
How transparent stickers and vellum pieces work in junk journals and planners, including:
- Using large transparent stickers as-is on journal pages or pockets
- Laminating delicate pieces to make them sturdier for use as bookmarks or tags
- Cutting large sticker sheets down into individual smaller tags rather than using the whole sheet as one piece
How to upcycle an old expanding file folder into a set of sewn pouches, including:
- Cutting the interior accordion sections down to usable pouch size
- Sewing the sides closed at the machine
- Deciding whether to add a flap closure (and why keeping it simple works better here)
How to punch and mark holes through multiple layers precisely — holding all the pieces together, finding and marking center, and spacing holes evenly before punching, rather than going layer by layer and ending up with misaligned holes.
How to set eyelets in fabric-and-paper pouches — not as decoration but as a functional fix to keep machine-sewn stitching from pulling through at the punch points.
Assembling a multi-pouch organizer on rings — threading rings through the eyelet holes, choosing ring size deliberately (larger rings mean you can keep adding more pouches later), and using jump rings to make side holes look intentional rather than abandoned.
Sorting and storing haul materials in a way that actually holds — the reasoning behind consolidating stickers into one designated spot rather than spreading them across the new folder, the desk, and other storage; keeping the new organizer for smaller, more precious ephemera pieces like dried flowers, die-cuts, and dainty tags that don't have an obvious home elsewhere.
Tips & gotchas
Laminating before you use is worth the extra step. Delicate bookmarks and small sticker pieces become much more durable once laminated — they hold up as actual bookmarks, tags, and labels rather than curling or tearing with use.
With large decorative sticker sheets, cutting them into individual tags almost always works better than treating them as one piece. You get more use out of a single sheet, and the smaller pieces are easier to place in journals, pockets, and on cards.
When punching holes through multiple pouches at once, hold everything together and mark your hole positions first. It sounds like an extra step but going layer by layer almost guarantees misalignment — especially if you're aiming for holes that will line up cleanly on a ring.
Add eyelets anywhere you've punched through stitching. The eyelets aren't primarily decorative here — they're keeping the machine sewing from pulling apart at the stress points once the rings go through and the pouches start getting used regularly.
Choose larger rings when building a stacked organizer if there's any chance you'll want to add more pouches down the line. Smaller rings look tidier but you'll hit the limit fast once the system starts growing.
One storage rule that saves a lot of frustration: pick one spot for stickers and keep everything there. If new arrivals go into the new folder, and the rest live in a separate sticker folder, you end up rummaging through two or three places every time you want something. Better to consolidate the special pieces in the new organizer and route general stickers back to wherever you already keep them.
Add a pouch as you acquire more supplies, swap in different rings, build out sections as the collection grows. It's the kind of system that works because it's low-commitment: you don't have to decide everything upfront, and you can keep adjusting it as your materials do.
