These three gold-and-vintage fabric journals were made as a set — one as a birthday gift for my mum, and then I followed the same process to make two more for my Etsy shop. If you love the look of upholstery fabric covers, tea-dyed pages, paper ruffles, doilies, and gold details scattered throughout, this flip-through shows you exactly what went into them and what's waiting inside each one.
What we cover
A full flip-through of three handmade junk journals in a vintage gold theme — fabric-covered, machine-sewn, and filled with envelopes, pockets, booklets, tags, and writing spaces. I walk through one journal in detail and show the minimal variations across all three, so you can see what to expect if you're making something similar or considering one from the shop.
What you'll learn
How upholstery fabric works as a journal cover material — the outside is upholstery fabric, and the inside lining is cardstock, which gives the whole journal a soft but structured feel. It's not rigid, but it holds its shape beautifully.
How to build a gold-themed interior using collage layering — gold sequin trim, gold beads, tea- and coffee-dyed pages, dictionary pages, old book pages, and wrapping paper (good quality, thick wrapping paper works just as well as specialty papers) all layer together to carry a consistent theme without everything looking identical.
How to create functional pockets and tuck spots from everyday materials, including:
- Paper bag pockets for journaling cards
- Envelope pockets that open for notes
- Lace flip-up pockets
- A doily folded into a small booklet with a pocket on the reverse side
How to use altered paperclips as decorative closures — I added a small gold bead to the top of a paperclip to hold a tag in place. It's a simple alteration I first found on Pinterest, and it makes the detail look so much more finished.
How to include a sewn-on image for a secure, decorative element — images stitched directly onto cardstock won't lift, peel, or shift over time the way glued elements can.
How tabs made from upholstery fabric and paper ruffles work inside a journal — there are about four tabs in each journal, each sitting proud of the page edges slightly. They're practical dividers, but they also add texture and dimension when the journal is closed.
Why I use book pages with positive quotes and poems as filler pages — old book pages with meaningful text add visual depth and a sense of history. Pages from a fairy book with beautiful typography, proverbs pages, and dictionary pages all appear here, chosen as much for their writing as for their texture.
How wrapping paper earns a place inside a handmade journal — thick, quality gift wrap holds up surprisingly well as an interior page. I use it for its colour and pattern, and at this weight it doesn't feel out of place among cardstock and book pages.
How to make a small doily booklet — I have a dedicated tutorial on this technique (linked in the video description), but you'll see one used here inside the journal as a pocket-booklet combination.
Tips & gotchas
If you're making journals like these at home — or trimming the ribbons on one you've received — seal the cut ends before they have a chance to fray. A lighter, a match, or a candle passed quickly along the cut edge melts the fibres just enough to stop them unravelling. The ribbons on these journals are deliberately left long, but you can trim them shorter to suit your taste — just seal immediately after cutting.
When you're working with a single signature but a high page count, the pages at the very middle of the signature will sit slightly proud of the cover. That's normal and doesn't affect how the journal functions. It also adds to the handmade, tactile quality of the finished piece.
For the gold sequin trim: machine sewing it in place is far more reliable than adhesive for anything that will be handled regularly. The stitching also adds a visible detail of its own, which suits the layered, collaged aesthetic of this style.
If you're building a set like this — making one journal and then repeating the process to create near-identical companions — allow yourself small deliberate variations (a slightly different cover tone, a different word on the fabric tag, a different postcard) rather than trying to make them perfectly uniform. The slight differences are part of what makes each one feel like its own object.
The gold theme here came from making something for my mum's birthday, and then discovering I wanted to keep making them. If you're drawn to this kind of work, the doily booklet tutorial I mentioned is a good next step — it's one of those small techniques that shows up in nearly everything I make in this style.
