Friday, 28 August 2026

Craft: A Bound Scrap Journal of Pictures & Poetry

I made this tiny scrapbook from scratch and in it I handwrote poems and collaged pictures. Crafting something completely by hand was such a relaxing change from sitting at a computer. I did it because it was recommended as a mindful art project, but I loved it so much I'll be making more.

To start with I watched several videos on how to make a "junk journal". That's the search term to find tutorials, although I prefer the word "scrapbook" because that's what I've always called them in the past. 

There are lots of videos on YouTube and they're easy to follow, so I won't go into too many details here, but first you bind a little book out of scraps of paper that might otherwise go in the recycling. You need firm card for the cover and thinner paper for inside pages. Things you can use include:

  • Used envelopes
  • Paper bags
  • Brown packaging paper
  • Clean boxes that contained food
  • Old writing paper, especially if it has that yellow, aged look
  • Pages from out-of-date magazines, calenders and booklets 
  • Even pages from old books if they are really no use for anyone to read any more (yeah, I know, even that seems wrong)

Cut the cover card to the size you want, then cut or tear the thinner paper to fit inside that. Fold the cover in half, then fold the pages in half and stack them inside the cover. 

Clip the edges to hold them firm then stitch the journal along the fold from the centre to the spine using string or thick embroidery thread. You need a thick needle, which you push right through the very centre of the folded line, then push through near the top of the fold, bring the needle right down to near the bottom of the fold, then back again through the first hole, in the middle, then tie it tight.

That's basically book binding for beginners, although you can trim your pages more if you like.


What to put inside
Once you have your scrapbook, you can start to fill it with whatever you like. Many people use their's for collages of pictures, but I wanted a physical copy of the poems I've shared on my blog over the years. You can see some pages from it in the photos on this post. 

For the collages I mainly upcycled old witchy diaries and calendars that I've been keeping because the artwork was too lovely to throw away. This felt like a lovely way to make more use of them. I also snipped pictures from magazines, event flyers, and greeting cards. I just tore or cut out images I liked, arranged them on a page, then glued them in place.


Make your own spellbook
I enjoyed this project so much that I'll definitely do it again. I also thought that a journal bound by hand from scrap paper would be lovely to use as a personal book of shadows or grimoire of spells. It was always traditional to write these by hand, but making the book itself by hand feels even more perfect as a craft for the wise. 

You could also enchant it for wish magic using this spell: https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/06/spells-enchanting-book-for-wish-magic.html

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