Papercraft Crystal

16 ways to bind a mini album or junk journal

A quick review of sixteen ways to build a mini-book or bind a junk journal.

Mini-books are a fun way to show off your paper crafting skills. I love to use these as mega-cards and mini-scrapbooks. Junk journals are a great way to use leftovers from other paper crafts, junk mail, and old magazines. A junk journal can be a written journal, a visual journal, a commonplace book, a smash book, a foldaway vision board, or all of the above.

There are many, many ways to do this. Let’s look at some binding methods, starting from the least amount of equipment and supplies required to the most. After each section I have linked to longer tutorials by other people on the binding methods.

Short video showing each type: https://youtu.be/RsW94sLzZBM

REQUIRES GLUE AND PAPER ONLY

accordion spine

Fold a paper into an accordion, then attach the cover and pages to the accordion.

Trisha at Club Scrap on accordion spine: https://youtu.be/6pTbiM0azTg?si=eomt0pXm6PZTjJ97

Graphic45 hidden accordion spine: https://youtu.be/hSbNBm-zCt8?si=7TD5-8P3kX84WQa_

similar to the Tonic My Memory Book approach

hinge binding

Use a strip of paper and glue one side to each page, or to the cover and first/last page.

Elizabeth Craft Designs on hinge binding: (at about 16:05) https://www.youtube.com/live/y9Ro3IQEGmk?si=bnTa4Zd8jtalbnbw

accordion book

Make a long strip of paper, attaching more and more using glue. Fold back and forth into an accordion, with each flat the desired page size. It’s best not to but the attachment at the fold point.

Megjournals on accordion books: https://youtu.be/95UbfpizZzk?si=aKApxGrPQSXP4BfD

box fold

Fold each page into a U-shape, with each U increasing in size. The spine or cover should be the largest U. Nest the pages in order by size and attach by gluing at the U.

Stace Stace on box fold https://youtu.be/lQBx5F4Ysow?si=0QYRD8FUFk2QAl0b

2) USES COMMON HOUSEHOLD TOOLS AND SUPPLIES

paper bag book – multiple paper bags

Fold each bag at attach them together with glue. The bag openings make fun pockets.

Lyric Lover Crafts on paper bag books: https://youtu.be/Sm7xChnA9Xc?si=ym-Avs48MW4r-ABM (also check out her envelope books)

envelope book – multiple envelopes

Glue the flap of an envelope into the opening of the next envelope.

staple bound – stapler

Staple at crease.

binder ring – hole punch and rings

Hole punch the pages and attach using binder rings.

stitched – needle and thread

Hand-stitch using a blanket stitch or machine-stitch into cover.

49Dragonflies on sewn signatures: https://youtu.be/LROtbLYL77E?si=SxNUftUhtnbLQxJA

Martha Makes Art sewn signatures: https://youtu.be/A6Rp1nZrvOM?si=ceDf381uvv4Qinpd

tab bound – ribbon

Uses short lengths of ribbon or fabric in alternating pattern to attach pages. I think you really need the video to follow this one.

Mad Paper Crush on tab binding: https://youtu.be/FcZy8BDPAlY?si=vF4NSRyecIbgT8LQ

twine binding – twine or elastic

Put loops of thread, twine, or elastic cord around spine or thread through spine to leave loops inside the cover. Folded pages go around each loop, Easier to work with elastic!

Joanna Clough on twine binding: https://youtu.be/m_sRmerClv0?si=NbYXJ3pmwJV0sakE

3) REQUIRES SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

disc bound – requires punch or die and discs

Use special punch or die to cut disc-shaped holes in pages and cover, then discs to hold pages in place.

Michelle at Mixed Media Art on disc binding https://youtu.be/rh9PuaHLmSg?si=GEbPZ8-XHpssIXe9

purchased cover – requires cover and punch

Any planner or binder with open/close rings will work for this one.

cinch bound – requires cinch tool

Use cinch tool to cut specially-shaped holes and place cinch wire to attach pages and cover.

We R on cinch binding: https://youtu.be/vHmHGqqb5ug?si=oAW2on0V9QQbOluE

Here’s a cute cinch-bound project by Annie Creates: https://youtu.be/oEePeuEpmkw?si=Pki-fDJTFP-W_qen

specialty dies

Use specialty planner or journal dies according to manufacturer instructions.

Shar Cards on Anna Griffin ribbon bound journal https://youtu.be/BVb16HJut98?si=W_y-UDhzdnY8zAcq

Check the channels for Elizabeth Craft Designs, Tonic Studios, Anna Griffin, Eileen Hull, Art Impressions, or whoever made your specialty die set for more instructions, or use the YouTube search feature to enter the name of the product and find a new favorite channel!

FAST personalized tags with minimal supplies

FAST personalized tags for your holiday gifts, using minimal supplies!

Short process video: https://youtu.be/CQMQ5SJkS-0

Resist tag – use a white crayon to write the recipient’s name on a white tag, then add a little watercolor paint. This will work best on heavier paper like a 3 x 5 index card rather than thin copy paper.

Photo tag – use a photo of your recipient printed on normal printer paper, cut out their silhouette, and adhere to your tag with a glue stick. If you don’t have a photo, remember that your grandma looks just like Viola Davis or Christie Brinkley, and grandpa looks like George Clooney or Idris Elba.

Use the supplies you have around your house. I’m linking to the crayon options below because I think the fact they exist is fascinating. Who knew?

You can order custom mixes direct from Crayon at https://www.crayola.com/splash/products/custom-crayola . You get up to four colors in a 64-count box, that’s 14 of each, for $14.99.

Dick Blick sells a box of 12 large crayons in only white for $4.92 https://www.dickblick.com/items/crayola-large-crayons-box-of-12-white or regular size for $2.67 https://www.dickblick.com/items/crayola-crayons-box-of-12-white . Their price on these is much better than Amazon. If you want to search other retailers, the term is “single color crayon refill.”

If you are not working on white paper, there are also clear wax crayons such as these from Brusho, 5 for $7.90 at Blick https://www.dickblick.com/products/brusho-wax-resist-sticks , which are also a better price than Amazon. The search term is “wax resist sticks.”

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Prices are current as of the day I typed this out (obvs.) Amazon links (if any) are affiliate, others are not. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Or I would, theoretically, if anyone ever followed a link and bought something, which I guess might happen someday.

Let’s make ephemera!

I made this group of ephemera as part of the challenge of #dephemerember2023, hosted by @49dragonflies and @luiseheinzl.

Short process video: https://youtu.be/L_EUl5I5rQg

The prompts are:

11. Halloween meets Christmas

12. Kintsugi houses

13. Magical creatures

14. Mushroom robots

HALLOWEEN MEETS CHRISTMAS AND KINTSUGI HOUSES

I removed the tabs since I’m not building the 3-D version and built the Halloween House and Christmas House using contrasting color palettes. The Halloween version is spooky orange and dark gray, while the Christmas version is warm brown and welcoming golden glow. I used other die sets from my craft supplies to add accessories.

For the Kintsugi House I cut two of the same house front from Paper Village, removed the tabs, and then tore one copy in half. I used Ranger Tim Holtz Foundry Wax on the “broken” edge and set it with a heat tool.

Sizzix Tim Holtz Paper Village #664741 $19.02 https://amzn.to/3RfmIFf

Sizzix items are almost always less when buying from Sizzix on Amazon than from their own website, so always check. Sizzix does offer a 15% off coupon for email signup, but Amazon offers free shipping.

Additional elements from Lawn Fawn scalloped treat box add-on sets and Spellbinder’s Garden Gate.

Lawn Fawn winter house add-on $22 https://www.lawnfawn.com/products/scalloped-treat-box-winter-house-add-on?_pos=3&_sid=520d83e61&_ss=r&variant=40514259085

Lawn Fawn haunted house add-on $22 https://www.lawnfawn.com/products/scalloped-treat-box-haunted-house-add-on?_pos=4&_sid=520d83e61&_ss=r&variant=40514169613

MAGICAL CREATURES

Pegasus stamp by Flonz Craft

Anyone from Dallas will recognize the neon flying red horse. The sign originally stood on the top of the Magnolia Oil building downtown (1934-1999) and was later reinstalled in front of the Omni Hotel (2015).

Trying to trace the mergers and acquisitions and spin-offs of oil and gas companies is like trying to follow the family trees on Game of Thrones. However, Magnolia Oil was founded by the Sealy family of Galveston and the symbol of the red pegasus came from the Vacuum Oil company of New York. Both are now part of ExxonMobil.

MUSHROOM ROBOTS

Sizzix Tim Holtz Retro TV #665371 $18.94 https://amzn.to/3QZuQbw

There is a related matching shaker dome if you are interested, item #664920 which is $6.99 for six ( https://amzn.to/3ReyoIo ) but you don’t need that to make a shaker, especially from a steel rule die. It’s so easy to cut multiples of the shape to make your shaker well, then any clear material can cover the TV screen opening.

Bender the robot is a character from Futurama, a hilarious workplace comedy currently streaming on Hulu. It’s been seven seasons across 26 years on three networks, returning after cancellation (Fox, Comedy Central) and failed syndication (Adult Swim, Syfy) again and again. Look for the episodes featuring John Goodman as Santa Robot and Coolio as Kwanzaabot. Produced in partnership with 30th Century Fox.

My Favorite Things Die-namics Pizza Maker $23.99 https://www.mftstamps.com/products/pizza-maker-die-namics?_pos=1&_sid=6c9cbbe3e&_ss=r

My Favorite Things Stamps Pizza My Heart $11.99 https://www.mftstamps.com/products/pizza-my-heart?_pos=2&_sid=6c9cbbe3e&_ss=r

Fun bubble technique

This is a project following the prompts for #dephemerember2023 hosted by @49dragonflies and @luiseheinzl.

6. Selfie in a bubble

7. Clocks and wings

Bubble: Combine water-based colorant (watercolor, dye reinker, a little acrylic paint, coffee, whatever you’re going to use) with water and a few drops of dish detergent and water. Use a straw to blow bubbles in your solution and pick those up with a piece of paper. I used mixed media paper, and went on to stencil some additional bubble images.

Selfie in a bubble: I used a circular piece to back my selfie for the Dephemerember prompt.

Clock and wings: I printed the wings from an internet image search, and cut the clock using Sizzix Bigz Tick Tock #657830. The party always starts at 9:05.

Since I had some bubble background left, I used Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Merchant #CMS331 and another number set from my collection to create numbers for journal pages. The weather is perfect for a little heat embossing, so I used Ranger Tim Holtz embossing glaze in rustic wilderness, mermaid lagoon, and salvaged patina. It’s just too hot on the Gulf Coast to turn on a heat gun in the summer, and that lasts five+ months!

Short process video: https://youtu.be/J_CCmWmIjrE

Instagram and YouTube: papercraftcrystal

Masterboard Ephemera

This is a project following the prompts for #dephemerember2023 hosted by @49dragonflies and @luiseheinzl.

4. Butterfly and 3 torn things

5. Salvaged birds

I started with a letter-size master board. For the master board just start gluing stuff down. Don’t worry too much about how it looks. If you have some blank spots, add more layers or some stenciling or some marks. If it’s too busy use some watered-down paint or gesso, or a layer of white tissue, to tone it down. Seriously, you can fix almost anything with another layer, and if you can’t it’s just paper.

Birds: I used the Sizzix Bigz Flying Bird #660259 to cut the birds from the master boards.

Butterflies: I used the remainder of the master board to cut 2 1/2” circles, which I then layered with a scrap of sheer fabric printed with butterflies. (The rest of this fabric is some cute curtains in my mother’s guest room.)

Short process video: https://youtu.be/PWjjKandOQU

Instagram and YouTube: papercraftcrystal

Recycled wine cork place card holders

Holiday place card holders – a recycled wine cork craft

Short video showing all the corks up close: https://youtu.be/hVCm4YbmnnQ

Straight corks are from still wine and bulbous corks are from sparkling wine. If you are not a wine drinker, many liquor stores collect corks for recycling and are happy for you to have a handful if you ask nicely.

These are a variation on peg dolls or kokeshi. Blank peg dolls are also available from craft suppliers if you prefer a more polished look. I think this would work with toilet paper tubes as well, although the scale would be different of course.

The corks are decorated with acrylic paint, Sharpie markers, paper, and whatever else I had lying around.

Wonder Woman – tiara is printed from an internet image
Superman – chest shield is printed from an internet image
C-3PO – eyes are 1/4” hand punch, chest mechanism is 1/2” circle and small decorative flower punch, “cables” are bits of cord
Princess Leia – hair is 1/2” and 3/4” circle punches
Minnie Mouse – ears are 3/4” circle punches, bow is printed from an internet image, necklace is seed beads
Marge Simpson – necklace is seed beads, hair is aluminum foil
Dorothy – hair is rick-rack and bottom of cork is coated in tiny red sequins
Harry Potter – tie and house shield are paper, owl is a tiny punch
Snowmen – googly eyes, air dry clay for carrot nose, 5 mm pom pom for coal buttons
Reindeer – chenille stem (pipe cleaner) for antlers, 1/4” hand punch for eyes, 5 mm pom pom for nose

Paper clips are hot-glued to back to hold place cards.

I found it helpful to coat each cork with a coat of white acrylic paint before starting any decoration, and I’m sure gesso would also work. The cork just drinks paint otherwise. Natural and synthetic corks both work fine, although acrylic paint does tend to flake on some synthetic corks.

Tim Holtz Stamp Collector

Last page of my all Tim Holtz art journal, using Stamp Collector and Correspondence. Thank you for joining me for this series! I printed the Great Wave onto copy paper to use as a base, covered the wave with a mix of used postage stamps and stamped & fussy-cut stamps, and used vellum for the wave caps. The Ideology cardstock base pages were 12 x 12, so I cut them down to 8 1/2 x 11 and used the off-cuts to make a pocket on the back of each side.

Short process video: https://youtu.be/MYj3kGr-QiM

In December I’ll be participating in Dephemerember (making ephemera, hosted by 49dragonflies) and then Junk Journal January (hosted by megjournals).

About the Great Wave: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa

Stampers Anonymous Correspondence THMM141 $15.99 https://www.simonsaysstamp.com/products/tim-holtz-clear-stamps-and-stencil-correspondence-direction-and-shifter-stars-thmm141

Stampers Anonymous Stamp Collector CMS338 $21.44 https://amzn.to/3Qm5hRQ

You can buy used postage stamps in mixed lots. Check eBay, Etsy, or Mystic Stamps. Search term is “used postage stamps bulk”. Mixed lots will include quite a few of Queen Elizabeth II in a rainbow of colors, which is perfect for crafting!

Mystic Stamp Company $15.95 for 1000 worldwide

https://www.mysticstamp.com/Products/Worldwide/M3737/Worldwide%20Stamps/

Mystic Stamp Company $4.50 for 200 worldwide

https://www.mysticstamp.com/Products/Worldwide/M3735/Worldwide%20Stamps/

$36.99 for 1000 vintage US on Amazon

https://amzn.to/3u15jah

$18.95 for 1000 worldwide on Amazon

https://amzn.to/3sbewMH

Instagram and YouTube: papercraftcrystal

Prices are current as of the day I typed this out (obvs.) Amazon links are affiliate, others are not. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Or I would, theoretically, if anyone ever followed a link and bought something, which I guess might happen someday.

Personalized Gift Tags with Stamping and Die Cuts

I love gift bags for the convenience, but I want to dress them up a little. People love personalized items, and that’s something you can’t easily buy. Look through your own holiday stamps and dies to create fun tags.

I’m using a very old Sizzix Originals steel rule die (Tag, Super Scallop) to cut tags, but there are a million options for die tags. Pre-made tags are also reasonably priced.

I cut a number of tags in smooth white and textured kraft paper, then used small (3/4” tall / 2 cm) alphabet dies to cut names in each white tag. I adhered leftover wrapping paper behind the letters on the white tags, then adhered the cut-out letters onto the kraft tags. I decorated the kraft tags with die cuts of holiday greenery, dried citrus slices, and pine cones and the white tags with line art stamps and greetings.

Short process video: https://youtu.be/6aAvETDjjtA

Dies:

Sizzix Tim Holtz Santa Greetings #666338 – this includes the 3/4” tall alphabet – $39.99 on Sizzix website https://www.sizzix.com/666338/thinlits-die-set-49pk-santa-greetings-colorize-by-tim-holtz

Sizzix Tim Holtz Festive Gatherings #666333 $29.99 on Sizzix website https://www.sizzix.com/666333/thinlits-die-set-6pk-festive-gatherings-by-tim-holtz

Sizzix Tim Holtz Holiday Brushstroke 2 #665578, $10.06 from Sizzix on Amazon https://amzn.to/47d5td8

For 2023 products, your best bet is the 15% new email signup discount on Sizzix website or a Scrapbook .com sale. For older products, the Sizzix storefront on Amazon generally has the best price.

Citrus Slice die $3.99 https://amzn.to/3QB9GjO

Stamps:

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Christmas Cartoons $29.99 everywhere I looked, since this is a 2023 product https://amzn.to/49ApNqp

YouTube and Instagram: papercraftcrystal

Shaker tag for gift of blu-rays

This is a fun themed gift tag for some blu-ray discs, using the Tim Holtz Retro TV die.

Short process video: https://youtu.be/RT5SbqyQRhA

First tag, using the purchased dome: I cut the steel rule die using a variety of paper in dark shiny silver, gray, brown, and black. Next, I assembled the pieces of the TV. I stamped on the “screen” and built a shaker using the matching Sizzix shaker dome. I placed all of the pieces on a custom tag 4 1/4” wide by 6” tall.

Second tag, building my own: I cut the steel rule die 19 times in brown cardstock. I stacked 16 copies of the die, holding back three. I used two to build the back, sandwiching the stamped message and image between them. I used one to build the front, attaching a clear piece to make the screen. I used Foundry Wax to make the legs golden and partial embossing to make the antennae silver. I filled the well with shaker elements before attaching the top layer.

The sequins and other shaker elements are stored in 4 ounce Ikea spice shakers.

Stamps and Dies:

Sizzix Bigz Tim Holtz Retro TV #665371 $18.94 https://amzn.to/3QIinc3 , check Sizzix website for sale pricing which was $6.90

Sizzix Shaker Domes #664920 (set of 6, also matches Retro Oven) $6.99 https://amzn.to/3QC5xw4

Older Sizzix products are usually less from the Sizzix storefront on Amazon than from the Sizzix website, but they do offer a new email signup coupon for 15%.

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Christmas Cartoons CMS473 $29.99 https://amzn.to/3QK6uTd

The best project I saw using this die set:

Tonya Brooks mini-book video 1: https://youtu.be/jTjH2pAeQQQ?si=kIuYwMFA-L4ov4bv

and video 2: https://youtu.be/FEUXEBq_EzA?si=sQ9Mkyr-Rc9R2bIP

Tim Holtz Paper Village

I’m making some Tim Holtz Paper Village houses, including a comparison of the Paper Village houses to the original Tim Holtz Bigz Dwelling and Bigz Townhouse.

Short process video: https://youtu.be/opoXuNwB20w

There are three house pieces, three roof pieces, and a bunch of door and window accessory dies. The packaging shows five houses to display the range of accessories. Select your accessory pieces to place inside the house die as you cut out the paper pieces.

If you want to use thin patterned paper, cut one set of house pieces from cardstock and one set from patterned paper. Cut the tabs off the patterned paper set and attach to the cardstock set before assembly. This is the time to add any inking, paint, or other details – while the pieces are flat!

The door pieces are partial-cut, so they will open if you use a single layer of cardstock. The doors are cut on three sides, leaving a paper hinge.

Cut two of each side of the house. Join at one side, then hold upright and flat on your work surface to join on the other side. This will keep the house level. Attach the roof last, pressing the tabs from inside for good adhesion. Use a high-grab adhesive for building, such as double-sided tape or hot glue. (The buildings from Paper Village are very small, so your hot glue gun would need a very fine tip.) The little porch roof has no tabs, so just run a bead of white glue along one edge and attach over the door, leaving the house flat on its back while that dries.

I used Paper Village in the video, but the sets are similar. Paper Village #2 includes a pointed roof for the townhouse, a chimney, and windows that partial-cut so they open.

Sizzix Paper Village by Tim Holtz #664741

$24.99 at Sizzix / $14.10 from Sizzix on Amazon https://amzn.to/45YV9UO

Sizzix Paper Village #2 by Tim Holtz #665585

$24.99 at Sizzix / $18.38 on Amazon https://amzn.to/3Qr8v6l

Older Sizzix products are usually less from the Sizzix storefront on Amazon than from the Sizzix website, but they do offer a new email signup coupon for 15%.

YouTube and Instagram: papercraftcrystal