Three journals. Three completely different vibes. One delicious idea: that the box your keyboard came in, the reusable tote you couldn't resist, and the magazine clippings you've been hoarding can all become books worth keeping. In this class you'll build three character-filled junk journals from scratch — Mermaid Tales, Swan Lake, and the Butterfly Book — each with its own personality, its own binding tricks, and its own treasure trove of recycled materials. By the end you'll never look at a cardboard box the same way again.
BOXES TO BOOKSJunk Journals with Character
WHAT YOU'LL MAKE:
Mermaid Tales — A journal built from a box with a plastic window, bound with a hidden traveler's notebook binding for a clean spine, and finished with treasures pulled straight from your "I might use this one day" pile.
Swan Lake — The trickier of the three. We'll rescue a keyboard box and a reusable tote, add embroidery and sequins for a touch of magic, build larger signatures from scrapbook paper you don't love, and finish with a velvet ribbon closure.
Butterfly Book — A smaller, take-anywhere journal that closes almost like the box it came from. Covered in Dollar Tree art and butterflies, bound with embroidery thread, and filled with pages made from paper bags, old book pages, and scraps from the bottom of your stash.
I cannot make it out of a store without picking up another reusable tote I love. Boxes pile up. Magazine images sit in folders waiting for their moment. Greeting cards I can't bear to throw out keep accumulating. This class is what happens when you stop apologizing for the hoard and start turning it into something beautiful — three journals at a time.
PERFECT FOR…
Recyclers, hoarders of pretty things, junk journal lovers, and anyone who's quietly suspected that the box was the best part of the purchase. Beginner-friendly, but seasoned bookbinders will find new tricks to play with.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
Turn any cardboard box into a journal base with character
Bind your books three different ways, including a hidden traveler's notebook binding
Strengthen a spine so your journal lasts
Build signatures from "junk" — magazine images, scrapbook paper you've fallen out of love with, paper bags, old book pages
Add embroidery, sequins, and ribbon closures for that handmade magic
Rescue projects that look like they're heading for the bin
Design covers and dashboards using thrift finds, picture book pages, and the contents of your scrap pile
Find the journal hiding inside every box you'd otherwise recycle
Why an online class?
Why an online class?
Online courses are so much fun because you can learn at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home. May we suggest a tasty beverage and pajamas? Perhaps on your favorite chair? Or even in your studio at our craft table? You can take online classes anywhere you want!
You have lifetime access to the video course and can come back to watch it and rewatch it anytime you want.
You can ask as many questions as you want on the course page and I will always do my best to answer your questions as best as I can.
Join a fun community of makers and creators and share your work and learn from others!
Hi I’m Mahe Zehra a.k.a MZ Welcome to my Whimsical World!Hi, I’m Mahe. I was self-schooled. The greatest thing my parents ever taught me was how to learn on my own.
I’ve been teaching myself hard things since I was ten years old. I grew up in Lahore, in a household where nothing was considered disposable. Biscuit tins became sewing kits. Old saris became quilts. I am the daughter of two long lineages of women who saved, mended and repurposed beautifully — not out of necessity, but because waste genuinely offended them.
Twenty-five years on, that’s the foundation of everything I make or do. MZ Creates is where I teach the soulful art of making meaning from what you already have — old envelopes, tea-stained paper, ticket stubs, the pretty bits of an ordinary life. I’m a Certified Zentangle Teacher and the author of over twenty books on paper craft, journaling and mixed media. I teach the way I was taught — by being trusted to figure it out. I won’t lecture you. I’ll sit beside you and show you that you can do this. Because you can. [ Read my full story ]