Toilet Paper Roll Tags for a Junk Journal

Toilet Paper Roll Tags for a Junk Journal
Hello and welcome to the Porch! So, right now (spring 2020) we are in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic, and for a few weeks it was almost impossible to find toilet paper. Anywhere. Suddenly all anyone was talking about was toilet paper, toilet paper, toilet paper. It got a little scary.

So, I decided to issue a crafting challenge on my Facebook Group (Not a member? Join the fun here!). The challenge was to turn all this toilet paper negativity into something positive by creating a craft project from toilet paper rolls. This is my own answer to the challenge. I hope you love it!

I began with two toilet paper rolls, one of which I cut up into little pieces and stared at for about half an hour. Then I cut it up some more and threw the the pieces away. LOL! Attempt 2 meant I was down to just one TP roll, so I had to break into an almost-empty paper towel roll and cut it to size. This gave me 3 toilet paper-sized rolls which I proceeded to smash flat.

Flattening My TP Rolls
Getting them flat was a challenge all on its own. I used my bone folder which helped a tad, but those suckers still wanted to pop back up into their roly poly roundness. So, I used the old dollar bill method. You remember? When your dollar bill wouldn't fit in the pop machine so you'd drag it along the edge of a table or some other flat, hard surface until it straightened out? Yep. That's what I did.

Next, I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo Color and inked the edges of my TP rolls.

And I decided I would attach them to a journal page. This one is from my Faded Roses Journal Kit in my Etsy shop.

Making the Pockets for the Tags
Using that same printable kit and my Rose Ledger Cards, I found some pretty ephemera pieces and cut them to fit on top of my TP rolls. I rounded the corners using my corner rounding punch and inked the edges as well.

Then I sewed the ephemera pieces onto my TP rolls. I had planned to leave one end open to slide the tag into but quickly realized I would need some very skinny tags to fit inside the TP rolls or behind the ephemera pieces, so I came up with a new plan....

My new plan was to sew zig-zag style up the left edge to attach the TP rolls to my junk journal page. Then I also sewed zig-zags to attach in between the TP rolls, securing them to the journal page and also creating the "pocket" that the tag would slide into. I know. It's confusing. So, the tags don't actually fit INSIDE the TP rolls, they fit BEHIND them.

Making the Tags
I used more ephemera to create some horizontal tags. I just cut them to size and cut off the corners to make a tag shape.

Then I used my eyelet punch to add some holes and finished the tags off with some distress ink and a little sari silk ribbon.

All Finished!
For a final finishing touch, I added a bit of pearl bead trim. And that was it. After all that work, I was pooped. :)

French Rose Junk Journal Tutorial - Part 3: Embellishing

French Rose Junk Journal Tutorial *Contains Affiliate Links
Part 3: Embellishing
This tutorial goes through the steps of creating a junk journal using the French Rose Journal Pages from My Porch Prints on Etsy.

In Part 1, we learned how to make a junk journal cover from a cardboard box. In Part 2, we learned how to add binding & pages to our journal. Now in Part 3, we'll wrap up this tutorial by learning how to add embellishments, including a pretty tassel.

Craft Supplies Used:
Glue Stick
Craft Glue
Kraft Envelopes if desired
Distress Ink if desired
Scissors
Sari Silk Ribbon
Various Lace
Green Leaf Ribbon
Twine
Lobster Hooks with Key Rings
Bronze Charms

Printables Used:
French Rose Library Cards
Bicycles & Roses Cards
Romance Writer Scrap Pack
Vintage Rose Tags

Embellishing Pages
When I attached the book plate to the cover, it left these little fasteners showing on the inside front cover. I decided to cover them up using the free Journal Words Printable words. I cut a strip of craft paper and attached the words to it with a glue stick. Then I glued these over the fasteners to hide them.

I added this library card to the pocket.

Next, I glued a bit of lace to the pocket to give it a more finished look.

Next, it was time to work on embellishing my first page. I started with this cutout envelope, adding Distress Ink to the edges to give it some dimension and a more finished & aged look. If you don't have Distress Ink, try using a make-up sponge and a dark brown marker.

I cut off the flap from a craft envelope and glued it in sideways to create a pocket. I also glued a scrap piece of sari silk ribbon to the edge of my page. This will show even when the journal is closed.
On top of my envelope, I attached the smaller rose envelope as well as a vintage ticket. Then I added some tags and cards. These can be found in my Etsy shop.

This is just one way to embellish your pages. You can add additional papers, ribbons, fabric, charms, cards, tags, etc., either from a kit (my Romance Writer Scrap Pack works very nicely with this style) OR you can gather your own items to mix & match.

Tassel Time!
I also added a tassel to the spine of the journal. This is a good opportunity to use up scrap lace if you have any. I bought some of my lace at Walmart. I also got some on Amazon. I also used lobster hooks with keyrings, twine & charms. You could use whatever you want for this: fabric scraps cut into strips, yarn, beads, etc. Don't be afraid to get creative and use the supplies you have on hand.

Cut your ribbon & lace to the size you want for your tassel. Remember to make it TWICE as long because you'll be folding it in half to create the tassel.

Gather your ribbons and fold them in half, leaving one piece free. The free piece will be used to tie your ribbons together as shown.

Using the same piece, tie it to your keyring.

Gather all your ribbons together (including the piece you used to tie them) with the keyring at the top. About an inch or two down, use a piece of twine to tie your ribbons and create your tassel.

You can stop here if you want to, but I like to add a bit more to my tassel. So, I attached a couple of bronze charms to the twine as shown.

Next, attach the lobster claw clasp to your key chain. Then attach it to the binding twine on the spine of your junk journal as shown. Now it is a pretty embellishment that can also be removed if desired.

And that's it! We've created a cover, filled it with pages and added embellishments for a beautiful junk journal that is ready to hold your thoughts, creative projects & ideas, photos, art & more! Thanks for reading. :)

Will you make a junk journal now? Share your art on my Crafting Ideas Facebook Page.