Last Updated on August 3, 2026 by Dee
Every junk journal has a moment when it stops being a stack of pretty paper and starts being a little world — and nine times out of ten, that moment involves a pocket. Something to tuck a tag into. A tiny envelope hiding a note nobody else gets to read. The bits that move, lift, slide and surprise you.
Tags, pockets and envelopes are the interactive heart of a junk journal, and the lovely secret is that they’re also the easiest bits to make. To save you starting from a blank page, I’ve made you a free printable set: Junk Journal Tags, Pockets & Envelopes — 5 sheets with 20 vintage tags and labels, 2 fold-up pockets and 2 envelope templates, all in soft tea-stained roses, lavender and lace. Pop your email in below and I’ll send the whole set straight over.
Trouble downloading? Here’s the 30-second fix →
Table of Contents
What’s in the free set
- Sheets 1 & 2 — 12 vintage gift tags. Classic luggage-tag and scalloped shapes with roses, wildflowers, lavender, a butterfly, sheet music and postal marks. Cut, punch, thread with twine — done.
- Sheet 3 — 8 labels & mini tags. Apothecary ovals, book-plate labels and little tags with bees and ferns, sized for jar-style pages, spine labels and cluster building.
- Sheet 4 — 2 fold-up pockets. Rose-and-lace printed pockets with glue tabs and a decorative front edge, ready to fold and stick.
- Sheet 5 — 2 envelope templates. A classic diamond-fold envelope and a small tuck envelope, fold lines marked.
Print on 120–160gsm paper if you can — pockets and envelopes like a bit of body. (Ordinary printer paper works too; just glue carefully.) They pair beautifully with my free junk journal background pages if you want full spreads to tuck them into.
Junk journal tag ideas (10 ways to use one tag)
- The classic tuck — tag in a pocket, ribbon peeking out. The gateway drug of junk journaling.
- Journaling spot — the back of every tag is blank writing space that doesn’t commit you to filling a whole page.
- Layered cluster anchor — tag + doily + ticket stub, glued as one piece. Build the cluster OFF the page first, then stick it down as one — no mid-page panic.
- Page marker — long ribbon through the hole, let it hang out of the top of the journal.
- Belly band buddy — slide a tag behind a paper band wrapped round the page.
- Mini photo mat — trim a photo slightly smaller than the tag and mount it.
- Dangle charm — tie two or three mini tags at different ribbon lengths off a spiral binding.
- Pocket label — the small oval labels make beautiful “what’s inside” markers.
- Sentiment carrier — one word, written by hand, on an otherwise empty tag. Quietly powerful.
- Gift topper — because a junk journal page isn’t the only thing that deserves a beautiful tag.
If you like little extras like these, my junk journal sticker sheets are made to layer with this set.
Pocket ideas (the bit everyone falls in love with)
- The one-fold pocket: fold the bottom third of any page up, stitch or washi-tape the sides shut, angle-cut the front edge so the contents peek out. One fold, instant treasure pocket.
- Corner pockets from an old envelope cut diagonally.
- Lace tuck spots: lay a strip of lace or washi across the page and glue ONLY the two ends — the loose middle is now a tuck spot. Three at different angles and the page feels alive.
- Seed-packet style pockets using the printed pockets in the free set — they’re sized to hold the tags from sheets 1–3, so the set works as one system.
- Flap-back pockets: glue a pocket by its back only, so the whole pocket lifts to reveal a hidden journaling spot behind it.
Envelope ideas
- Fold the diamond envelope and tip it in by its back flap only — it opens like a little door.
- Address it to yourself in faux-vintage script and tuck a “letter” inside (tea-dyed, of course).
- Use the small tuck envelope as a keepsake holder for tickets, pressed flowers or a photo.
- Stitch an open envelope flat onto a page as a see-through pocket.
- A dab of brown ink swiped SIDEWAYS along every edge ages a freshly printed envelope instantly — always glide along the rim, never dab flat.
Make it look properly old (3 favourite techniques)
- Tea-dye the edges: brew one strong cup of black tea and brush it on rather than dunking — you get control, lovely streaks, and paper that dries flat. Iron under baking parchment. (Full walkthrough in my tea-stained paper tutorial.)
- Ink the rims: brown ink pad, sideways swipe along every cut edge. The colour graduates inward like decades of handling.
- Tear, don’t cut (for ephemera you’re layering behind the tags): the soft white torn edge reads as old paper the second it’s down. My free vintage botanical printables are perfect tearing material — and if you paint, you can even turn your own paintings into ephemera.
Grab the free printable set
Grab the free Junk Journal Tags, Pockets & Envelopes set — 5 printable sheets, 24 pieces, soft vintage roses and lace. Enter your email and it lands in your inbox.
Trouble downloading? Here’s the 30-second fix →
If you could happily lose an afternoon to this, you’d love the Artsydee Creations Club — my printable junk journal membership. Members get a whole library of full junk journal kits (think 59+ page kits: papers, ephemera, tags, pockets, fussy-cuts, the lot) with fresh kits added all the time, for less than the price of a couple of coffees a month.
FAQ
What are junk journal tags used for? Decoration, journaling spots, page markers and interactive tuck-ins — they’re the movable pieces that make a junk journal feel layered and personal.
What paper should I print junk journal printables on? 120–160gsm matte paper is ideal for tags, pockets and envelopes; standard 80gsm printer paper works for background pages.
How do you make a junk journal pocket? Easiest method: fold the bottom third of a page upward, seal the two sides with stitching or washi tape, and trim the front edge at an angle so tucked items peek out.
Are these printables free? Yes — the 5-sheet set (20 tags and labels, 2 pockets, 2 envelopes) is a free download; you’ll get the PDF by email when you sign up above.
Final thoughts
Start with one pocket and one tag — that’s genuinely all it takes for a page to come alive. Print the set, brew the tea, and let the first tuck spot happen.
I’d love to see what you make! Come say hello on Instagram, find me on Pinterest, or subscribe on YouTube for more junk journal and painting videos.
You might also like: Free Junk Journal Background Pages · Junk Journal Sticker Sheets · How to Tea-Stain Paper · Turn Your Paintings into Ephemera
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