Wildflower Lesson #16: Pockets & Tuck Spots — Make Room for What Matters
Sometimes, the smallest things are the ones we want to keep.
A handwritten note.
A photograph from a beautiful afternoon.
A few words that arrived just when we needed them.
I love that a journal can hold these little pieces of our lives alongside our writing. You can turn a page and discover something tucked away—a memory, a message, a small reminder of who you were in that moment.
This week’s Wildflower Lesson is Pockets & Tuck Spots, and our invitation is simple:
Make a little room for what matters.
A little space for something meaningful
When we plant something in the garden, we give it room to grow. We choose a place, prepare the soil and leave enough space around it.
Making room in our lives can begin just as quietly.
A few minutes to create.
A place to write honestly.
A small moment we choose to notice instead of rushing past.
A paper pocket won’t organise your whole life, but creating one gives you a lovely opportunity to pause and ask:
What would I like to make space for today?
Perhaps it’s creativity.
Perhaps it’s rest.
Perhaps it’s a dream you keep putting aside until everything else is finished.
Let your journal hold a little reminder.
What are pockets and tuck spots?
A pocket is a piece of paper attached to your journal page along three edges, leaving one edge open. You can slide a note, photograph or card inside.
A tuck spot is attached along fewer edges, leaving an opening where you can slip something behind it. For this lesson, we’re making a simple triangular corner tuck.
Both are lovely ways to add interest to a page while keeping some of your journalling removable or tucked out of sight.
They’re also a beautiful way to use your scraps. If you created along with Wildflower Lesson #15: Book Page Collage, gather those leftover pieces—we’re giving them somewhere new to belong.
What you’ll need
A journal or sturdy backing page
Paper scraps, vintage book pages or lightweight card
Scissors
Fine-tip craft glue or narrow double-sided tape
A small card or folded note
Optional botanical images, lace or washi tape
Start with what you already have. A piece of patterned paper and a handwritten note are enough.
If your vintage paper is fragile, glue it onto lightweight card first and let it dry before making your pocket.
How to create pockets and tuck spots
1. Choose your papers
Gather a few scraps that look lovely together.
You might choose an old book page, a soft coloured paper and a little botanical image. Lay them beside your journal and move them around until you find a combination you enjoy.
There’s no need to match everything perfectly. Let yourself experiment before reaching for the glue.
2. Shape your pocket
Cut a rectangle slightly wider than the note or card you want it to hold.
Place it on your journal page and check that there’s enough room above it to slide the card in and out. Leave a little extra width for the glued edges, too.
You can keep the top straight or gently tear it for a softer finish.
3. Attach three edges
Apply a thin line of glue along the bottom and both sides of your rectangle.
Leave the top edge open—this is the opening for your pocket.
Press it onto the journal page and allow the glue to dry completely before testing it with your card. A narrow line of glue will leave more space inside than a wide one.
4. Create a corner tuck spot
Cut a triangle from another piece of paper or lightweight card.
Position it in a lower corner of your page. Apply glue along the bottom edge and the outside vertical edge, leaving the diagonal edge open.
Press it into place and let it dry. You can then slip a card behind the triangle through the diagonal opening.
Test the position before gluing so your card sits comfortably within the page.
5. Decorate and tuck something inside
Add a small botanical image, a strip of lace or a little washi tape.
Keep the openings clear and avoid adding too much bulk, especially if your journal is already getting full.
Once everything is dry, tuck something meaningful inside: a folded reflection, a favourite quote, a photograph or a little note to yourself.
Then enjoy that small moment of discovery when you pull it out again.
Ways to use your pockets and tuck spots
Hold a private reflection
Write on a separate piece of paper, fold it and place it inside your pocket. Some words feel easier to write when they can be tucked away.
Keep a small memory
Save a photograph, ticket or paper keepsake with a note about why the moment mattered.
Carry an encouraging message
Make a card with words you’d like to return to: “I can begin again,” “Small steps count,” or something in your own voice.
Add more writing space
A removable card gives you somewhere to write when your journal page is already covered in collage.
Collect Soul Inquiry prompts
Keep a few prompts in a pocket and choose one whenever you Find Your 15.
Why this little technique matters
Pockets and tuck spots let a journal page change over time.
You can add a new note, move a card or return to something you wrote weeks ago. Your page becomes somewhere you interact with, rather than something you finish and leave behind.
There’s also something gentle about deciding what to keep.
You don’t need to record every moment. You can choose one small thing that mattered and give it a place.
A journal can hold your unfinished thoughts as comfortably as your beautiful memories.
Soul Inquiry
Choose one question and write for a few quiet minutes:
What would I like to make more room for in this season of my life?
Which small moment from this week do I want to keep?
What thought would I prefer to hold privately for now?
What could I set aside to make space for something nourishing?
What message would I love to find tucked inside my journal on a difficult day?
You don’t need to answer them all. Notice which question draws you in and begin there.
Your Wildflower Journey
LEARN — Discover how a few carefully glued edges become a pocket or tuck spot.
CREATE — Make one of each using papers you already have.
COLLECT — Keep the lesson with your creative resources so you can return to it.
REFLECT — Write a little note inspired by one Soul Inquiry prompt.
SHARE — If you feel like it, share your page or the making process. Your tucked-away words can stay private.
BLOOM — Try the technique again on another page, changing the papers, shape or purpose.
Make a little room
Put the kettle on, open your journal and gather a few scraps.
Spend fifteen pressure-free minutes making one simple pocket. While the glue dries, write a note beginning:
“Today, I am making room for…”
Follow it with whatever feels true.
…a little creativity before the day gets busy.
…rest without having to earn it.
…one small step towards something I want.
If the glue is still damp when your fifteen minutes are up, leave your note beside the journal and tuck it in later.
You’ve already made a beginning.
Come and create with me
You don’t need a whole afternoon or a perfectly organised craft table to enjoy this lesson. A few scraps, a little glue and a quiet moment will do.
Visit the Wildflower Library to download this week’s Pockets & Tuck Spots lesson and create along with me.
If you’d love access to past lessons and more creative resources to explore in your own time, join the Wildflower Garden Collective and keep growing your practice, one page at a time.
For today, make one little space. Choose something meaningful to place inside.
New here? Download your free Wildflower Starter Kit for a gentle introduction to creating, reflecting and finding a little time for yourself.
A little space to bloom
You don't need to be an artist.
You don't need hours of free time.
And you certainly don't need to have everything figured out.
Sometimes, all you need is 15 minutes, a little curiosity and permission to begin.
Your FREE Wildflower Starter Kit is a gentle invitation to slow down, reconnect with yourself and discover the joy of creating simply for you.
Download Your Free Wildflower Starter Kit
Your next chapter might begin with just 15 minutes.
Create from your heart. Inquire with your soul. Bloom wildly.
Comments