So DIY envelopes are my new thing! A friend bought me an awesome craft book for Christmas that had ready-made greeting cards inside it (see below for shopping link). But the problem was that the greeting cards didn’t fit standard sized envelopes. Last Sunday I was meeting a friend for lunch and planned to give her one of these cards, but without an envelope the card would look a bit out of place. Then my own words came back again to prompt me to action, “Create what you can’t find.” I suddenly realised that I could make my own envelope with some paper, a glue gun and embellishments. Yayyy!! Within minutes I had crafted a bespoke envelope that I was insanely proud of. Truly, lack is the seedbed for creativity!
From then on I decided to flex my creative muscles and create three more envelopes for future use. They have different personalities so I’ve named them as follows: The SophistiKat, The Beau and Miss Glitter Sparkles. Keep scrolling down the below for easy instructions how to make these envelopes. I promise you, once you get crafting you’ll think twice before buying another envelope! Enjoy. xx
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This book is awesome! So full of paper, crafts and stickers. Click here to buy it: Love Paper (Big Mouth)
The SophistiKat
This envelope features a frog fastener which acts to keep the envelope closed. I had bought some frog fasteners ages ago for a cape that I planned to sew, but they had sat in my sewing box waiting for the perfect opportunity to be used. The fastener gives an Asian feel to this envelope which I just love! The overall finish is very sophisticated and almost regal.
You will need:
- Stiff paper or card
- Scissors
- Glue gun or double sided tape
- Frog fastener
Instructions:
- Cut a piece of stiff paper to fit the dimensions of your card or whatever item you choose to put inside the envelope; leave at least a 1 cm margin on either side. The length of the paper should be 2 & 1/2 times the width of your card/item.
- Fold the bottom two thirds of the paper upwards (N.B. it should be the width or the shorter edge that you fold upwards). Then using the red dots as a guide, glue the sides of the paper together with a glue gun or double sided tape to form a pocket.
- Fold the top section of the paper downwards to create the envelope and stick one half of the frog fastener onto it, making sure it’s centred.
- Then fasten the frog fastener with its other half before sticking down this half to the bottom section of the envelope.
The Beau
I imagine using this envelope for a feminine or flirty occasion. It’s so very cutesy! I just used simple ribbon to create a focal point on this envelope and it’s quite effective. Since the ribbon is just used for decoration, I had to find a way to keep this envelope closed. I remembered that I had some Command picture hanging strips at home, so I just cut them into small sections and used them as my ‘clasp’ – they worked brilliantly!
You will need:
- Stiff paper or card
- Scissors
- Glue gun or double sided tape
- Command picture hanging strips or velcro dots
- Decorative ribbon
Instructions:
- Follow steps 1-3 from the ‘SophistiKat’ envelope above to make your envelope.
- Cut 2 x 1cm width sections from a Command strip. Peel off the sticky backing on the command strips and place one on the inside of the top flap of the envelope and the other one on main body of the envelope. (N.B. You may want to use a pencil to mark out where the strips should be placed so that they line up and are centred)
- Cut a length of ribbon that is long enough to cover the back and front flaps of the envelope with an overhang which will be tucked under the flaps.
- Glue the ribbon to the envelope and make sure you tuck the ends into the envelope and under the top flap for a neat finish. I chose to place my ribbon to the left hand side for some visual interest, but feel free to place it wherever you want.
- Cut another length of ribbon and tie a bow with it. Then stick this bow onto the ribbon on the top flap to complete the envelope.
Miss Glitter Sparkles
Miss Glitter Sparkles has to be the funnest envelope by far. I mean, what a great excuse to use glitter! I will warn you though, no matter how tidy you may be glitter just has a way of getting everywhere!! I even got some on my camera and I have no idea how it happened. So be prepared for a bit of mess, but it’s just so worth it when I look at this card – I just can’t be mad. I think this sort of envelope is purrfect for Hen Do invites. What do you think?
You will need:
- Stiff paper or card
- Scissors
- Glue gun or double sided tape
- Glue stick
- Command picture hanging strips or velcro dots
- Glitter
- A wooden star or any other glitzy embellishment
Instructions:
- Follow steps 1-3 from the ‘SophistiKat’ envelope above to make your envelope. then use a glue stick to spread a 1 cm thick line of glue along the bottom of the envelope and pour or tick the glitter onto it.
- Cut 2 x 1cm width sections from the command strip. Peel off the sticky backing on the command strip and place one on the inside of the top flap of the envelope and the main body of the envelope. (N.B. You may want to use a pencil to mark out where the strips should be placed so that they line up and are centred)
- Stick a wooden star onto the centre of the top flap and your envelope is complete!
I encourage you to try making one (or even all) of these envelopes or better yet, come up with your own designs. I never thought that I would make my own envelopes, but I realised that it only took me making one to get hooked on this new craft. Please keep on trying new things, keep on experimenting and watch your creativity grow. As usual, the shopping links are below and I’ll see you soon. x
P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe: insert your name & email below, then click the ‘subscribe’ button.
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