Make Your Own Envelopes

Recently a lot of people have been making blogs about envelopes. They are very easy to make and there are infinite ways of customizing each envelope into whatever is desired. I wanted to do my own tutorial to show how I make envelopes. It is a bit longer than others because I make a template for each envelope so I can make more without using the original envelope over and over; they do not last long.

What you will need:

• Envelope - it does not have to look pretty or be new, you just have to like the shape and size.
• Sissors
• Pen/Pencil
• Glue Stick
• Cardboard or Cardstock
• Paper you want to make your new envelope out of

1. Open your envelope carefully so you do not tear anything.

2. Place the envelope on the cardboard and trace it very carefully. Try not to move the envelope while tracing. I like to use a sharpie because it leaves a big line which is easier to see than pencil.

3. Cut out the cardboard template

4. At this point I like to label the template so I know which side is which before I accidentally lose the original envelope. Plus it helps when you are lining up the template with the paper you use to make a new envelope.

5. Now you have your template! This will last quite a while and you can use it many times to make envelopes in the future. Cardboard/Cardstock holds up a lot longer than the original envelope will so you can make copies longer. When the template starts to wear out, just make a new one with the old template. Position your template on your new paper and use pencil to outline it. I use pencil because you can erase anything that is left after cutting.

6. Cut out your tracing.

7. Folding can be very frustrating because if you fold crooked there is no way to undo it. Scoring the paper makes folding a breeze and it is very exact. I use a scoring tool that I got from Michael's, but you can use another household item. For example, the tip of a mechanical pencil is perfect (without the lead sticking out). Just hold the ruler where you want to score and mark it with the pencil (sans lead) a couple times until you can see the line of indentation. It does not have to be super deep, just enough to make a dent. Do this on each side of the envelope and fold the pieces inward.

8. Use a glue stick or whatever you have on hand to glue the sides to the back of the envelope. Make sure you are gluing (yes I spell checked this word) the sides underneath the back so it looks finished. You may have to smooth and hold it until it is dry.

 Voila! You have a new envelope and a template to make many more! Enjoy!