Hand Made Envelopes by Mary Drinkwater

Hand made envelopes are fun to create and add that extra special something  to all your hand crafted items.  Even if you need to send a store bought card, by using a hand made envelope you put your creative spin on it.

One of the best things about making your own envelopes is that you have a huge variety of paper to choose from.  Wallpaper is my favorite but if you want to coordinate with your card you can stamp a plain sheet of paper or cardstock with images which will compliment your card.   Another option is any type of decorative background paper or even calendar pages.  Calendar pages are a great way to recycle some of those great pictures you hate to throw away.  It looks nicer if you back the pages with a plain white or colored paper but it=s not necessary unless the calendar pages are very thin.  The backing will help to strengthen the envelope. 

There are several ways to do this project.  One way is to use an envelope template such as the Coluzzle as shown here using a wallpaper sample. 

Using the special blade made for the Coluzzle templates, choose the size you prefer and carefully run the blade around the template. 

Use a small pair of scissors to cut the connecting pieces.  Score the four sides, fold and tape or glue. (Picture 3 & 4)

Another way is to use templates available on the web.  One example can be found at http://desktoppub.about.com/library/weekly/xenvtemp.htm.  There are many more that readily available with a simple web search.  This type of template can be printed on any type of decorative background paper.  Then simply cut, score, fold and tape. 

A third option is to use an existing envelope.  This is easily the best way to get the perfect size.  Gently open the sides of the envelope, trace around it onto your choice of paper, score, fold and tape.