You may wonder what the point is in making your own card. They’re very cheap to buy so why bother? In many cases buying an envelope is the simplest or preferred choice. However sometimes you might want to get those creative juices flowing. Perhaps you have made a very special card for someone and want the envelope to match it. Making your own gives you the option of which colour you want it to be and the material it’s made from. Maybe you’re just in a crafty homemade sort of mood so want to make any and everything you can! Or perhaps you’re just lazy and can’t be bothered to go to the store to buy more envelopes. Whatever the reason it’s fun to do! So, if you’re wanting to learn how to make an envelope then read on.
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How to Make an Envelope Tutorial
Making a basic envelope is a lot easier than it might first seem. Putting it simply it’s just folding and gluing around the card you’ve got ore made. That may sound over-simplistic but you can just wrap the card like you would a present, using a glue stick or double sided tape. Have a practice with some old newspaper or scrap paper you have until you’re confident then use the special paper you’ve chosen.
If you want a more in depth guide then follow the one below:
There are a few ways to make your own envelop. We believe this to be the easiest and best.
You’ll need:
- Your greeting/homemade card.
- A square sheet of paper for the envelope
- A glue stick or sticker
Method
- Your sheet of paper for the envelope should be roughly a little wider than the card you want it for and about 2.5 times as tall
- Take the sheet of paper and turn it so it’s corners are pointing up and down and right and left. A diamond shaped, basically. Put your card in the center of the paper.
- Fold the corners of the paper over.
- Remove your card from paper and unfold it. You should have some triangles where the folded lines cross. Cut those away.
- Next fold the sides in and the bottom flap up over them.
- You should now have a point at the bottom flap which you can cut off it you wish. Then glue the edges of that bottom flap to the lower edges of the side flaps.
- You’re almost done. Just pop your card inside the now created envelope and either glue the flap down with your glue stick or use a sticker.
- Finito! It should look great and work perfectly as an envelope.
A good tip if you are struggling or can’t quite envisage how to do your own envelope is to unfold the envelopes an letters you get come in. So bills, junk mail etc. It should give you a very good idea of how the envelope comes together.
Lining Your Envelope
You may want a fancy inner lining to your envelope. This is not necessary at all and a plain envelope is fine, but if you’re feeling like going that extra mile then this can really jazz up the envelope you’ve already made.
The quickest and easiest way to do this is by using your created envelope as a template. Unfold it out, and then place a piece of paper over it before cutting a lining of a few mm’s smaller all the way round than the envelope. You can then use spray adhesive or your trusty glue stick to attach it to the inside of your envelope.
A slightly more in depth version:
- Measure your homemade envelope and subtract about 1/4 (5mm) inch to ensure your liner will fit inside.
- Now slide the liner you’ve cut out into the envelope. Fold it’s top right and left edges down inside the edges of the envelope flap. This will give you space to glue your envelope.
- Crease those folds down, take the lining out then cut along the folds.
- Put the liner back into your envelope and fold it along the flap fold. You may want to use some scrap paper and place that between the liner and the back of the envelope to protect your envelope from glue.
- Lastly glue the back of the liner to the inside of the envelope flap.
- Fold the envelope flap down and over the liner and press down to keep.the glue together. Then lift your flap up and remove the bit of scrap paper. And you’re done!
Decorating your Envelope
You can choose to leave your envelope plain but you can also add some decorations. Stencils, embellishments and embossing are all really effective ways of decorating your envelope. Experiment with different techniques for different cards and envelopes to see which you prefer and like.
Can I Post My Envelope
Yes! Whilst we can’t guarantee your mail service there should be absolutely no problem with using your own envelopes. Just don’t forget a stamp!