That's a Wrap

Found this idea on craftingwithsue.blogspot.com and thought that I should share it with everyone.

 

Creating decorative envelopes from wrapping paper.

For those of us who make our own cards, finding the perfect envelope, both in terms of size and color, can be a bit of a challenge. In the past I have used patterned paper from the craft store but that can get very expensive if you are making a lot of envelopes. Another problem with those papers is that you are limited by size. Usually 12" x 12" is as large as you can go. I know some of the Martha Stewart papers come in sizes larger that 12 x 12, but they are so expensive that I do not consider them a suitable, or maybe I should say, "economical" choice for envelope making.

To make envelopes, I want pretty colors and beautiful patterns. But most importantly, I want nice, thick, large paper so that my envelope sizes will not be limited and my envelopes will be strong and sturdy. My solution.... Wrapping Paper! Now, the quality of the wrapping paper you use is the key! Not any old roll of wrapping paper will do! There are a lot of flimsy wrapping papers out there and those will not be suitable for this project as they can be easily torn. When shopping for wrapping paper for envelopes, you will want to look for thick strong paper. My favorite brand is the one you see in the picture below and these can be found at Hobby Lobby. They are $7.99 a roll, but of course I waited until they were on sale and picked them up for half the price!


You will start by cutting your wrapping paper into a square to suit the size of the envelope you are making. Here I was making 5.75 x 8.75 envelopes to fit a half-fold card, so I cut my paper just slightly larger than that.


Then you can use your envelope template, or do as I did below and used an old envelope as your template, and trace around the edges of the envelope.


Once you have traced the entire outline, you can then cut it out.


Next you fold it and add your adhesive and you are finished!


This is a super quick and economical way to create beautiful patterned envelopes to match the various card sizes in your collection.