Useful tips
Watch the video if you are too lazy to read
Watch the video if you are too lazy to read
Envelope
- This is just a shell or packaging for inserting various objects or papers. Basically, we are used to thinking of an envelope as a “packaging” for letters or documents. But there are also envelopes made of thick fabrics or blankets for newborns.
Today we will learn how to make envelopes for different needs
and let's start, perhaps, with the most common envelope - a paper envelope.
How to make an envelope out of paper?
The simplest envelope
can be made from a square sheet of paper by folding the corners towards the center. To do this, you will need a square sheet of paper of the desired size, a ruler and a pencil.
1) Mark the very center of the sheet
point, measuring the distance to it using a ruler.
2) Fold the left and right sides inward so that the corners touch the center point
.
3) Then fold the bottom side up so that it covers the center and can be glued to the two already folded corners
.
4) Apply glue to the bottom sides of the envelope as shown in the photo. You can also use double sided tape
.
5) Fold the top corner down. The envelope is ready!
This envelope can be made in just a couple of minutes. It is based on the simple principle of adding angles. Here are a few more schemes for making envelopes from sheets of different shapes:
Diamond envelope
Envelope “from the heart”
Envelope with a square
Beautiful envelope for a holiday invitation
Making wedding accessories is a troublesome, but quite entertaining task, if you decide to do everything yourself rather than buy ready-made invitations, I will be happy to help you with this. I offer a master class on creating an invitation envelope that you can use not only for a wedding, but also for any other celebration.
To make a stylish wedding envelope you need to prepare:
- standard white envelope without markings or inscriptions;
- fabric glue;
- a square piece of fabric of the desired shade;
- ribbons;
- designer paper;
- pencil;
- ruler;
- scissors;
- iron.
Step-by-step production
First you need to make the inside of the envelope, it will be made of fabric. You shouldn’t be surprised by this choice; in the end, the result will definitely exceed even your wildest expectations.
Fold the fabric in the shape of an envelope, mark the center on the back side with a pencil, drawing a thin line. Fold all the ends of the flap towards the center, creating a full-fledged model of the future packaging.
Carefully trim off the excess material with scissors, fold all the ends and carefully go over the crease lines with a heated iron. Iron the fabric a couple of times, so it will better hold the given shape.
Connect all the edges of the blank with fabric glue, wait until it dries and place the invitation to the celebration inside. Additionally, you can tie the envelope with a thin ribbon - it looks cute and original.
When the inside is completely done, it's time to work on the outside. From colored paper, cut out a piece whose shape completely matches the shape of the paper envelope lid, but is slightly smaller in size. Now take PVA glue and carefully glue this part inside. Look at the photo and do everything exactly the same.
Place the decorated smaller fabric envelope along with the invitation to the celebration in a decorated paper package. At this point, the work is finished, you can start sending invitations to the recipients, I’m sure they will be very surprised to see such unusual and beautiful envelopes.
Envelope templates
With this template you can make envelopes from colored cardboard
:
By adding a ribbon, you will get envelopes for different occasions
: For greeting cards, money, invitations, etc.
Long envelope template
:
Envelope template on A4 sheet
:
You can decorate envelopes with colored lace or appliqués
:
You can use beads and threads
to close the envelope:
Envelopes are sometimes decorated with various paper details
, made in various techniques: origami, quilling, scrapbooking, etc.
Read more about the quilling technique
you can read here.
More about paper flowers
you can read here.
Materials and equipment
Working with paper requires the presence of scissors, a stationery knife, a hole punch, a ruler, a pencil, glue and double-sided tape. The basis for white envelopes is often a landscape sheet or A4 office paper.
Some models allow the use of cardboard, wallpaper, wrapping material, fabric and other materials.
Decorating a holiday envelope is not complete without decorations. To do this, the base is decorated with beads, buttons, flowers, ribbons, and jude thread.
The original design is a drawing made with colored pencils, markers or paints. The lack of artistic talent can be compensated for with stickers or scrapbooking.
The final result largely depends on accuracy. And this cannot be achieved without proper organization of the workplace. To do this, you will need to free up the table where you can place everything you need. And make sure there is sufficient lighting.
DIY money envelopes
What could be more banal than a gift in the form of money
, but sometimes this is the only thing that comes to mind.
To make your gift unique, you can place it in a handmade envelope
. The envelope can be beautifully decorated and signed like a postcard.
Envelopes for money are usually made of cardboard and have an elongated shape so that the bill can fit completely inside it
. You can draw the templates yourself or use ready-made templates:
Origami
For this you need a piece of paper. It must be rotated so that it takes on a diamond shape. Give it the shape of a triangle. Bend the upper part towards the base of the triangle. Bend the right and left corners. There should be a corner into which your finger can fit freely. Fold the top of the envelope down and insert it into the newly formed pocket. The product is ready.
Envelopes for money (templates):
Here are some helpful ideas on how to make and decorate money envelopes that make great gifts.
along with their contents.
Unusual options
In addition to traditional paper and cardboard options, there are others. For example, wooden envelope boxes . The photo shows a model made by laser cutting of thin plywood and laser engraving on it:
Here, too, there is laser cutting, but not on plywood, but on sawn veneer made of natural wood with a colored backing :
A box using the scrapbooking technique successfully replaces an envelope (left). And another option (on the right) is a folding envelope box , also using the scrapbooking technique.
It’s not an envelope at all, but it looks funny and intriguing - everyone will be wondering if there is money inside, or if they are used only as a “wrapper”:
Another unusual “not an envelope” option:
Money in an envelope: original ideas
The envelope design allows you to place the money inside in different ways.
.
Here are some ideas to help you make original envelopes. For example, you can use a postcard
, inside which you paste a small envelope with money.
You can write wishes on the card, and when you look inside, the recipient will find a cash gift
.
Another option is to make the envelope also in the form of a postcard, and attach satin ribbons inside that will hold the bills
.
Book of envelopes
. This original idea will appeal to those who would like to learn how to save money. You can make some simple envelopes and sign them, indicating the purpose for which the money is stored in them and the time when it can be spent.
Scrapbooking technique
Scrapbooking is a name coined in England five centuries ago. Denotes cutting from a book. But now such needlework has received great development as an elegant design of paper products, albums, and postcards.
This is done with the help of decorative elements: brads, carnations, stamps, artificial flowers and leaves, rhinestones, sequins, lace ribbons.
We decorate the thick envelope according to your taste. But don’t forget who this gift is intended for. It is not a shame to give an envelope in scrapbooking style to newlyweds or anniversaries.
Treasured envelope of Santa Claus
All children, without exception, write letters to Santa Claus. And someone else is waiting for a response message from the main New Year's wizard. Can such a letter be packed in a regular envelope? And it’s unlikely that adults will be able to paint it themselves without the risk of being “declassified.” Letters from Santa Claus should look special. A variety of diagrams that can be printed and glued will help with this. Made in high quality and complemented with decorative elements (snowflakes and sparkles inside), the letters will leave no doubt about the reality of the New Year's fairy tale.
Manufacturing method without glue
Gluing an envelope is not difficult, but simply folding it out of paper is a little more difficult. Of course, the post office is unlikely to accept such an envelope, but for an accompanying card for a gift it is perfect - the congratulations will look cute and touching.
How to make an envelope without glue: you need to look through the origami templates and choose the one you like; make a pattern; cut the workpiece; fold and iron well. Or you can fold the paper as in the video below: no scissors or glue is needed, just an A4 sheet.
At first glance, everything is easy, right? The second one is also easy, but I advise you to still try to make the beautiful envelopes you like with your own hands, first from plain paper, and only then from scrapbooking paper. Of course, you can immediately practice on scrap paper, but it’s not a fact that the envelope will turn out neat the first time, and creases made on thick scrap paper will be much more difficult to correct.
How to decorate an envelope folded from paper without glue:
- punch several holes with a hole punch and tie a beautiful ribbon on the envelope;
- use a figured hole punch to decorate the edges and corners of the envelope;
- make an applique from contrasting paper or special cutting.
Different ways
There are many ways to package a postcard, money or letter so that strangers cannot look into it, and, perhaps, talking about all the ways is a bad idea, the post will turn out to be too long and a rare bird will fly to its end. Therefore, we will do the following - I will tell you about the main ways to make an envelope for money with your own hands, and at the same time I will show you the works that inspire me. Using basic techniques and templates, you can make an envelope for any occasion with your own hands.
By the way, about templates: I advise you to save the templates you like, so you can be sure that you always have them at hand. I created a regular folder on my desktop where I put the pictures I like in Word files. However, I will talk about using word further.
