Tutorial: How to make envelopes

It’s National Stationery Week this week, and to celebrate I’m giving away my trade secret – how to make your own envelopes! They’re super easy and make really great gifts, although if you choose paper that you love you might not want to give them away! But as my friend Emily put it, envelopes ‘must fulfil their destiny’, so why not write to a friend this week?

You will need:
A sheet of thick wrapping paper (thin stuff doesn’t work very well)
Some double-sided sticky tape
An envelope in a size and style which you would like to make
A pencil
A ruler
Scissors
A cutting mat (or flat surface for drawing on)

Step 1: Lay the paper on a flat surface and decide which way to fit the most envelopes out of the sheet. Draw around the envelope and then cut them out carefully (save the scraps for other projects!).

Step 2: Next, you need to fold the envelope – the ruler will come in very handy here! Start with the sides first, then the bottom and then the top. Make sure you’ve pressed each side down carefully.

Step 3: Measure a length of sticky tape to stick the bottom to the sides (I usually cut a 1cm strip in half). Place the tape carefully along the bottom of each side edge, remove the backing and then stick.

Step 4: Finally, measure another length of sticky tape for sealing in the same way as before. Stick as close as you can to the top edge – but remember not to pull of the backing this time!

Ta-dah! There you have your very own envelopes! When choosing paper, try to go for smaller designs as they’re really effective. These ones are my favourites:

You can make them in any size too!

You can also make them for any occasion – we made them for our wedding invitations 🙂 I’d love to see photos of your handmade envelopes if you decide to have a go, whatever the occasion!