Cutesy Envelopes

So I decided to make some cutesy envelopes...because I saw it on Pinterest.

"Tutorial: Easy Tiny Envelopes"-Original pin from Poppytalk.

(Which is actually a guest post by Ruth Bleakley of RuthBleakley.com.)

Getting the mail is usually the highlight of my morning.  I do a lot of on-line shopping and I'm almost certain the mailman hates me.  He is actually the second mailman we've had this year.  The other one retired (and I'm almost certain that was because of me, too).  But hey, USPS is going through some rough times.  I like to think I'm providing job security for this endangered American Institution!  Right?

Here's my mail from one day earlier this month...

Anyway, without disclosing my true age (a lady never tells), I will say that I'm no longer in the stage of life where wedding invitations (the pinnacle of all mail varieties) are common inhabitants of my mailbox.  Luckily, there have been an abundance of baby announcements to take their place.  In my opinion, nothing compares to a piece of mail intended for you, personally.  A birthday card, an invitation, a letter...someone taking time to write a note just for you.  So much better than an email or text.  

And you know what's even better?  A pretty envelope.  

When I saw these cute little envelopes on Pinterest, I immediately decided to make some.  The beauty of this project is that its completely free and you can use any form of paper you happen to have around the house. Really the possibilities are endless-think newspaper, magazines, old books, etc!  (This is incredibly exciting for me because I subscribe to Martha Stewart Living and every page is perfeciton!)

I decided to use scrapbook paper for my envelopes.

I am a scrapbook paper hoarder connoisseur.  All my pages are carefully sorted by theme in a special bin with wheels that lives in the guest room closet.  Actually, the hardest part of this project was deciding which papers to choose for this post.  I decided on some cheery prints from my Spring stack.   See?  Cheery :)

All you need for this project is an envelope you like the size and shape of, a bowl of warm water, scissors, a thin piece of cardboard (I used a piece of cereal box), cute paper, and some glue (or double sided tape).

Just soak the envelope in a bowl of warm water for about 3 minutes or until the glue loosens enough for you to undo the envelope. 

Lay the undone envelope out to dry for about a half hour.  I am lazy and impatient so I pressed the water out of my envelope with a paper towel so I wouldn't have to wait that long.

Trace the envelope onto the piece of cardboard, then cut out the shape.  

I'm actually couch-blogging at the moment.  I'm super sick.  And it just occurred to me that I could have skipped this step entirely (lazy me can't believe sick me didn't think of this before now) and used the envelope itself as a template.  Yes, its thin, but it would have totally worked.

Now you have a template for tracing your envelope onto any paper you choose.  I labeled the top and bottom to help my antibiotic-drugged mind not bugger this up.

Trace the template onto the back side of your paper and cut it out.  Then just fold and seal the edges.  

I used Elmer's glue sticks (they go on purple but dry clear) because I have a whole six pack that needs to be used up before Jake gets tired of looking at them and they disappear!  Much like my bobby pins and ponytail holders tend to... Anyway, if you're not planning to use your envelopes right away, use permanent tape.  Glue stick stick-ability isn't that great long term.

Aren't they darling?

I would be thrilled to open my mailbox and find one of these little envelopes in there!  It really doesn't take much to make someone feel special.  I know a sweet note would make my heart happy!  

I think I will send The Good Girl over at GoodGirlsInc a little note to let her know how much her blog makes me smile.  Especially since she added the Breaking Dawn countdown widget... 

My name is Cassie and I love Twilight.

So overall, I give this project an A+!  Its super easy, free, and you can make any kind of envelope you want!  Think about the possibilities:  sweet little lunchbox-note envelopes, seed envelopes, invitation envelopes...you could even make paying your bills less dreadful with a cheery envelope!

And you may never have to buy envelopes again!

Go make an envelope and someone's day.  Happy crafting, friends!