![]() ![]() Other envelope-sized gifts include cinema tickets, lottery scratchcards, and temporary tattoos. I'm not too talented with a sewing machine, but I visit a lavender farm nearby each summer and make simple fragrant envelopes for my drawers using paper envelopes and dried lavender. Lyndsey runs a seed swap every January at What You Sow - a fun secret seed exchange. I've mentioned that I often put cash or gift vouchers in these envelopes, but here are some more ideas you could try: Seed swap Below are some envelopes Jeska from Lobster and Swan made for us a few years ago, using watercolours, washi tape, marker pens, and collage. In the envelope above, I've added some neon washi tape to finish off the edges. Just before gluing, you can use a bone folder or a ruler to crease the lines. You'll want to check everything lines up correctly before gluing the sides together with a simple stick glue. Using a scalpel or sharp scissors, cut round the template and fold in on the lines. This couldn't be any easier! If you're using a wooden template, simply draw round the template in pencil on the underside of the paper (so the pencil marks don't show.) Don't forget to draw through the inside lines as it makes a much neater envelope if you fold on these guide lines. I don't always have the patience to persevere with my temperamental typewriter, but I'll sometimes use a typewriter font to print out an address label. If you like a bit of embellishment, you can use washi tape, rubber stamps, vintage stamps, glitter (which might not survive the post) and address labels. You can use either a scalpel or scissors, and I like to keep everything tidy by using a cutting mat. Just keep in mind that if you're using a glossy paper, it might be difficult to draw on the paper, so you'll need a sticky label for those. Other papers you can use and easily find include gridded paper, tracing paper, or recycled wrapping paper. One of my favourite snail mail inspirations is Naomi Bulger - you can follow her on Instagram for illustration ideas. If you're artistic enough to paint or draw on the envelope, I recommend you use a standard sketch pad - I use watercolour paper for almost everything else but a thinner paper works better here as you need to make firm creases on the edges. My most recent haul from the Chiswick car boot sale (a good place to find this kind of thing) included French comics, vintage sheet music, and ledger paper. Cereal magazine (ethereal travel images.) Vintage ephemera The Plant (my favourite plant magazine with photography and illustrations of gorgeous foliage and botanical landscapes.) Freckle (beautiful scenic images of Ireland, printed on a lovely matte paper) Some of my favourite magazines to use include: I hang them on a large wire clip in my office so I'm reminded to use them for wrapping small parcels or using in other paper crafts. I don't keep back issues of magazines for long but before I recycle them I do scour the pages and cut out the prettiest pages. There are so many beautiful magazines out there now, that it's easy to tear out the pages and keep them on hand for their next craft use! Some magazines even including wrapping paper or pretty papers for you to use. The benefit of the wooden or plastic templates is that you can trace through the lines below which makes it a little easier to fold neat edges. Children love using these too, and they are a little easier for them to use than paper templates. You might be able to get different shapes elsewhere, and you can certainly download free paper templates, but you'll get a better outline if you're tracing round a solid template. This wooden envelope template can be reused many times and works perfectly with A4 sheets of paper. You can use many combinations and materials to make an envelope, but I usually have the below items on hand: Wooden envelope template They're so simple but still stretch my creative muscles a little as I mix and match the materials. Here's a very simple how-to. ![]() I like to add a personalised touch to the impersonal gift, so I often make an envelope to send the gift in. As the youngest members of my family grow older, I've increasingly given them cash or gift vouchers as a gift. ![]()
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