Upcycled Envelopes

On my watch list until I can find the lickable glue! :D

is there a website you can go to to learn how to make the envies?

@spin if you ever do find some, please tell me where you found it! I've also been looking for some. =)

@RyeRye - I put up a tutorial on my blog for making envelopes out of these KR bags I had: bags > envelopes walkthrough

You can just substitute the bag material for another kind of paper.

@RyeRye I have taken some old envelopes apart and just use those for templates! Some with a straight upper lap and some with the triangular upper flap... If you have an envie you really like, just open up the glued parts ( over some steam maybe, I just carefully ripped them apart) and you can draw around it on the paper you want to make your upcycled envie out of, cut, and lgue on the corresponding places done! :)

Thanks for the tutorial, @robotlove I will check it out nw! Maybe you have a cool shape I haven't seen yet...

One more question: will a folded envelope work to?The origami kind? Or only envies that have to be glued?

Oh those bags are soooo cool @robotlove i!!! I make my envelopes just like you do! :D

Thanks for the suggestion Spin. Now I feel really silly I didn't think of it. lol

@spin this particular swap is for envelopes that have glued-down flaps. Reason being, I'd like for them to be be able to make it safely through a mailing should your partner choose to use them that way.. and I'm not sure if origami envelopes are strong enough to withstand that. =)

Also, thanks for reminding me about using steam to open the envelopes, @spin . I completely forgot about that! =x

Ok! Thanks for clearing that up! :D I have already a few sheets of paper in view! :D

Just to let everyone know there is a few on youtube. I do believe it was under recycled crafts. The name of it was "How to make recycled envelopes" I hope this helps. Have a great week.

I am not sure how to make the flap self-seal-able... Signing up anyways. Maybe my recipient will get a shiny new glue stick!

Darice makes a 'remoistenable' glue. I found it here

Darice makes a 'remoistenable' glue. I found it here

@fittzwm Sorry if it seemed confusing. What I've started using is Scotch scrapbooking double-sided tape. It's basically like regular double-sided tape only it also has this plastic strip over one side that you can peel off later. So you can put some of this onto the top flap and the plastic strip can be peeled off later when you want to seal it. =)

But I've left the option of including other items you can seal an envelope with, like envelope seals, decorative tape or "deco tape" can be used as well.

I hope this was more understandable and possibly of help to you or anyone else who was unsure on how to do this. =x

@Fittzwm Nice!! Thanks for providing a link to one. =)

Envelope glue recipe (I've made it, used it & it works):
* Dissolve 3 sachets of gelatin in 250ml water.
* Leave to cool for 5-10 mins.
* Use a sponge to apply to your surface while still warm (I usually cut up a cheap kitchen sponge).
* You can re-heat it if it starts to go lumpy & store it in the fridge until you need it again.

This recipe is obviously not vegetarian-friendly. According to about.com mixing together equal parts of white craft glue & vinegar (with added flavouring, if you like) also works. But I haven't tried this.

P.S. The glue recipe above will quite likely make your paper curl. Just leave your envelope out to dry, then squish it under some heavy books overnight to flatten!

@RyeRye - this link is to a post I made on my blog a few months back, with step-by-step pics for a very easy envelope to fold & glue (not origami). I use this envelope all the time - it's very handy!

I also wrote a tutorial with a template for making envelopes :)

Wow! Thanks for all the helpful hints, tips and tutorials guys! It's awesome to know that there are others out there like me who enjoy making envelopes like these. =)

wow thanks for the blog and tuitorial @Tangle & @Jen

Ooh! Thanks for that link @Fittzwm !! I will absolutely try it! :D

I don't know about you guys, but our junkmail is not all that! LOL I would have to double it up in order to make it withstand mailing....

How is all of yours so far? Any tips?

AHA! I remembered some old art magazines I had! :D YAYYY! I have my envelopes made! Artfully! LOL

Awesome @spin ! I finished a few envelopes as well!! =)

As for junk mail envelopes, hmm.. I wouldn't be able to tell you. I've never worked with using junk mail for envelopes (although i've seen them made before so i tossed it up there as a suggestion) but I think doubling them up might work if they're not bunching too much. n_n;

you may also have to double magazine pages if they are to thin

LOL Suddenly I can't stop myself and every scrap of paper is inspected for envelope potential! LOL :D

A few questions have been brought up that I thought I would adress in the comments as well:

In regards to the type of paper material you should use: This swap is to make and send your partner 5 upcycled envelopes that are strong & sturdy enough to be used as mailing envelopes. So if your base material is a thin magazine ad, you might have to double up the layer to make it more sturdy. Try gluing on an extra ad sheet or a layer of printer paper for this.

"Can I use my own printable stationery?" - Yes. I'm not requiring people to send only store bought stationery sheets. But on that same note, please use your best judgment in sending your partner something both of you would be happy to receive. That would mean that it's not okay to just send them sheets that only had writing lines on them. =(

"Is it okay to fold the stationery?" - Personally, since I know it'll be folded to fit in the envelope anyway, I don't mind if the lettersheet is neatly folded so I'm going to say it's okay as long as it's folded in a traditional "letter fitting in an envelope way". But if anyone in the swap prefers not to receive folded stationery, you can mention that in the comments.

"What about envelope glue?" - @Fitzzwm has kindly provided a link to where you can buy lickable envelope glue (the kind of glue on most envelopes.) But if, for some reason, you can't buy this.. another option for sealing envelopes might be double-sided scrapbook tape. The one I use is Scotch double-sided scrapbooking tape.

-

If anyone else has any other questions or suggestions, I'm open to hearing and answering them. =)

Wow.. lengthy comment!! haha.. (sorry, it's kinda tl;dr)

@spin I know how you feel! =)

Just loved this swap! Now I'm doing my envelopes!

@spin I'm feeling like you... my husband is already looking at me weird, thinking I was crazy... ahahha...

:)

LOL @CarolCarioca My husband stoped wondering at what I am doing LOL....

LOVE this idea! Hope you'll do it again when some of us go-getter newbies (who have the energy but not the required mail swaps) can join you! :) Great swap!

@Houndstooth If this swap goes well without any major problems, I would love to host it again. =) And when I do, I'll send you a message to let you know.

i found this link that offers recipes of a lick and stick glue. I haven't tried them - but one of the recipes listed was mentioned by @tanglecrafts that she uses, and another she mentioned with vinegar and elmer's.

hope this helps.

I am trying one of the "lick-em, stick-em" recipes for my envelopes! :D

OMG! If anybody wants to know: I tried the Elmer's/vinegar combo and IT TOTALLY WORKS! :D I used Agave sweetener though instead of peppermint (didn't have any...)

@spin Can you taste the vinegar in it?

This is was so nice - I hope we can do it again some time. :-)

I had fun too, we should def. do something again sometime :)

Aww. I'm glad you guys liked this swap. :) I had fun with it too.. and I'll probably host another round sometime in January (after the holidays.)