How to Make Unique Envelopes

The Hard Way and the Easy Way

The Hand Made Card was made for my hubby's birthday. Later, I decided it needed a special envelope.

Making custom envelopes to coordinate with your hand made cards couldn't be easier if you have the Crafter's Companion Ultimate Crafting Tool (CCU).

Supplies for 5 x 7-inch Hand Made Envelope: the Easy Way

If you don't have a CCU (yet!), you can still make this envelope. In its place, you will need ...

Additional Supplies for 5 x 7-inch Hand Made Envelope: the Hard Way

• Paper cutter or scissors;
• Ruler;
• Right angle tool (L- or T-square or use the 90 degree angle corner of a piece of paper)
• Pencil;
• Scoring tool;
• Extra time for measuring where to score (all envelope measurement scoring grooves are imprinted on the CCU case)

[Extra directions for the hard way are in brackets.]

Cut the 12-inch paper to 10 ½ inches square using the CCU paper cutter [using a standalone paper cutter or scissors].

This tutorial makes an envelope to hold a 5 x 7-inch card. Its dimensions are 5 ¼ x 7 ¼ inches.

The Crafter's Companion Ultimate (CCU) manual has a table for various envelope sizes. A 5 x 7 card envelope is scored using score lines labeled F and H.

Lay the paper in the V-shaped envelope CCU groove. Score one corner using the F groove. Reposition paper to score the opposite corner with F as well.

Position one of the un-scored corners in the V-shaped envelope CCU groove. Score this corner using the H groove. Reposition paper to score the opposite corner with H as well.

[If you don't have a CCU: On the white side of the paper, lightly pencil lines from corner to corner creating an X. Place the ruler along one of the lines with the X's center at the 3 5/8-inch mark. Mark the paper at 0 and at 7 ¼.

Place the ruler along the other line with the X's center at the 2 5/8-inch mark. Mark the paper at 0 and at 5 ¼.

Use a right angle tool to draw a rectangle bounded by the marks. Refer to the picture above to make sure you orient the rectangle properly.

Use the scoring tool and ruler to score the rectangle, extending each line all the way to the edge of the paper.]

Fold along the score lines to form the envelope.

Open the top and bottom flaps. Place two-sided tape sticky side down along the bottom half of the two side flaps. Remove backing paper (if any) from the tape and fold up the bottom flap. Press in place.

For a finished look, fold the extending point of the bottom flap down into the envelope and secure with double-sided tape.

Optional Envelope Inner Lining

Choose a liner paper to coordinate with the outside of the envelope. Cut it slightly smaller than the top flap, as is traditional, and long enough to extend into the envelope covering the visible portion.

Place double-sided tape along both edges of the point and a small piece at the bottom. Position and press into place.

This example was made for my hubby's August birthday, so I added some word art. Embellish your lining to suit the occasion.

Apply repositionable glue thinly over the back of your embellishment(s). Press and smooth into place.

For a finishing touch, I peeled back the inner lining and attached the "Love" tag with a brass fastener (like I had used on the card) and then penned "MY" in blue ink. The tag is from Scrap Girls designer Syndee Nuckles' French Market Collection.

Be sure to let the glue dry thoroughly before inserting your card.