All about Envelopes

Standard Envelope sizes

Envelopes are always made with a little bit of "ease" If the envelope is exactly the same size as the card, you won't be able to get the card inside! Usually an envelope ends up being about 10mm larger than the card, giving 5mm of ease on each side. If a card has many layers and lots of dimension, it may need even more ease, and this can be another reason to make a custom envelope. 

Stampin' Up produce a range of high quality envelopes that are lovely to stamp on. The two colours are Very Vanilla and Basic White. Currently the sizes available are C6 (fits a standard card which is half an A4, folded), 3x3 envelopes (76 x 76mm), and the envelopes that come with matching notecards. These are 13 x 9.2 cm, to fit a 12.7 x 8.9cm card. You can see the notecard envelopes don't have a lot of ease, which is why notecards are best suited for simpler cards.

Custom Sizes Envelopes

But what if you make a card that doesn't fit those standard sizes? I love to make square cards, and recently have been making some larger A7 size cards (5 x 7 inches). Slimline cards have been very popular recently. Business envelopes might be the right size for slimline cards, but they don't look very glamorous! This where making a custom envelope works really well.

There are several methods for making custom envelopes

Template

Use the actual card or a template to form the card. This works particularly well for cards with lots of dimension, and also for mini envelopes that are just for show, such as on this Valentine's card. 

Simple wrap envelope

This is a simple way to make an envelope! and it works really well for a slimline card. You can use your trimmer or a scoreboard to make a fitted envelope. I like to add a pull hole by using a circle punch: this makes it easier to get your card out of the envelope. I will create a tutorial with directions in an upcoming post.

Punchboard

Stampin' Up used to sell an envelope punchboard, and its something I am definitely holding onto. There are a ton of videos out there showing you how to use it, and as well as envelopes you can make boxes, bows, tabbed folders and much more.

Decorating your envelope.

I like to use patterned papers (dsp) for envelopes as its a nice weight and you get extra interest with the double-sided paper.

I also use photocopy paper, and I keep A3 size paper particularly for making larger envelopes. For square cards, about 5 x 5 inches or 13 cm square is the maximum card size you can go to and still use A4 paper.  If you are going to make a lot of custom envelopes you may want to buy a higher quality paper of around 110 gsm. But as a higher quality A4 paper usually works out a around 35c a sheet, you will find the Stampin' Up! ones better value for standard sized cards. 

You can decorate plain envelopes with dsp liners or flaps, and flaps can also be dry embossed. Or when you make the card, stamp the envelope at the same time with the same stamp and inks. its quick and everything co-ordinates.

Posting your envelope

Remember the purpose of a card is to go out into the word and spread love! Well that's my definition. So remember to post them for birthdays, anniversaries, get well wishes, or just because! A belated card is still way better than no card at all. Check out the NZ Post regulation sizes to make sure you have the correct postage for the size envelope. Generally any square envelope over 130mm will be considered "large" and need extra postage. You may need to add an address panel with a light cardstock if you are using patterned paper. A nice touch is to use a diecut shape for the address panel.

Sealing your envelope

While it is possible to purchase special envelope adhesive, I usually just use a touch of multipurpose glue to seal them shut. Other options are to use washi tape, or an adhesive seal. You could even make your own stickers using sticker adhesive sheets! But for now, lets keep it simple, and get those beautiful unique-sized cards out into the world!