May's 4(for) green acre challenge was to ban junk mail. I ended up with more junk mail than usual this month. Maybe because I tried to get off the mailing lists, or maybe because I was more aware of what was arriving in my mailbox. Typically, it gets thrown into the recycle bin, but with the abundance this month I decided to upcycle it instead of tossing it.
Colorful catalogs full of dresses I'd never wear, a 50+ page catalog from Restoration Hardware, security envelopes with pretty stripes: there was potential in all of them. The easiest thing to do was put a spin on this junk in order to send it right back in the mail. I turned them into envelopes of all varieties.
I started by gathering my favorites from the pile (recycled the rest) and collected the templates.
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| click on image to print small template size |
After that, it was a matter of cutting out the images to the size of envelope I wanted and gluing them together with a glue stick. I made envelopes for small gift cards, letters, and greeting cards. I will simply affix a white label to address the envelope and send it off.
Simple as that. No more purchasing envelopes. You can use stamps and stencils for embellishment and a basic glue stick or Japanese washi tape to seal it.
You know... this post couldn't have come at a better time. I've been looking for envelopes for my art journal and haven't been able to find them at the art store. I'll feel so much better about recycling paper and making my own.
ReplyDeleteThanks Abby!!
And they can become art themselves. Good idea to use them in an art journal.
DeleteThanks for this! Using this idea to make personalized graduation invitation envelopes for my kiddo. :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful. Happy crafting.
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