Waste not, want not - make your own upcycled envelopes

Over the holidays I needed to come up with a quick, unique way to "wrap" small gifts for my customers. My requirements: allow the buyer to look at their purchase before giving it as a gift, be eco-friendly, have a modern aesthetic, and not be particular holiday specific. I came up with 3 different size envelopes made from the pages of magazines.

Since I don't knit or crochet, this is a great project to keep my hands busy in front of the TV. After I read my magazines, I go through and tear out the pages and save them. When I have a pile, which is often, I make a batch.

The bigger envelopes are great for invoices and extras in my shipments. The smaller ones are perfect for my bookmarks and jewelry. By simply using envelopes I had on hand as templates, I was able to come up with some styles that worked for me.

What you'll need:

envelope template(s) - I'll come back to this post and link to the envelope templates I use (I need to make them), so check back or make your own by gently tearing apart your favorite envelope.

scissors

glue stick

marker

Simply trace your template onto your magazine page, fold, glue the edges, and viola...you have a really cool new envelope! You can easily tweak your own template to create sizes and shapes that suit your needs.