Quick tricks for DIY envelope liners

Do you line your envelopes?
Or have you always wanted to?

Confession time... I want to line envelopes; I just never do.
There are so many great envelope liner tutorials out there that
show you how to get fun looks with things like maps, comics and the like,
but I'm usually too lazy to worry about envelopes at all
let alone lining them.

But I finally found a way that is so easy
(and gets done in about a minute)
so now I can be lazy & stylish! ;O)

...make a quick liner for any envelope:

It's speedy! Takes more time to read this than it takes to do it. :o)

A) Cut patterned paper to fit inside your envelope.
B) Trim the patterned paper-along the flap shape.
C) Pull the patterned paper out & trim a bit off of the straight bottom.
D) Put it back in the envelope.
E) Fold the flap over to get a nice fold.
F) Add adhesive to the back of the patterned paper flap.
G) Then simply press the flap down to finish it.

• An envelope (in any shape or size)
• Thin patterned paper
• Scissors
  
• Scotch tape, double-sided tape or glue stick
• optional: bone folder & paper cutter
  

Step 1) Cut thin patterned paper so that it is slightly taller & thinner than your envelope. Slide it inside the envelope.



Step 2) Temporarily adhere the patterned paper to the envelope. If you like, you can use scotch tape, to prevent shifting.

Step 3) Cut the excess patterned paper away. Turn the envelope over so you can see the envelope flap & use it as a guide to cut (and mimic the shape of the envelope flap.)



Step 4) Carefully remove the scotch tape.



Step 5) Slide the paper out of the envelope.



Step 6) Trim a bit off of the bottom of the paper: Trim a little at a time, then test it out for fit in the envelope and trim it more if need be.



Step 7) Put the patterned paper back in the envelope. Arrange so it doesn't block the adhesive that is on the envelope flap. (If the patterned paper does block the adhesive too much, then just trim off a little more.)



step 8) Fold the envelope flap over & press to create a nice crease in the patterned paper (use your hand or a bone folder).



step 9) Add adhesive to the back of the patterned paper flap (double-sided tape or even gluestick.)



step 10) Press the envelope flap down onto the adhesive (making sure that the paper doesn't shift).

...and there you have it:

Thin paper seems to fit & fold much nicer than thicker paper. You can print digital paper or even print images or photos out onto copy/text-weight paper. You could even scan your favourite fabric or anything else to make images to print out for unique looks.

I used cute polka dotted

ipaper from Amber ink
printed on copy paper

(Here's a one-page reference sheet)

Download the PDF here, if you like.

Next time... a speedy sneaky trick for making
quick multiple-image Tutorial PDFs like the one above.
No PDF software needed (just Photoshop or similar software)

P.S. Want to make your own custom envelopes?

100+ envelope templates & projects here: