How to make a paper envelope

Most envelopes sold in the stores are plain, boring and uninspiring, so why not make your own? It's an easy, inexpensive project, and the envelopes you'll make will be so much more fun than the ones you'd end up buying.

There are so many different ways you can customize them, from the colors to the design.! It's easy to make envelopes that add a unique touch to your correspondence. Watch the video tutorial and read the instructions to learn how to put them together.

Materials
- Decorative paper
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Hot-glue gun

Instructions
1. Start drawing the envelope template by orienting the paper horizontally and placing a dot in the center. Make pencil marks on either side of this dot, using the ruler to place them 2.75 inches away from the center dot.

2. Use the ruler to draw a straight line connecting these three dots, then draw a 3-inch line straight up from each end of the first line. Connect the tops of these two lines with a fourth line.

3. Draw an equal-sized rectangle directly underneath the rectangle you just drew, using the bottom line of the top rectangle as the top line of the bottom rectangle.

4. Draw 3-by-3-inch squares on either side of the top rectangle.

5. Lastly, draw the top flap of the envelope by drawing a 4.5-inch line one inch above the top line of the top rectangle. Draw two short diagonal lines to connect the ends of this line with the ends of the line below it.

6. Cut out the envelope by cutting along the outer edges of the lines you drew.

7. Place the paper on the work surface with the printed side down. Fold over the side flaps along the line, and fold up the bottom panel of the envelope as well.

8. Unfold the bottom panel, place hot glue onto the side flaps, and press the bottom panel back into place.

9. Make a small card to put in the envelope by cutting out a 3-by-5-inch rectangle of paper and gluing a paper heart to the front.