May 7, 2016

A Favorite Crafty Item -- Envelope Liners



Hello!  Today I'm starting a blog feature focusing on a few of my favorite crafty items -- ones that I use over and over, or otherwise just love.  If you are a craft company and would like one of your products to be featured, leave a thousand dollar bills in an envelope near my front door.  I don't care what you are selling, I can make it sound good.

NO, NO, NO!  I paid full price for these items and just like to spread the word.

Today I'm sharing my love of envelope liners.

Reasons to use an envelope liner:

1.  Take your card to the next level.  Even if your card is meh, the recipient will be so impressed by the liner, they won't notice the card so much.

2.  Practically free and uses up your stash.  You can make a liner by drawing them by hand, using a die, or this Paper Source plastic template. And you'll use materials you already have taking up space in your craft room.

Just make sure to use thin papers -- the liner has to be able to fold inside the envelope. Wrapping paper, tissue paper, vellum, stamped, stenciled typing paper, mulberry paper, etc. Old maps, things your kid drew, magazine pages, notebook paper, planners you never got around to planning, shopping bags, or any paper where the ink will not rub off onto the card. Be creative.

The liner doesn't have to "match".  If you card has circles, draw some lines for the envelopes, etc.  This is a great opportunity to think outside the box.

3.  You will look classy. I bet Kate Middleton's Christmas card has an lined envelope.  And if not, it should.

How to Do It.

I prefer an envelope with a pointy flap, often referred to as a Baronial Envelope. I just like the look. I get most of my envelopes at Paper Source, because there is a Paper Source in my neighborhood.  I'll be walking over to buy a potato organic kale at the grocery store, and Paper Source sucks me in. Envelopes. Buy.

Baronial envelopes are also available on-line in a variety of places, such as Clear and Simple Stamps and Paper Presentation.

I use the Clear and Simple Stamps Envelope Liner Die to make my liners.  It is probably my most used die and therefore, worth the $$$.  Note: I have an earlier version of this die, but I expect their new die to do an even better job.  The Clear and Simple die will fit the Paper Source and the CSS envelopes, but I am not sure about other baronial style envelopes.  In addition, Stampin Up, Sizzix, and Papertrey Ink both sell envelope liner dies to fit the flat fold envelopes those companies sell. Google around.

Here I used vellum colored with a dye ink pad.




I wanted to extend the prettiness of the flowers on the card to the envelope without matching the card. Took a piece of vellum and ran the Hero Arts Neon Ombre Ink pad over it and then wiped the ink off with a paper towel several times. If you don't wipe it down, the ink will just sit there all wet and unusable. I suspected that when I put it through my Big Shot, the ink might rub off, so I put a piece of typing paper between the die and the vellum.  And I was right -- you can see the ink stained white liner above. Just die cut the vellum BEFORE you ink it up and you can avoid this step.



See how pretty?  Impression Obsession flowers (do not know the name) and Rubbernecker Freehand Border frame.  I have the large frame.

MOOD WHEN DONE = Happy!





14 comments:

Hannelie said...

Beautiful card Joan! And yes that something special inside the envelope really makes a difference!

Marybeth said...

Love your pretty card next to that gorgeous pink vellum lined envelope! I haven't used mine in awhile but you have inspired me! Thanks for sharing, Joan! Happy Mother's Day!

Tricia T said...

Love! What a great idea!

merryf said...

I just remembered I have an envelope liner die sitting in a drawer. Thanks for the push to start using it!

Jackie said...

That is a great idea, I always forget to line the envelope but you're right - it is classy. Your card is lovely - pretty flowers and I love that border. I thought you had drawn it until I read the description. You could have drawn it, though.

Diane Jaquay said...

I love the look of envelope liners and am always impressed when I receive a lined envelope. But I don't seem to have enough "go go juice" left in me after I'm done making my cards to go to the trouble of lining an envelope myself lol! It's just one of those weird things about me, of which there are many :) Happy Mother's Day, Joan!

Susan said...

I love the look of lined envelopes, but wonder how much they are actually seen by the recipient. We tend to use one of those envelope slitters to slit the envelopes in our mail, then take the contents out. I'm not sure I would even see if the envelope was lined. So that tends to make me hesitate to use them.

Lisa Elton said...

WOW, this is fabulous!!

Barbara said...

the free downloadable template site says no longer available....Booo I really like yours and wanted to give it a go.

Joan B said...

that's a good point!

Joan B said...

Sorry about that. I edited the post to remove the link. I should have checked it more carefully!

Unknown said...

Love your work

Unknown said...

Love your work

Unknown said...

Your work is awesome!!