Envelope Book

 

Make a book from envelopes that can hold your keepsakes or favourite memories

By making a book from envelopes you create pages of little pockets. These pocket books can be used for memories, recipes, collectors cards or even tokens and vouchers. You can use pre-made envelopes or make your own. The size of your book depends on the size of your envelope and how many envelopes you use.

I saw one of these many years ago and have been keen to make one since. I wanted to make a holiday book as I keep all my tickets and leaflets etc from each day that I am on holiday so when I get home I can turn them into a scrapbook. So this is my attempt at an envelope book. I will talk you through how to make my holiday memories envelope book using the pre-bought envelopes, but will give you instructions on how to adjust the sizes depending on your own size envelopes. I will then show you how I made a Christmas book out of envelopes I have made using my WeR Memory Keepers envelope punch board.

Follow the below link to find out how the book was made 

You will need the following to make the pre-bought envelope book

• 8 x white C6 envelopes
• Mount board (you can use any board that is thicker than the crafting card ie the sort of card you get on the back of lined writing pads)
• Selection of patterned card or paper (I used Beach Life 12 x 12 scrapbooking paper pack by Helz Cuppleditch)
• Glue and double sided tape
• Craft knife and metal ruler

1. I am using 8 envelopes to make this book which will give me 7 pockets equating to my holiday length of 7 days. Just add one extra envelope to how ever many you need for your book - so if you want 10 pockets, use 11 envelopes. Place the first envelope, back facing up, and open out the flap.
   
   
   


2. Get your next envelope, face side up with an open flap. Put some glue under the flap and slide it into the first envelope so the triangular flap glues to the inside of the previous envelope. (In the photo below I have folded the flap from the first envelope underneath the envelope to keep it out of the way)
   
   
   
   



3. Fold the right hand envelope over the lefthand envelope so they are stacked ontop of each other
   
   

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have used all of your envelopes. You will have now created the inside part of your book.
   
   
   


5. To make the cover - measure the width and length of your envelope stack. You need to add 0 . 5 cm to the width measurement and 1 cm to the height measurement. So my envelope stack measured 11 . 5 cm wide to which I added 0 . 5 cm to give me 12 cm. My envelope stack height was 16 . 5 cm to which I added 1 cm to give me 17 . 5 cm. Therefore my book covers need to be 12 cm wide by 17 . 5 cm high. Cut two of these out of the mount board.
   
   
   


6. Cut patterned paper to cover the front of your book to the same dimensions as the cover cut in step 5


7. You need to cut the back cover out of patterned paper slightly larger to give you a spine to your book. Measure the thickness of your envelope stack at the spine end. Mine measured 0 . 5 cm. Add 1 cm to your measurement for ease and 1 . 5 cm allowance to stick to the front cover therefore giving me 3 cm. Your back patterned paper therefore needs to be cut to the same height as your back cover (ie mine was 17 . 5 cm as calculated in point 5) but the width will be the 12cm (width of my back cover) plus the spine measurements of 3 cm. Therefore the back patterned paper for my book needed to be 17 . 5 cm high by 15 cm wide.


8. From the left edge of your back patterned paper, make two score lines, one at 1 . 5cm and the second at 3 cm
   
   
   


9. Glue the patterned paper to the mount board - the front cover will fit exactly and the back cover will have the folded section extending off the mount board
   
   
   
   
   
   


10. Put double sided tape or glue on the first folded section of the back patterned paper on the underside and stick the front cover to it as shown in the photo's below:
    
    
    
    
    






11. Get your envelope stack again and on the front there is a flap that is not stuck down to anything. Put some glue on it, fold it back on itself and glue it to the front of the stack
    
    
    
    

12. Put glue or double sided tape on the front of the envelope stack and glue it to the inside of the front cover. Align the spine of the envelopes to the inside edge of the front cover mount board and there should be an equal gap around the rest of the envelope edges.
    
    
    


13. Put glue or double sided tape on to the back of the envelope stack and fold the back cover of your book over to stick the book together.
    
    
    
    

14. You can now decorate the pages in your book. I used papers from the same paper pack to put a single sheet of patterned paper to the right side of each set of pages and cut out images from spare paper to decorate the left hand side of the pages where the pocket is. Go wild at this point - you can decorate it however you like - stamping, decoupage, journaling - whatever takes your fancy.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

I then made myself a little book for Christmas to keep notes of gifts bought and to hold receipts. I made this using envelopes I made using my envelope punch board by WeR memory keepers. It basically follows the same procedure as for the pre-bought envelopes except you can cut and make your envelopes to whatever size you wish and from whatever coloured or patterned paper/card you wish. (I used a Christmas 6 x 6 stack of card, cut to 18 . 4 cm square and then made an envelope up that would hold card size 8 . 9cm x 12 . 7 cm)

However instead of making the envelopes up and then gluing the flaps inside (as per steps 1 - 4), I glued the flaps inside first then made the envelope up - just seemed a little easier:

• Put one of your pre cut envelopes upside down and glue the flap of another envelope into it
  
  
  


• Fold the sides of the left envelope together and using a thin bit of glue or tape, stick the longer flap to the smaller side flaps - ensuring you only stick the flaps together therefore creating the pocket
  
  
  


• Fold the right hand envelope back on itself so it sits over the left hand envelope and start the process again with your next envelope. Keep going until all your envelopes are stuck together
  
  
  


• Continue to make your book up from step 5, remembering to make adjustments for sizes depending on the envelope size you created
  
  
  
  
  

It makes such a sweet little book and because you use mount board for part of the cover it feels really sturdy. You can make these for yourselves or even gift them for any occasion.