Make this simple envelope book and use it to store treasured letters, postcards or photographs. This book is designed to look like a stack of envelopes, tied together with a ribbon but you could add a cover if you wanted something more durable. It’s made by using a template to fold envelopes which are then stuck to a concertina spine.
To make an envelope book you will need:
A4 sheet of paper for each envelope, A4 sheet of card, scissors or craft knife, ruler, glue and ribbon.
Let’s get started
Take your A4 sheet of paper.
This is the template with the fold and cutting lines marked. It may be all you need. If not, keep reading.
1 Mark a horizontal line 13 cms from the bottom of the paper and fold under.
2 Mark another horizontal line 13 cms above the fold and fold under.
3 Open out the paper and mark a vertical line 5cms from the left edge of the paper. Fold under, along the line.
4 Unfold the paper and cut along the lower fold from the left edge to the vertical fold. Cut along the top fold from the left edge to the vertical fold and then up the vertical fold to the top of the paper.
5 Cut out an oblong ‘postage label’ from the middle section. Make it larger or smaller depending on how much you want to reveal. Cut out a thumb hole in the lower section to make it easy to slide the cards in and out.
6 Flip the envelope over. Fold over the middle flap (now on the right hand side) along the vertical fold line you made earlier. Use a glue stick to apply glue to the flap and fold the bottom section up to stick behind the middle section.
7 Mark 3.5cms from the right hand side of the flap and fold along the vertical line. Apply glue and stick down.
8 Glue the top flap and fold over to stick to the main body of the envelope.
9 Make the concertina spine. Take a 13cm wide strip of card and mark lines 1.5cms apart. Concertina fold along these lines. To determine the size of your card, you need one concertina fold for each envelope plus one extra. So, for three envelopes, your card will be 12cms long. Set the concertina folded card in front of you, with a valley fold as the first fold on the left.
10 With the envelope face down, apply glue to the right hand folded flap on the back of the envelope.
11 Starting on the right hand side of your concertina folded card, which will be the back of your book, leave the first valley fold empty. Take your envelope and press the glued flap onto the right hand side of the next valley fold, making sure it’s lined up. Work your way forwards, keeping your envelopes in line.
12 Decide if you want to wind your ribbon round your envelopes a couple of times or if you want to tie it at one side and cut to the appropriate length. Place one piece of ribbon on top of the first envelope with the end nestled into the first concertina fold. Apply glue to the first concertina section, fold over and stick to the first envelope making sure the ribbon is caught between. Fold and stick the back concertina section encasing the second ribbon.
Your envelope book is finished. Now you need to fill it!
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