I ★ Chicago Envelope

I love Chicago, my home town. I also love the Chicago flag.

 For a special birthday gift -- a Chicago flag lapel pin --I needed the perfect envelope. With the help of the Arnold Grummer square envelope template, and a tiny star-shaped cookie cutter, the perfect envelope was born.

I started with a white envelope. While the envelope was still wet and on the papermaking screen, I used a squeeze bottle full of light blue pulp to form two blue stripes on the large-holed black  mesh screen, then placed the two blue stripes on to the envelope. Then I poured red pulp into  the star cookie cutter set on the  black mesh screen and placed those stars between the stripes.
This is the same pulp paiting method I used to make the birch trees in an older post

The Envelope(s), please

Lined envelopes made with A2 and A6 templates

After some experimenting with the envelope and card templates from Arnold Grummer, I have discovered that I can make envelopes as beautiful and as varied as the cards they hold.

My first discovery was that the A2 template also contains a note card template that works as an envelope liner. Align the newly made (soaking wet) note card with to top edge of the newly made envelope. Sponge in place. Dry the flat envelope in a paper press. Once the envelope is completely dry, fold it and seal the edges using a glue stick. Slide a piece of wax paper inside the envelope and press it again.

The deckle sheet template works as a liner for the larger A6 envelope.

Window envelopes

You can make a window envelope with any of the templates by placing a block onto the paper making screen, centered onto the envelope face of the template. This might require three hands.

I used a stack of Legos as a block.



 I'm thinking Valentine.

 I used a cardboard disk as a block with the petal template.

 

Mailing Labels

Next I tried using the Artist's Trading Card (ATC) template to make a writing label for the front of an A6 envelope. In order to get an extra-smooth writing surface, I added two squares of cotton linters to the white pulp before pouring into the ATC template.

I placed the wet ATC sheet in the center front of the wet envelope, sponged them together and put them in the press to dry. Once dry, I folded them and sealed them using a glue stick. After placing a sheet of wax paper inside the envelope, I pressed it again.

But can you really mail them?

Yes, you can.

Look at that great cancellation stamp!

The white labels were very easy to write on. I mailed four envelopes, they all arrived at their destinations in perfect condition.


The A2 template also has some small decorative shapes that look great affixed to any of the envelopes.





These envelopes are crying out for sealing wax.

Now that I know how easy it is, I'll be making envelopes for holiday cards, invitations, gift enclosures, store gift cards (little square ones), and of course, Valentines.








What will do with your envelopes?