Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Stenciled Gift Card Envelopes by Judi Kauffman for The Queen’s Ink


Gift cards are such a popular way to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and other occasions. One of my favorite ways to present them is in a hand-stenciled envelope. For me, taking that extra step, creating a custom envelope, is well worth a few minutes; they’re easy and fast, and a lot of fun to make! I always make a big batch so I have plenty on hand.

While you’re at it: Stencil a few pieces of cardstock, some larger envelopes, shopping bags, sheets of gift wrap…Might as well keep going as long as the paints, stencils, and brushes are already spread out. (As long as I’ve got my supplies out on the table I want a bountiful outcome!)

How-to:

1. Find a gift card envelope template via Internet search, trace and hand-cut cardstock envelopes OR use a cutting die. (I chose cardstock instead of text weight paper so the envelopes are durable and can be re-used or added to an album or journal.)




2. Stencil the envelopes with gold acrylic paint or whatever color(s) you prefer. Tip: Make sure your stencil is large enough to cover the entire envelope when it is open and flat with all flaps extended as shown in the photos above. I chose 9 x 12 stencils to ensure that I wouldn’t have to move the stencil once I had positioned it. Large stencils with all-over or radiating patterns give lots of options for taking advantage of various elements within the designs.


3. Hand- or die-cut two folio closures per envelope. Fold and assemble the envelopes, adding metallic braid or twine to the closure. Alternatively, use eyelets and silk cord. Reminder: Shimmer Sheetz folio closures for these projects were cut with standard dies on a full size machine. If using thin dies, a metal adaptor plate is required. (Review Els van de Burgt’s YouTube tutorial if you are new to this technique.)



Other Options:

*Instead of a gift card, tuck in folded cash or golden dollar coins, movie tickets, or a personalized coupon good for homemade brownies or a pie!
*For envelopes that can be tied onto bottles or used as napkin rings, punch a hole in one corner and add a piece of ribbon BEFORE tucking something inside.
*Use stenciled envelopes to hold Artist Trading Cards.


Supplies:
  • All-over or radiating pattern stencils (shown: StencilGirl Products L423, L350, L304)
  • Cardstock in shades of red, pink, and cranberry or colors of choice
  • Gold metallic paint
  • Stencil brush
  • Template/pattern OR gift card envelope and folio closure dies (shown: AccuCut for GrandeMARK machine)
  • Ruby Gemstone Shimmer Sheetz (Elizabeth Craft Designs) dappled with alcohol inks in Espresso and Gold (Ranger) to use for folio closures
  • 2 glittered or gemstone-topped brads OR 2 eyelets
  • 8” Metallic braid (shown: Kreinik #16) for folio closure
  • 8” Silk cord for eyelet closure



2 comments:

  1. How pretty! I love how elegant they look. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very nice; and not too difficult... thanks for another fun idea.

    ReplyDelete