Ornamental Envelopes Part II -Page The Maine Stamper

Envelopes For Every Occasion

For those of us who take the time to make a homemade card, it is no effort to create a beautiful envelope to go with it. Many times, I do this by simply stamping images on my envelope that coordinate with my card.

But what if you want to take it up a notch? Really make something special? Stampin’ Up! has you covered, with their Envelopes Dies (item #153531), new to the August-December 2020 Mini Catalog.

Envelope Liners: New Vs. Old

Let’s take a moment to recall the old Envelope Liners from Stampin’ Up!. They appeared in the Holiday Catalog in 2013 as a set of 3 framelits for $26.95.

When you compare the old Envelope Liners (3 dies for $27!) and the new Envelopes Dies (12 dies for $36!), the value of today’s offering is phenomenal.

The new Envelopes Dies not only give you 4 different envelope sizes, the dies are designed with an open end so you can also choose the amount of paper you want to use when creating the depth of your liner. And these dies make more than just liners too!

Die Cut Envelope Flaps

In Part I of my mini series on the Ornamental Envelopes, I covered the basics of using the Envelopes Dies to create beautiful liners. I also shared a handy measurement chart for each envelope liner size.

Today, I have moved on to experimenting with the die cuts that create peek-thru elements on envelope flaps. There are 3 different dies that are designed to do this, and the results of each are very unique.

The Splashy Spray

I started with the largest of the Envelope Dies accent die. I placed it evenly on my open envelope flap before die cutting it.

Die cutting the envelope with the Envelopes Dies

This will cut into the gummed adhesive on the envelope, but only slightly. You may need to keep this in mind when securing the envelope shut, and add a little extra adhesive of your own.

Envelope flap that was die cut using the Envelopes Dies

Now for the hard part: choosing the Designer Series Paper that will work perfectly with your Envelope Dies. Because DSP is double sided, and both sides will show when you are lining an envelope with a cut-away, you must carefully select your paper!

Choosing DSP for the Envelopes Dies liner — Since I am using this envelope for a Christmas themed card, I chose Heartwarming Hugs DSP (item #153492). The inside will show the red stripes, and the outside cut-away will show the green design. Both colors will coordinate with my card nicely.

I used the same technique as shown in Part I of my Ornamental Envelopes post to dry fit the DSP into the envelope. Next I carefully fold the envelope flap forward, and score the flap and DSP at the same time.

Scoring the envelope flap and liner using a bone folder

As I indicated in my basic envelope post, I like to remove the DSP and use my bone folder to burnish the creased edge once more. This will give the paper a clean bend and make it easier to close the envelope flap nicely.

Using the bone folder to further burnish the crease in the envelope liner

Finally, it is time to adhere the envelope liner into the envelope. For a basic liner, it is okay to add adhesive anywhere on the liner flap. In this case, we have a cut-away to consider. Therefore, glue is the best adhesive choice, and using it sparingly and properly really matters.

Adding adhesive to the envelope liner — I added a small line of Tombow Liquid Glue around the outside of the envelope liner. Then, I carefully added small dots of glue on the envelope flap itself, focusing on the tiny paper surrounding the detailed cut-away sections. There is a fine balance between enough glue to secure your project and too much glue that globs and overflows.

The last step I took after adding adhesive was to close the envelope flap onto the DSP. Here, I made sure the completed look was achieved.

Envelope Cut-away, closed — When closed, the green DSP peeks thru fashionably.

Envelope Dies liner in envelope — When opened, the red stripes add great interest.

The Doily Border

This cut-away die from the Envelopes Dies is similar to the splashy spray die. However, it is much smaller in stature. DSP will still show thru the envelope flap, but in tiny increments.

Using a cut away die and liner die from the Envelopes DIes

For this envelope, I wanted to try the large scallop edge to create a solid border too. I used Real Red CS to coordinate with my DSP colors.

The scallop edge die from the Envelopes Dies

I kept the CS the same length as the die, then trimmed it to fit the width of my envelope. For this version of my ornamental envelope, I chose to adhere the scallop edge to the envelope instead of the flap.

Open version of envelope with scallop die form Envelopes Dies — The envelope in an open position.

Ornamenatl Envelope with cut-away die and scallop die using the Envelopes Dies — The envelope in a closed position.

The Polka-Dot Bridge

The third cut-away die from the Envelopes Dies was the trickiest to use. Like the doily border, it is smaller in size. I felt that it sat most naturally along the bottom of the envelope flap, but this position bites into the envelope’s adhesive.

I also used the large scallop edge die again. But this time, I cut my Real Red CS down in size to fit the flap of the envelope instead.

Cut-away die and scallop border die from Envelopes Dies — This decorative envelope does not use any Designer Series Paper. The Real Red Cardstock provides the background for the cut-away die here.

I found this version of designer envelopes the most difficult to adhere. I added glue along the top and sides of my scallop die cut. Next, I used my aqua painter to moisten the natural adhesive on the envelope flap. Careful maneuvering was required here!

Adding adhesive to Envelopes Dies liners

Die cut envelope and aqua painter — When closed, this envelope front is adorable.

Ornamental Envelopes Stamping

The coordinating Ornamental Envelopes Stamp Set (item #153434) has stamps that can be used to decorate your envelopes too! And since I am still jazzing up envelopes, I thought I would try a little stamping as well.

First, I turned to the dotted lines stamp. This one is perfect for an address label on your envelope. I used Gray Granite Ink for my envelope.

Stamping address lines on envelope using Ornamental Envelopes Stamp Set

Corner stamps are a lot of fun to use, and I chose Real Red Ink to showcase this one. I love the continuity of dots in so many of the stamps from the Ornamental Envelopes Stamp Set.

Stamping corner images using the Ornamental Envelopes Stamp Set — When I use a smaller stamp, I prefer to use my ink spots. It is too easy (and disastrous!) to get ink from a large ink pad all over my clear block when loading the stamp with ink.

Envelopes Made Easy

Envelopes decorated using Envelopes Dies

The Ornamental Envelopes Stamp Set and coordinating Envelopes Dies are designed to make it easy for you to create elegant envelopes. Whether you die cut, stamp or both, you won’t go wrong with this great bundle! Head over to my online store, https://juliemakson.stampinup.net, to pick up your set today.