Envelope Wrap

Today's wrapping assignment is the Envelope Wrap. It is called this because the flaps at the end of the box resemble the flaps of an envelope. This wrap is useful for items that are not very thick or soft goods, like pillows or sweaters without a box.

Also, to illustrate a point that I made yesterday, you don't have to have a lot of expense stuff to do nice job of wrapping an item. Today, I will be using scraps of things from other projects to prove this point. On a side note, I was told during a presentation once that artists don't use the term scraps when talking about left over paper--the correct term is off-cuts! Geesh. So today, I will be using some off-cuts of paper that I have--although, someone else mentioned to me that I have good scraps.

The box is one that was given to me from Target. The base paper is simple white craft paper cut to size.

Step One: Measure out the paper. For this project, the seam will run down the center of the bottom of the box. The width of the paper should wrap around the box and overlap by an inch or two. The length of the paper should be the height of the box plus 2 to 4 inches added to each end. The idea here is that you want the top and bottom flaps of the box to wrap over and onto the bottom of the box.

Measuring the left side of the box. This will be the finished seam.

 Bring the right side of the paper over onto the bottom of the box and tape down using transparent tape. This edge should reach just beyond the center seam that will be created with the left edge of the paper.

Rotate the box 90 degrees and run a piece of double sided tape along the bottom edge of the paper (see below).

Bring this taped edge up and over the side of the box to create the center seam (see below)

Step Two: Folding the flaps.  This step is similar to the no seam wrap but you will be folding the hospital corners first. Bring in each side of the wrap and fold and crease along the sides and bottom of the box. Be sure to pull the wrapping tightly against the box so the box doesn't shift in the folding.

Bring the top flap down and crease it along the top of the box and along the bottom of the box. Fold flat against the box so you have a top crease and a bottom crease (see below).

Crease along the top and bottom of the box.

 Cut the excess paper from this flap just short of the bottom crease. Note: If you have thin enough paper and an eye for folding you can just fold the excess under itself using the bottom seam.

Here is the top flap after trimming.

 Place a piece of double sided tape along the remaining flat and bring up (tightly) against the box, crease, and over the top of the box (which is really the bottom showing the seam (see below)

One flap taped against the bottom of the box

 Repeat for the other side and your finished Envelope Wrap should look like the picture below.

Basic Envelope Wrapped box.

 Step Three: Embellish. Here is a scrap of paper that I used from a previous post discussing the no seam wrapping. Notice that the belly band covers the seams and any imperfect flaps you might have. If you notice above, my flaps did not end up exactly aligned. The belly band covers up these types of errors. Also, keep in mind that all of the mechanics are on the bottom of the box (e.g., taped edges, seams, etc) so many people aren't going to notice anyway.

Bottom of the box with all the mechanics

Top of the box with clean edges.

 I then added a second belly band made from a contrasting hand marbled paper. I always like to show some of the first layer when applying a second belly band. This is a good way to use a small bit of expensive paper without breaking the bank since you are only using a small portion of the paper. It is a good way to use off cuts.

 Add a ribbon and you are done. This is the left over ribbon from a previous post as well. Notice the bows and tails are small because I just had enough ribbon to wrap around the box. This is a great way to use the remnants of your ribbon as well.

So you see, you can use your scraps to wrap your gifts and still not break the bank and make your gift look special