Lined Envelopes With Japanese Tissue…

Nancy in New Jersey made these, and so can you! As part of our Share Your Creativity program, we are featuring Nancy’s Tissue Lined Envelope Project. She was intrigued when A, she saw our Japanese Tissue Paper, and B, she read our step by step blog article on how to custom line your envelopes with specialty paper. After her envelopes were finished and sent out, Nancy took time to talk to us about her creative process. The transcript of that telephone interview follows:

What was the inspiration behind custom lining your own envelopes and had you ever lined your own envelopes before?

I have never lined envelopes before or done anything like this. My inspiration was looking at lined envelopes that were available, even on your web site. I had ordered some to look at and they’re lined about an inch below the area where you open the envelope and if it’s a dark color lining—I had picked two colors that were in the purple family and they were sort of dark—and if you were to take out your invitation, you see the line. I was looking for something that would look a little more elegant. Even though the lining colors that I had asked for were lovely, I was not happy that you could see where the lining ended. So the idea to line an envelope only came out of desperation from not liking what was available. When I saw on your web site that you had a tutorial on how to line your own envelopes, I felt that I could handle that. I looked at the article carefully and decided that I could take this on.

What type of event were these envelopes for?

This is for my daughter’s wedding.

Oh great! How did you decide on the Kingin White Japanese Tissue Paper as your liner?

I loved it. It was one of the paper samples that I had sent to the house. It connected in with some other handmade things that I was working on for the wedding. I painted on silk for the very first time to make their wedding canopy and this particular paper had some silk threads though it. When I read the description of that and then when I saw it in person it caught my eye and I thought that it would be a nice way to connect in with the silk stuff that I worked on. So now they have a silk Chuppah and they have silk lined wedding envelopes!

And all this means you’re extremely busy so I thank you for taking the time. I appreciate it.

Yeah, the invitations went out and that’s why I have the opportunity to call you! (laughter)

You were very helpful when I was sitting there looking at the paper and not sure which side really is the nicer side (or that side that’s supposed to be face up) and it made a lot of sense for the textured side to be face up, so that worked out great.

So you followed the tutorial. How did you cut out the liner template?

I made a template just the way it was described on the tutorial. My envelope shape, as you can see in the picture, is a different shape and at first I was concerned that it wouldn’t look nice with the pointed flap but it looks fine and I was happy with it.

Good. You bought your envelopes locally?

The envelopes came with a thermography invitation that we ordered.

Great. How did you cut the tissue paper?

I cut it with the scissors that you see in the picture. They were brand new scissors and I had no trouble cutting them. I actually cut a few at a time once I got brave. (laughter)

That’s good to hear!

I held it together and I sort of cut it the way you would cut fabric where you keep it flat on the table and, well, just the way that I was taught to cut fabric was how I cut it.

Okay. How many custom lined envelopes did you end up making?

Oh, that’s a great question. I don’t know. I stopped counting but I think that it was close to 200.

Wow!

Yeah, it was a big project. (laughter)

Your daughter needs to give you a big hug and a big kiss!

I’ll see her next week at her shower and I think we’ll have that. It’s part of the plan.

So do you have any idea of how many hours you put into this?

It was time consuming. I did it in shifts. I didn’t do it all in one sitting.

You couldn’t.

I would do it again if it was for someone that I love because it was a real labor of love. It was just time consuming.

That Glue Marker was great by the way. That’s why I included it in the picture. It was easy to put on, but it takes a few minutes for each one. (laughter)

You didn’t have any problem with the glue showing through or did you?

No. This glue dried clear and just like it said on the blurb about it, it doesn’t crease the paper or anything like that. It was excellent.

So if someone reads your blog article, would you recommend that they try this?

If they want to have a look that is unique, you’re not going to find these envelopes on the market. And if they have the patience and time to do it, sure!

Has anyone received their invitations yet and commented on the liners?

A few people have received their invitations, in the last few days we’ve been getting the RSVPs back in the mail. A few people have commented on it. Not everybody really notices those things as you know. (laughter) But those who did thought it was very beautiful.

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We’d like to thank Nancy for sharing her DIY envelope liner project with us and with our visitors. As thanks for her participation, she was issued a $25 coupon code toward a future purchase at our specialty paper store LCIPaper.com. If you’d liked this article and have questions about Nancy’s custom lined envelopes, please post a comment.

If you plan to take this challenge on, we suggest you take a moment to view our video on Line Your Envelopes Using Our Acrylic Envelope Liner Template