small book made of envelopes

I recently made one of my swap friends a small handmade book made out of envelopes. In each pocket (envelope) I put a small surprise... it was so cute, I thought it would be lovely to make another one for someone and get one in return.

You will be making your partner a small book completely made out of envelopes. It is surprisingly not that hard, and if you are creative & up for a challenge, it is a really fun project.

The book will fit inside a standard size envelope (half of A4) and will be cheap to mail. Creativity is key here, there's no really "wrong" or "rights" and it's all about putting your own spin on things.

What to do?

• Make a standard size envelope. Fold it in half, like a book. This is the front & back cover.

• Make another (MINIMUM) 4 handmade envelopes.

• Each envelope should be a different colour/theme/made out of different papers. Craft paper, card stock, magazine pages, mail art, whatever you want to use. Note the envelopes don't have to all be the same size, they can get smaller and smaller, be in different shapes and sizes, etc.

• Fold the envelopes & put the envelopes inside the book, bind them with ribbon, string, tape, etc, they can't be loose. The envelopes will act as pages.

• In each envelope, put a small surprise for your partner. A sticker, a letter, paper scraps, a postcard, atcs, embellishments, anything that can fit.

• How many "pages" aka envelopes in your book you include is up to you, but 4 is minimum. What you make them out of is senders choice; get creative.

• Decorate the envelope book further with stamps, stickers, collage, drawings, paper goods, quotes, embellishments, anything you can think of.

• Put it inside an envelope, include a note for your partner with the swap name etc, and send it! :)

Please put a lot of thought into it and create something you are proud of. Stick to the layout guidelines above & size. As long as there is a front and back cover which is a folded envelope, and inside "pages" made out of envelopes, with small surprises inside for your partner, it is up to you what to do with it! :)

I can't find exact pictures online of what it should look like, but there is tons of inspiration online, on pinterest, there's tutorials on youtube etc. Below are just a few and are not exactly what is expected of you; it is just ideas.

Rating is kept high. If you have 1's or 3's I will be checking on your profile why. I check all profiles, etc., and will be keeping it tight to participate because of the effort involved in this swap. I will ban easily if you don't meet rating requirements to join this swap. If you have any more questions, just message me or comment below.

~ http://lulupu.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/all-about-mini-albums-tutorial-and.html - a mini album.

~ http://feeling-crafty.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/new-mini-book.html

~ http://www.pinterest.com/happyhippo56/mini-albums-envelopes/

~ http://feeling-crafty.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/christmas-planner-for-2010.html

just simply google for more, there's tons on the internet & pinterest!

happy swapping :)