Call us old fashioned, but in our books there is nothing quite as heart-felt than receiving a hand-written letter in the post. Whether penned to a long-lost friend or loved one, we are calling on this treasured past-time and encouraging you to put pen to paper once more! With a little help from our friends at Gift Frippery, they are on hand to show you how to craft your very own decorative envelope to carry your penned note…

With an array of Laura Ashley wallpaper of my choosing, crafting your own envelopes is a fabulous way of using up your left-over wallpaper ends. A simple idea and very straight forward to create…

You will need:

– Wallpaper (we picked the Aviary Garden design)

– Scissors

– Pencil

– Old envelope

– Ruler

– Glue or Double Sided Tape

1) Start by taking an old or spare envelope that you like the shape of, we love to experiment with different sizes as some envelopes seal on the side where as some are more traditional!

2) This envelope will then act as your template, simply take the envelope apart and lie flat on your chosen wallpaper. We have picked the elegant Aviary Garden design, that features a charming bird print.

3) Then taking your pencil, lightly trace the outline of your envelope onto the wallpaper. With larger print designs, we recommend that position the template on the correct side of the wallpaper so you can judge what part of the design will feature on the front facing side of your envelope, this way you have a better chance of getting favourite features in the right place!

4) Carefully cut out your envelope template and then following the folds on your original envelope, start making careful creases using a rulers.

5) Using glue or double sided sticky tape, stick your envelopes sides and bottom together.

6) All thats left to do is pen your letter and fold it snugly inside!

If you are going to post your envelopes you might want to plan a pale piece of the pattern on part of the front so you can address them easily. However, I love to use hand-made envelopes for birthday cards, vouchers or notes in person. You could even try creating a set and tying them together with pretty ribbon!

For more ideas on gift wrapping and crafts please visit www.giftfrippery.co.uk

Browse the Laura Ashley range of wallpapers here.