How I make "Bagvelopes" (reusing fast food bags for envelopes)

[Minneapolis Gnome]

Per flattering request, this blog entry is about how I reuse fast food bags by turning them into envelopes. 

After reading it, you may want to start saving your fast food bags, paper bags from the grocery store, the paper they put on your plastic tray while eating in and any paper sandwich wrappers which come out clean enough.

The basic jist of what I do is this:

1.) I cut the bag from top to bottom along the seam.  The seam is where they've glued it together and that's where I make the first cut.  

2.) I then cut off the bottom of the bag at the crease, because I figure all those folds and flappy edges will get caught on postal machinery.  

This leaves you with a sheet of paper to use for your "bagvelope" (coined by res, IUOMA member).

3.) You can make an envelope any way you want from this flat sheet of paper at this point.  You can carefully open an old envelope along it's seams and use it as a template.  Just trace around the outside of your "template" envelope, fold the new envelope where the old one folded and use glue, tape or washi to close it.

You can also make up your own envelope based on the size of what you're mailing.  I keep the U.S. postal definitions of allowable dimensions for a first class letter envelope handy while I'm doing that.  You can go up to 3 ounces    Here's a link:

http://pe.usps.com/businessmail101/mailcharacteristics/letters.htm

This next link says a letter can be 3.5 ounces, but I keep it under 3 so that I'm not pushing it:

http://pe.usps.com/businessmail101/classes/firstClass.htm

If I'm sending something that's 5" x 7" for example, I'm hopefully going to find a non creased part of the bag that's at least 5 1/4" x 7 1/4" and plan around that, including a shorter back to the envelope, a top part to fold over the back and sides to fold over and glue.

EXTRA NOTES:

I take a good look at what is printed on the bag and think about where I want it to land on the final envelope as I'm positioning things.  I look at where the creases already are as well and kind of figure them in so I don't have to make any more extra creases than necessary in the envelope, which keeps the envelope looking crisp.

Most of these papers are easy to draw or paint on.  For slicker surfaces you might not be able to add much except maybe opaque gel pens, i.e. Chipotle burrito wrappers or slick magazine pages, but they're so cool you don't really need to add anything.

[Minneapolis Gnome]

Yay!  Thanks for posting the envelope, res - I'm glad it got there safely and fully intact!  I'm not great at posting 'received' items, which makes me want to buy a used home scanner to rectify that situation...someday...because seeing what they look like once they've gone through the post and arrive is pretty awesome.

Thanks Stripygoose!

[stripygoose]

splendid!!! 

[Minneapolis Gnome]

*HUGS* to res and Stripygoose!  

I have used magazine covers and pages (FinnBadger does this, too) as well as old calendars as well. Any paper is game in my book.  If the paper is thin or a bit fragile, making me worry that postal machines might tear it, I'll add tape to the inside of the envelope along each fold to strengthen it. You could also glue another thin sheet of paper to the first sheet of paper so you have double thickness and even more visual interest when the recipient opens the envelope.  

[stripygoose]

Or books that we're going to the recycle bin - gives them one last fling!