Mini envelope charms are a sweet way to deliver a Valentine’s note or a small gift to someone dear. As little girls, my friends and I were obsessed with stationary and anything miniature. We made mini envelopes and passed tiny notes in class. The outer wrappers of stick chewing gum made perfect self-mailing envelopes and (bonus!) they smelled like mint or cinnamon. This project was inspired by that long-ago fun craft.

Making these envelopes is a great way to reuse small scraps of paper. For this I used:

• Patterned scrapbooking paper
• Old magazines
• Painted newspaper (I originally used it to protect the table from paint, but ended up loving the accidental “art”)
• Patterned paper bags
• Paper place mats
• Garden catalogs

To make the papers sturdier, I painted them with a decoupage glue. This made the papers shiny, thick, and vinyl-like.

• Assorted papers
• Decoupage glue, aka: matte medium (I used Mod Podge)
• Wide paintbrush
• Waxed paper
• Scissors
• Craft knife and ruler (optional)
• White glue
• Hole punch (ideally 1/8″)
• String or cord

Step 1
Spread out some scrap or waxed paper to protect your work surface. Paint one side of your chosen assorted paper with decoupage glue and set it aside to dry on a sheet of clean waxed paper for about 20 minutes. Once it’s dry you may paint the other side (to make the paper sturdier) but it’s not necessary.

Step 2
Cut the papers into long rectangles. Mine were 1 1/2″ x 3″ and larger.

Step 3
Fold the rectangles into three segments. You can eyeball the folds by bringing the two shorter ends over each other and adjusting before creasing. One side will be the pointy flap of the envelope. Take this side and fold the corners inward diagonally to find the center. Unfold and use scissors make two angled cuts along the crease.

Step 4
If you would like to make a slit closure to tuck the pointy side into, use a craft knife to cut a small opening just above where the point of the envelope will lay when closed. Alternatively, you can add a Velcro dot or a heart sticker after sealing the sides. To seal the sides, squeeze a very thin line of glue along the inside edges of the middle section and refold the non-pointy flap over the middle.

Step 5
To add a string for a necklace, hole punch one or both corners of the envelope underneath the flap (approx. a 1/8″ punch).

Larger envelopes are great for carrying small gifts like stickers, jewelry or gift cards. Pop a love letter inside and give it to your special someone.

Happy Valentines Day!