Lindsay the Frugal Crafter showed how to make the glue that seals envelopes years ago, and I decided I wanted to make it. When I give card sets, I like to make sure the envelopes can be sealed…

After several taste tests, I decided that the envelope glue recipe is as follows:
1/2 cup + one tablespoon Elmers Glue All.   
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/8 cup cinnamon extract

You can always make less of this recipe….If you want to cut it in half, it would be 

1/4 cup Elmer’s Glue All

1/8 cup white vinegar

1 TBSP  cinnamon extract, add more if you hate the taste

Stir until everything is combined and then using a funnel, put it into a bottle with a squeeze lid. If you use all of your glue, you can put it into the old glue bottle..

I went on Aliexpress and found a bottle for 67 cents that should work..here’s the link https://tinyurl.com/yxuovn5x Check the size before you buy it, as it might be too small…

Once you’ve combined your ingredients, put some on the top flap edges of an envelope and let it dry…Once I licked it, it didn’t taste as badly as other envelopes I’ve licked that were made commercially.

To make envelopes for any card, you’ll need 12 x 12″ paper for anything larger than a 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ card (an A2 size card).
Measure your card on the diagonal from the bottom left corner to the top right corner….I first measured an A2 size card that is 6 3/4″ diagonally, and you’ll add 1″ to it, to make      7 3/4″, and you’ll need to cut a square out of your paper that is 7 3/4″.
Once your paper is square, the outside of the envelope should be facedown at this point. You’ll decide what you want to be the outside of the envelope based on if you are mailing it…If you are mailing the envelope, you need the front of the envelope to be easy for the postal workers to read, so a pattern should be in the inside of the envelope...
You’ll put your paper in front of you like a diamond..I always corner round the top corner with my Kadomaru Pro corner rounder from Amazon...I love it…by the way. Lay your card in the center of the diamond, and fold in the sides so they are close to the sides, but not tight. Then rub your folds so you can see them. Pinch in the bottomedges and fold it up to make the bottom of the card, then do the same with the top. On the top corners you’ll see folds where excess paper exists. I use my scissors and trim out the excess..the bottom doesn’t matter as people won’t see that. You might want to cut the center piece that sticks up from the bottom so it’s straight across…You’ll use a strong adhesive on back of the bottom flaps and add your envelope glue to the top edges of the flap. Let it dry before proceeding to the licking phase.
To insert your card, it’s easier to put your card in face down, as any embellishments won’t get stuck on their way in…..
To make an envelope for a 5 x 7″ card, measure diagonally from corner to corner and it’s 8 1/2″….add one inch, so you’ll need a 9 1/2″ square of paper. Follow the same steps as you did for the smaller envelope.

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