I am going to give you a few ideas on how to make envelopes. Yes, I said make envelopes. You didn¡¯t realize that sweepstakers went to these extremes did you? You probably just thought we were all lucky.

For those of you who are more creative, the sky is the limit as to what you will be able to accomplish. And for those of you who say you can't even stay in the lines when coloring, I say bologna. We all have a brain, (or at least I hope we do) and one side is logic and the other is creative. We just need to kick-start the creative side a little. Are you ready?

Many of the sponsors state in the rules to send in a #10 envelope, which by the way, is really 4¨û inches by 9¨û inches. You can take any #10 envelope you have, open it up and trace the envelope onto an old folder or piece of cardboard. Just make sure it is a fairly sturdy surface. I use plain old manila folders for my templates. You can purchase packages of construction paper fairly cheap, but if you buy it, make sure the paper is at least 9x12 inches. After tracing your envelope design onto your template, cut out your envelope and fold it, just like your white envelope.

**Tip** When making envelopes, it is much easier if you take the time to trace 50-100 at a time. When you are done tracing all of your envelopes, fold all of them at one time, leaving the closing lip unfolded. As you fold the envelopes, place them under a heavy object to keep them from unfolding. When you have all the envelopes cut out and folded, take a regular #10 envelope, place it against your folded work, and then fold down your last fold. This ensures that your envelope is the correct #10 size. Glue the 2 seams (the sides of the envelope) that you have folded. Now you have your envelope.

To make greeting card envelopes, which can be as big as you want, (but remember they may require additional postage), you can follow the same steps as above. When you make these envelopes, you have to use another paper source besides construction paper, because your normal construction paper sheets are not large enough for the greeting card envelopes design. I have occasionally found extra large construction paper in craft stores, but it is usually quite expensive.

To make sure you are using the correct postage on your odd sized envelopes, get a postal chart, (template) at your local post office. On it, you will see the post office's regulations regarding size and thickness.

There are many products you can use to make your envelopes. Here is a list of some suggested materials: Construction paper, contact paper (keep the back siding on), wall paper, old calendars, large Atlas books, brown grocery paper bags, designer paper for computers, large old children¡¯s books, printed envelope designs from your computer and gift wrap paper.

Designing your own envelopes adds a new dimension to your hobby!

I want to hear from you. Do you have some creative ideas for sweeping? Share your thoughts on the Contests and Sweepstakes forum.

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