envelope book tutorial

{this tutorial is pretty much "bare bones"...just for directions and order of steps. I'm sure your books will be soooooooooo much prettier than my hurried one! I didnt' have time to personalize or even really decorate this one! But at least you have the instructions to follow.}

Supplies needed:
2 pieces chipboard, precut to 4-1/2” square (I used cereal or cracker boxes and that weight works great)
2 sheets decorative paper, 6”x6”
2 sheets of cardstock, 4-1/2” square, or slightly smaller
2 pieces of ribbon, 10” each, 2 pieces 7” each
1 piece cardstock, 8”x4-1/4”, scored 1” from ends and at ½” intervals between
1 piece decorative cardstock, 4-1/4”x8”
6 envelopes, sealed, trimmed at one end to desired height
Cardstock or tags cut to fit inside envelopes
Tabs, if desired
Double stick tape
cardstock and embellishments to decorate front of book and envelopes/inserts as desired

{these are the dimensions of the book I made. You can easily adjust them to another size according to your needs. I like this size because it works well for the size envelopes available here, which are slightly longer than a US standard size invitation envelope.)

1. Center a cardboard piece on your decorative paper. Fold the corners in first, then fold each side in. Use a small piece of double stick tape to attach each side. Do the same on the other piece.

2. Center covers on the paper that will be your outside center binding (spine), leaving about an inch space in-between in the center. Put double stick tape on the inside edge of your cover, and on all edges of the binding. Stick covers to binding. Fold excess paper over, and stick on to inside covers.

3. Fold your scored piece of cardstock accordion style. Put double stick tape on the back on each side (outside first fold), and attach to inside edges of covers, matching the edge of the cover to the first fold.

**if you want to decorate the cover of your book with name plates, brads or eyelets, or anything else that requires punching through your cover, now is the time to do that, so that the backs will be covered by your cardstock liner.

You can also use ribbon to cover the 'seam' of your spine piece - line it with double stick tape and adhere to book, wrapping around to the inside. Grosgrain ribbon works really well for this.

4. Put double stick tape around every edge of the cardstock liner. Attach to cover. Repeat on other side.

5. Find center of the cardstock you will use for your liner paper (to line covers), and attach ribbon with double stick tape. If your ribbon is only patterned on one side, be sure to tape it so the pattern will show to the outside when the book is closed. Put a piece of wide double stick tape over top of the ribbon to secure it. Match up your liners back to back to position the second ribbon.


6. Decorate cover(s) and envelopes however you like. You can decorate the front and back of each envelope if you want – but remember if you decorate the back that ½” of it will be hidden in the accordion ‘spine’, so don’t go too far over to the right edge. If you want to use tabs on an insert in each envelope, determine the position and add them before you put your envelopes in the book!

7. Put double stick tape along the right side of the back of each envelope. Attach to left side of each “mountain fold”.