Decor: Gift Card Envelopes

I love receiving gift cards for Christmas,--especially if they’re for a specific service, etc.--but let’s be honest, they’re not the most fun to give. Maybe it’s because we feel thoughtless handing someone a piece of paper or plastic? Or maybe because they’re often times given in generic cards, eliminating the fun of unwrapping them? For whatever reason, if you do decide to go with giving a gift card or certificate this year, here’s a fun way to wrap it that shows this gift took just as much thought as the others.

The Shopping List:

Paper Bag (whichever size, I used leftovers from the bag I used for yesterday’s gift)

Glue or Tape

Markers or Paint (I used acrylic paint)

Mod Podge Gloss (optional)

White Glitter (optional)

Ribbon

Hole Punch

Scissors

Paintbrush

Begin by cutting paper down to size for a card, leaving about 3-5 inches of excess in the length. Because I’m making this envelop for a certificate, my envelope will be on the longer side.

Fold up 1-2 inches of paper horizontally, and then fold half of the paper in vertically, followed by the other half to create the back side of the envelope. There should be a tiny bit of overlap with these folds to allow room for gluing or taping down. Glue or tape down. =)

Flip to front side and fold over most of the remaining excess to create a flap. You’ll want to leave enough room for a hole punch to go through without being obstructed by the card.  Fold corners of flap in and trim to create an envelope effect. 

Now for the fun part: decorate the front! I decided to paint a blustery winter day using white mixed with a hint of blue for a base of snow. I let that dry for a few seconds (I patted the snow scene on, so the paint wasn’t thick) and did a quick outline of trees using a darker green followed by a somewhat lighter green to create a more defined branch look. I let that dry for a minute or so and then mixed my snow colored paint with some Mod Podge and white glitter and quickly dabbed over the trees and paper for snowflakes/snow on the trees. None of this is very precise, but it comes together well. Allow to dry.

Hole punch two hole near the top/center of flap, spaced about 1 inch from each other. Put card in envelope and lace some ribbon through the holes, tying into a bow.

Sign envelope, and you’re done! A fun, thoughtful way to wrap a gift card!

5 Days Until Christmas!