How to Make an Envelope Out of a Small Paper Bag
You can use a small paper bag to make an envelope. The envelope could then be used to send a letter, give to someone with a card inside or to hold documents. This can work in a situation where you may need an envelope quickly and have no standard envelopes. Proper packaging of the envelope can even make it useful as a mailing envelope.
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Instructions
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Smooth the paper bag out on a flat surface. Check the bag for tears or holes; you want a bag with no rips, tears or holes.
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Cut the open end of the paper bag vertically to make the length of the "envelope" smaller if desired. If not, leave the bag as is. To make the length shorter, hold the paper bag sideways, and cut from the bottom of the opening to the top of the opening.
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Insert the letter, card or documents that you will be putting into the paper bag envelope. Ensure that the items fit flat and fully inside the bag.
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Fold down the open end of the bag to create a seal. The items should fit inside and leave about 1/2 inch space between the end of the document and the opening of the bag. Fold down the bag so that the end of the bag opening lays on the back of the bag.
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Tape down the folded-over part of the bag so that the bag does not come open. Place tape down the entire length of each side of the bag. This will help to reinforce the bag and secure the contents. Secure the "bottom" part of the bag, the part the folds flat when a bag is flattened, by taping this part to the back of the bag.
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Tips & Warnings
Get a bag slightly larger than the size of the documents to be put inside the envelope bag. If the bag is thin material, consider running packaging tape across the entire surface of the bag to make the bag water-resistant and tear-resistant.
Failure to secure each corner and side of the bag could result in tearing or damage to the bag and contents. Some post offices may refuse to handle homemade envelopes unless they are properly secured and taped.
