Today we're sharing a tutorial for an eco-friendly gift card envelope. You can use pretty much any rectangular paper that's about 8.5x11" or larger. To have enough width for the gift card your paper will need to be at least 8.5" wide, but the length and the exact ratio doesn't matter much, it'll just change the proportions of your envelope a little. No need for fussy measuring!

Step 1: Get your paper and fold it in half lengthwise. 

Step 2: Unfold, then fold both sides in towards the center crease. 

Step 3: Unfold, and fold the corners in toward the secondary creases just created.

Step 4: Fold the sides in towards the center. 

Step 5: Flip the paper over, and fold up a little past the tip of the triangle. How far the fold is from the tip of the triangle created will depend on the length of your paper. 

Step 6: Fold up the other side, making sure that it overlaps slightly with the other side, and tuck the ends in. Then fold in half. 

Then insert your gift card, and you're done!

The envelope won't stay shut on its own, so you can use washi tape, ribbon, yarn, etc. to close your envelope. You can also use the washi tape to hide the seam of the paper on the outside of the envelope. This is particularly helpful if your paper has a bit of a rough edge.

Below are a few different ones we made, using different recycled papers. You'll notice each one varies a bit in size, but they all fit gift cards. We used brown paper bags, a comic book, part of a vinyl mailer, some scratch paper that has been scribbled on, and a page out of a magazine. Of course, you could also use some nice printed scrapbooking paper too, but we're all about the upcycling!