I admit it…  I’m a hoarder.  I keep everything that I might be able to use or recycle later on.

If it’s pretty or cool or unique, it’s somewhere in a plastic bin or a drawer waiting to be reimagined.

Calendars are something we all have.  I’ve been recycling mine as long as I can remember.  Each December, I start eyeballing the soon-to-be-obsolete model wondering what it will be in a month or so.

In the past, old calendars have become post cards and gift boxes.  My favorite by far are envelopes.  Calendar pages, especially really cool calendar pages, make great envelopes!

You’ll need:

• an old calendar, the bigger, the better!
• envelope templates, A and B, printed, cut out and transferred to a piece of lightweight card stock or cardboard
• staple remover
• scissors
• pencil
• double stick tape OR a glue stick
• Blanket mailing labels (optional)

Remove staples from the calendar

Separate pages and tear apart along the crease line

Position the template on a calendar page and trace with a pencil.

You might want to fussy cut here, if part of the page is more interesting than the rest.

Using scissors, cut along pencil lines.

Repeat for all pages.

Fold bottom of envelope up towards top, aligning with the bottoms of the side flaps.

For heavier paper, use your template or a ruler to crease.

Fold side flaps, making sure they’re even with the top and bottom.

Fold bottom flap out.

Place double stick tape on the side flaps, leaving 1/2″ to an 1″ at the top without tape.

Fold top flap down.

Finished envelope from the front.

Optional:  for darker papers, add a self adhesive mailing label.

Repeat until you have a pile of gorgeous envelopes!

For sealing, use double stick tape, a glue stick or fun stickers.

The same template, different calendar.

Same envelope from the front.

Now, what to do with the gorgeous thumbnails on the back of this calendar?

How about buttons!?

If you make this or any sewhooked crafts, I’d love to see a photo!  Email me or add it to the Friends of sewhooked flickr group.

Happy Crafting!

also posted on cut out + keep