artful thursdays #22....cupcake envelope book tutorial

i might have to call this my artful week...
first i spent the most lovely time at the art nest, then went to my art group last night and now today i am making a sweet little cupcake envelope book to tuck in my purse for my artful thursday.

this is such a fun and easy project. you can make up a whole stack of these little books in an hour. i like that there is a little pocket in the front and back of the book to tuck in a surprise or two.

you will need: 1 envelope, a little stack of paper, a big needle, some string, and a little image for your cover. so the crazy numbers came from a box of subtraction cards i found this week, just felt like cutting them up for the cool numbers....



step 1. fold your envelope in half. cut the flap up the center fold.



step 2. fold the envelope in half with the flap opened. with a pencil mark the cutting lines for shaping your envelope flaps. trim with scissors.


step 3. cut a stack of papers 1/8 inch smaller all around than your envelope. i like to use ledger paper, graph paper, or cute recycled notebook paper. use a corner rounder to round off the corners if you like.


step 4. use a pencil to mark three holes for stitching your book together. thread a piece of string or waxed linen through a large needle. sew your pages in using the pamphlet stitch. here is how to do it.

poke your needle down through the center hole.


poke your needle up through the bottom hole.


poke your needle down through the top hole.



poke your needle up through the center hole again.


now tie the two string ends in a square knot and clip threads.





step 5. decorate the front of your book with a square of cute paper and a cupcake image. i love the cupcakes in this nook and pantry paper pad from basic grey. use an image from a scrapbook paper, piece of wallpaper, wrapping paper, or from a worn out vintage book.


wrap your book up with a bit of ribbon and a tiny pencil for the quickest ever little handmade gift. enjoy, julie