Tiny Project of the Week: Seed Packet

Wintertime doesn't have to be "down time" for gardeners. If you gathered seeds from your plants at the end of the last growing season, you can share them with friends. Putting them in hand-made seed packets makes a charming gift. Making the seed packets is easy, using recycled materials and other things you have at hand.

Here's what you need for the project:

• paper ~ used paper grocery bags work well, or you can use brown kraft paper; if you use old gift bags, the inside of your seed packet can be really pretty!
• cover stock ~ heavier paper for the template, which you'll use again
• x-acto knife ~ or scissors but an x-acto knife is great to have
• ruler ~ longer is better
• scoring tool ~ I like the kind with the tiny ball on the end of a pencil-like stick, but you can use an "orange stick" normally used for manicures
• self-healing cutting mat ~ indispensible for paper crafts
• pencil ~ and a red pencil if you have one
• artist tape ~ optional; can use blue painters tape if it helps
• colored pencils, fine Sharpie ~ or anything you like to decorate the packet

1. MAKE YOUR TEMPLATE
Decide what size you want your finished seed packet to be; in this example, the packet is 2.5" x 3.5" but any size will do. On your cover stock, draw out the main body of the seed packet with a pencil, plus side flaps, bottom flap, and top flap. Save the template to re-use later.​

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2. TRACE AROUND TEMPLATE ONTO PAPER
Trace around the edge of the template, then use a red pencil to angle the edges of the side flaps and bottom flap; this makes folding cleaner. draw the round-cornering on the top flap. Note: You'll want to score where the folds are before you cut out the packet; do the scoring on the outside ~ the "good side" ~ of the paper.
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3. DECORATE THE PACKET
This can be done now, or after the packet is assembled. I like to do it at this point, before cutting and gluing, because the paper lays flatter. Your decoration can be drawn, painted (if the paint doesn't buckle the paper), stamped, colored with pencils, or you can glue things to the packet. (Remember to leave a clear space where the flaps overlap.)

4. FOLD AND GLUE
Turn the paper over to the (blank) inside, put a thin bit of glue on one of the side flaps, fold in the other flap, and press the glued flap down. Be sure that none of the glue seeps inside; this will ruin the packet. Then, glue and fold up the bottom flap. That's it ~ your seed packet is done!

A NOTE ABOUT GLUES & ADHESIVES
For paper crafts, some glues are better than others. You want glues that won't wrinkle the paper. I like the Scotch scrapbooker's glue shown here. Some glue sticks work well and don't wrinkle the paper, but the adhesion will be less strong, and you don't want your seed packet popping open! Spray adhesives are great when you need to cover a large area. Choosing the right glues and adhesives for paper crafts will be covered in more detail in a future post.

HOW TO CLOSE YOUR SEED PACKET
After you add the seeds, you can seal the packet with a dot of glue on the top flap. Or, you can get fancy and punch a hole through the closed packet and run a ribbon or twine through it; this is a nice technique if you want to tie the seed packet to another gift.

WHY YOU'LL WANT TO BOOKMARK THIS POST
Now that you know the way to make a seed packet, the same steps work well for making any sort of envelope. Here are some ideas:

• holder for a gift card
• envelope for a greeting card
• holder for the recipe for a baked gift
• envelope for spices or spiced tea mix
• holder for a cash gift

The sky's the limit, when it comes to hand-made envelopes. And people love receiving something you made yourself. 

Learn more about the humble marigold; click here.

Did you miss the last Tiny Project? It's here.

Kim Phillips | Striver-in-Chief
​Tiny Creative House
©2016 Kim Phillips | Tiny Creative House