Glassine envelopes(the little opaque ones)are available by mail at Gardens North.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gardens North

Hi, You can try Krystl Walek at www.gardensnorth.com for glassine env. or I've bought the small zip bags at "dollarama" in the notions section. Rai

I meant to add,
When searching for seed envelopes......under the search area check off "Entire Eites" rather than "This Forum" and you'll find patterns for a simple folded origami envelope....and pattern printouts which you cut and paste.....if this is your thing that is??? Sorry to be so vague but I can't remember what forum this was from, WinterSowing maybe.

great gardening, Justine

I get my zip-lock baggies at Dollarama - they're in craft items section in my store. They are sold in bags of 100. I've also bought them at Staples, but they charge $5 for a bag of 100.

Those glassine envelopes are probably the best thing to use, but they get to pricey for me - I give out over 300 packets of seeds every year, and I would go broke buying glassine ones! Well, maybe not broke, but it would be too much for me :-)

Wyndyacre - if you can't find any locally, I'll send you a bunch if you want them.

BP

I got some of those little ziplock baggies at a bargain shop that has a rather extensive cheap craft supplies section. They were 99cents for a good hundred or so. Works for me, yup.

Thanks for the info everyone.
I really like the glissine envelopes. Thanks for the Gardens North Website. I wonder if I can find them cheaper in the States, now that I know what to look for?
I've found those sites for printing off the fancy ones, but one could go broke from the price of colour ink and paper for those! They would be nice if you're making little party favours or gifts for friends tho.
Thanks for the offer BP-I'll have to search thru the dollar stores around here for the ziplock bags.
For now, I can use up the box of coin envelopes I bought-they came 250 to a box for about 5.00 American. The same box was 12.00 in a Canadian Staples!

I guess I'm really cheap!Like the rest of the world there isn't a day that goes by when the mailman doesn't bring me a credit card application or mail from a charity looking for money. I save all the return envelopes (right now I have a couple of hundred in stock) and make seed envelopes out of them by sealing them shut and cutting the size I want off either end. Just fold the top shut and voila! I can also write info on the resulting envelope which is legible and large enough to read unlike the smaller glassine or plastic. Let's face it, I'm frugal. Pam

I've done that for big amounts of seed, and seeds that have some amount of fluff on them. I also keep those envelopes in my handbag for when I come across some seeds I can take. I learned the hard way that I shouldn't just stuff a milkweed pod into by bag :-)

There's a huge difference in how much stores will charge for the same thing, but $12 for a box of coin envelopes seems to be way out there! I hardly ever shop at staples anymore since I can get pretty well all the smaller ticket items somewhere else cheaper. Even packs of padded mailers are twice as much there as at my local stationary store!

Caveat emptor I guess!

BP

I've bought the really large padded mailers at the dollar store for 1.25 each, then cut them up and tape them into the size I want. I can get 6 envelopes out of one 17"x12" envelope.

I get the mini ziplock bags at Dollarama as well. They seem to be the cheapest place. I also recycle envelopes .. hate to throw them out if they can be used for something else. I have a collection of printable envelopes on my personal website. I agree it can get expensive to print of lots of them. I also have some smaller tags on my website that can be attached to the zip lock bags.

Here is a link that might be useful: Country Roads Gardens and Crafts

I buy a box of 50 small mailing envelopes at Dollarama and use those. There's room to write all over them and I don't have to worry about the plastic sealing in too much moisture. They will also stand up in a box, for filing. They can be cut in half, if needed, for smaller seeds, but this makes them harder to file with the others.

Here I go, raving about this woman's site again. I can't help it: when I find someone who sells a LOT of high-germination rare seeds for VERY little (and is a good person and great resource), I just want to broadcast.

I guess that makes me a gardener.

Anyway, Diane's site has little Glassine envelopes at $1 for 20. I'll post the link down below. I usually spend $5 for a hundred, and that lasts forever. I use them for the teeny seeds, and just plain coin-envelopes (a couple of sizes) for the larger ones.

She's in the USA, which is a bit of a pain in that you have to wait a week or so.

Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: glassine seed envelopes

What a great site Diane's Seeds is-I'll soon be ordering some stuff. And she provides a link to the Herbarium if you need more than 400 glassine envelopes. They sell 1000 for $28.65. That would keep someone going for a while! hehe

I make my own out of parchment paper. I fold them like oragami out of 14 x 14 cm square pieces. This works well for postal requirements as they fit through the sorter.

Goatgirl, I bow in awe at your manual dexterity (no, I'm not being sarcastic...I know it's tough to tell sometimes when you read someone's typing). I've TRIED to make my own little envelopes for various things, and I end up with lopsoded messes. Or I've torn them and tried to mend them with tape or (once - what a goopy mess!) with glue.

Come to think of it, that pretty much describes my origami attempts too. :0)

Did you find or create any special pattern? It sounds like it would be a good trick to learn.

Here are instructions and diagrams for origami envelopes that I adapted from patterns posted on the web:

double flap envelope (very secure)

top-flap envelope (easier, faster, good for large seeds)

- Bev

Those are really good sites, with nice clear instructions. Thanks, Bev! :-)

for those that like to make their own bags use the Glad press and seal wrap. Cut a stip the size you need put seeds inside and lay a strip of paper with name of seeds on top and press over and seal. It wont go anywhere, you have to cut it open to get the seeds out. You can do the same thing when mailing cuttings to keep them moist. Make a pouch big enough for cuttings, put wet paper towel around ends to keep moist and seal. Put in mailing box and send on its way. Works wonders,

I just bought a box of clear, ziplocs at Michael's Arts&Craft Store today. A box of 175 cost me $2.99 plus tax. They are in the jewelry making section. The size is 2x 3 3/4 inches..perfect for most seed trades. I have never had any large seeds so don't know if they would fit or not. Do you have a Michael's, A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby, or Walmart near you? Try going online and look for them. With the cost of gasoline now days, it's sometimes cheaper to pay for the shipping cost as to drive 20 miles out of your way or running all over town to find something. Not to say more convenient.

We are an envelope manufacturer, we specialize in small envelopes such as coin envelopes in white and natural kraft. We also manufacture special seed envelopes with a double fold in all corners so no spillage will occur.

You can view our website at www.precisionenvelopes.com and click on the contact info for orders.

Here is a link that might be useful: Precision Envelopes