Wednesday, December 26

Recycling Christmas Cards

Hello all,
Now that Christmas has ended, what to do with all the cards and well wishes you received?  Some of them are quite beautiful and interesting!  I usually keep the cards that are written in or handmade, but the others, well those find new life! It's a shame to see them tossed into the trash or recycling bin.

Two ideas that I usually do
1) If the picture part is not written on, I will cut the card apart and utilize the cards as postcards or stationery for letters around the next Christmas season.
2) If the card can be easily taken apart and a new sentiment sheet put in, I will do that and "regift" them next year. 

For other wonderful ideas please check out this link to Martha Stewart Better Homes and Garden really did a good job, but you have to sign up to enter the site completely.
And if you want to go for the gusto!  My Grandma used to make these card bowls and then pack them with small goodies like gift baskets!  I wish we still had one of these, but after a few uses they usually get destroyed.

And for those not up for making new out of old, consider donating them outright to St. Jude's Ranch.  I have gotten my work to do this the last few years and I am proud to say my coworker takes it upon herself to package and send them every year.  Of Course, she always lets me pick through first for the ones I want to recycle.  I have dibs on a few already!

Hope this finds you well and crafty!
-b


 

3 comments:

  1. I love the ideas from Martha Stewart! Most cards I got are from pen-friends, so I'll keep those (for a while). But the cards written to "the family" are available soon.

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  2. I learned to make paper ornaments out of them this year from: http://www.michelemademe.com/2011/11/series-7-ornament-ed-finale-heart-house.html

    I have a photo of the same one they did on my blog, but it inspired me to make my own Eiffel Tower design! (I don't have photos up of that yet.)

    It makes me excited to go to the thrift store to sort through other people's cards to see what else I can come up with.

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