As a letter
carrier for the
U.S. Postal
Service, I get a
LOT of Christmas
cards! I also
receive them
from friends and
family and it
seems such a
shame to just
throw them away
... not to
mention
environmentally
unfriendly. For
several years
now, I have come
up with
different ways
of re-using or
recycling them.
I even re-use
some gift bags,
leftover foil
wrapping paper,
little pieces of
ribbon attached
to bath/body
sets, etc. You
can save these
items for next
year, use the
winter months
indoors to do
something crafty
with the kids,
or even donate
them to a senior
center for their
use.
Items you will
need:
* Christmas
cards
* Glue stick
* Glitter
* Small pieces
of ribbon,
string, yarn
* Paper hole
punch
* Scissors
* Construction
paper
* Permanent
marker
* Gift bags ...
especially plain
ones
* Foil wrapping
paper
Here are a
few suggestions
of what can be
done with them:
~~~Christmas or
Thank You
postcards~~~
For years, I
have been
donating my
cards to an
elderly lady on
my route that
loves to send
postcards to
everyone on her
prayer list. The
best cards for
this are the
ones that have a
simple saying on
the front, no
embossing (makes
it difficult to
write on the
back) and are
large enough for
the post office
to allow as a
post card. Just
cut the card in
half, flip it
over and divide
the message side
from the address
side with a
line, write your
message, put
postcard stamp
on it ... and
mail! These make
excellent
thankyou notes
for after the
holidays!
~~~Gift tags~~~
Use cutouts from
the front of
Christmas cards.
I use cookie
cutters,
rectangles, or
the whole card
if it is small.
Punch a hole
with the paper
punch and feed a
small piece of
ribbon, yarn or
string through
it. Use marker
to write To: and
From:
~~~Gift bags~~~
Whether you are
thanking a
neighbor with
home-made
muffins (perhaps
for plowing your
drive!) or you
have a family
member with a
winter birthday
... yo! u can
re-use Christmas
cards and plain
gift bags. Just
cut off! the ins
ide of the card
and glue it on
the bag, add
tissue paper or
leftover curly
ribbons.
The green bag
shown here ...
was from a
jewelry store.
I covered the
store name with
the card, added
leftover foil
wrapping paper
(instead of
tissue paper)
and curly
ribbons from a
gift I received.
~~~Scrapbooking~~
Christmas cards
make wonderful
scrapbooking
embellishments!
You can even use
the printed
words inside!
~~~Homemade
Christmas
Cards~~~
Children love to
use your cutouts
to make their
very own
homemade cards.
Use cookie
cutters to make
fun shapes or
use your own
imagination!
- Beckie
