Thursday, December 9, 2010

Christmas Cards

The last couple days I spent very much of my time getting special greetings and best wishes around in my Christmas cards that was placed in the mail this morning... Most every year we receive Christmas cards and I so love to receive as well as send them. If you need to be budget friendly we certainly could save our cards from year to year. Most of the cards we receive are beautiful winter scenes... They can re-used and enjoyed in so many different ways... Many are on very lovely card stock with beautiful embossing and sparkle.. A favorite vintage way of using cards are from framing a doorway. This can be done by simple taping or placing from a ribbon.. Greenery can also be hung and the cards placed from the greenery for a wonderful display. They then appear to be ornaments of sorts. Cards my also be cut and used as package name tags and accessories... Some cards are lovely for framing and using from year to year... For something fun for kids or older seniors cut cards into puzzle pieces for children to play with or insert inside this years card to be mailed for extra fun.... Many can be created into lovely Christmas tree ornaments and are very child friendly for smaller children or for children's rooms... When having a large gathering old Christmas cards can be cut down into shapes with a cookie cutter as a template and placed on a ribbon as a napkin ring or just placed on table for added color and texture... Cards may always be used in gift wrapping as a budget friendly choice... Brown grocery paper bags cut and used from inside with cutting from cards can be quite lovely.. A card glued to the front of a paper bag for gift gifting works well. The beautiful print in cards should also not be looked over. These are wonderful glued on packages and used in altered art... Using that as inspiration you will be surprised at the ways you can use the lovely printing of these cards... I have made lovely book markers from cards over the years and placed them in cards as a little treat and also used them for favors at a party that was rather large and funds not available... If you take a few minutes and study the card I am sure you will discover that almost all cards will be lovely re-purposed in some way...
ps. I think it would be stunning to punch a hole in the Christmas card and add ribbons and hang from different lengths on a curtain rod creating a window valance of lovely cards.....

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I try to recycle Christmas cards ~ I ustally make tags for gifts with them.
My Nana used to make card baskets like these ~ http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/card-basket.shtml
Thanks for all the ideas!
Hugs))

Andi's English Attic said...

I've saved chosen cards to make into gift tags for the following year. I'm certainly going to jazz them up this year from all the inspiration I've had from blogland. This Saturday is my crafting day. xx

Sandi said...

Lovely ideas Marietta. Some years I keep mine to recycle and sometimes I take them to the post office where they send them to St. Judes to be recycled there. Those beautiful cards should never be thrown out that is for sure!
Blessings~

Unknown said...

Sometimes I also recycle old Christmas cards, turn them into tags, just like Laurie, but I sometimes also just keep them in a special box, waiting for another moment to take a look at them. Have a great weekend, Ira