Arts & Crafts

Crafts That Recycle Greeting Cards

The beauty and charm of holiday greeting cards and those of other occasions make them special.  We often keep them out of sentiment and because of the person who thought to send them.  But what if you could recycle them into beautiful, original items that would forever remain in your home and décor?  Following are some ways to transform greeting cards into new items.

Perhaps the most direct way to reuse holiday cards is to use the card fronts as large gift tags or place cards.  Simply cut off the front of the card (perhaps with deco edge scissors) and use them as ribbon hang tags on gifts.  Special areas of the card fronts can be cut out and glued to tent-folded place cards for extra pizzazz.  Use small embroidery scissors or nail scissors to cut closely to detailed areas or simply cut the general shape around an item/object.  Add a bit of glitter or decorative tape and you are ready to set the table for guests.  Either of these ideas is easy, fast, economical and quite striking.  No two are alike.

Cut out the scenes and attach ribbon hangers to create unique tree ornaments.  For the adventurous, use cutouts from card fronts as decoupage material.  To do decoupage, glue carefully cut out shapes/images to painted gift boxes, clear votive candle holders (or larger ones, too), blank greeting cards to create your own personal holiday cards, table tops or lamp shades…almost any surface that can be decorated can be decoupaged.  Be careful to use enough glue to hold the cutouts flat, but not excessive amounts.

To make round decoupage tree decorations, start with clear glass or plastic ornaments.  Select an adhesive that will perform on your chosen surface.  To make the cutouts lie as flat as possible, carefully peel the bottom layer of paper off the back of the shape.  One way to help with this is to lightly moisten the back and then “roll” the fibers off.  Use care because the paper is easy to tear.  Once the extra fiber is removed, it is more flexible and easier to lay flat against curved shapes.  Slightly damp cutouts can be applied with adhesive, smoothed with your finger, and allowed to dry.  Once dry, coat with a clear acrylic varnish or painting medium to protect the surface.  Apply this coating smoothly and lightly.  This same method can be used to decorate the outsides of vases, clear storage jars, the backs of serving plates and platters and much more.  It also offers the chance to use this method for occasions other than Christmas—birthdays, grandparent gifts, teacher gifts anytime is good.

Another quick and fun project is to craft small gift boxes from greeting cards.  Use the front half of the card to make the top of the box by making angular cuts at the corners and folding the edges to form the lid.  Use the back of the card for the bottom of the box.  Start by trimming 1/8 inch from all sides of the card back and then duplicate the angle cuts and fold like the top.  Because you started with a smaller master, the box bottom will be small enough to fit within the top.

So whether you use the cards in a fast track, easy method or decide to collect several and invest more time in the project, you have lots of options to have fun.  And any of these craft ideas is inexpensive, yet impressive.  Let this holiday season start a new artistic expression for you.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 19 No. 3 — January 2009