Don't throw out your holiday cards yet. I have a few ideas on how to recycle them and create cute embellishments and projects for next year. Save a tree, save some money....and make something your own.

1. Recycled Holiday Cards
Save paper by creating next year’s gifts
and décor with this year’s cards

2. Recycling Holiday Cards
Each year I receive so many beautiful cards for the
Holidays. In addition, I LOVE post-Christmas
sales on stationery and other crafty supplies.
Here are some ideas on how you can utilize this
year’s cards for future gift giving.
A lot of these are kid-friendly…..great for a snow
day.
And you are saving paper from being wasted.
Here are some ideas:

3. Gift Tags and Garland
You will need:
• Holiday cards
• Scissors – plain and decorative
• Raffia, ribbon, twine
• Hole Punch
• Glue
• Shipping/price tags (from office supply store)
• Index cards / jar tops – any shape you may
want to use as a cutting template

4. Gift Tags and Garland Supplies

5. Gift Tags and Garland Steps
• Choose image you want to use, for round
shapes I like jar tops
• Center your jar top around image, draw and
cut out
• Use hole punch on top of image (not too close
to the edge so it doesn’t rip)
• Thread raffia/twine/ribbon through hole.
• That’s it – you can change it up by cutting out
with decorative scissors for a different look

6. Gift Tags and Garland

7. Gift Tags and Garland

8. Gift Tags and Garland

9. Gift Tags and Garland (other ideas)

10. Gift Tags and Garland
HINT: Using
decorative
scissors will
give you a
totally different
look

11. Gift Tags and Garland
HINT: Instead of using
as gift tags, string them
together for a fun
garland for the tree or
to decorate around the
house. Great project
for the kids to help with.

12. Gift Tags and Garland
Using pre-made shipping or price tags from the
office supply store makes quick and easy work
out of creating your own gift tags.
Position the tags around the images you want to
capture and mark the reserve side of the card
with an x.
Glue down the labels, cut around and you are
done. Great if you like your gift packaging with a
theme.

13. Gift Tags and Garland – Precut labels

14. Gift Tags and Garland
• There are some cards that the entire card can
be cut up to create various sizes of gift tags.
And it doesn’t matter how you cut them
out….each tag/each image works on its own
but creates a beautiful theme for your gift
giving.

15. Gift Tags and Garland

16. Recipe Cards
• I love gathering up family recipes for the
holidays and here is a cute way to make your
own.
• You will need:
• Holiday Cards/index cards
• Ribbon
• Recipe blanks (download for free from the
internet)
• Scissors/glue
• Plastic box

17. Recipe Cards

18. Recipe Cards
• Lay out index card on to holiday card to insure
you cut out the imagery you want.
• Glue card on to front of index card and recipe
blank on back.
• HINT: Use heavier card stock when printing
and laminate if possible.

19. Recipe Cards

20. Recipe Cards

21. Recipe Cards
• Wrap in ribbon or raffia for a quick hostess
gift.

22. Recipe Cards
• To make your presentation even a little more
ooh and aah, use an inexpensive plastic box.
Wrap your cards in tissue paper and apply
some decorative tape and ribbon.

23. Recipe Cards

24. Postcards
• Use this year’s cards as postcards for next year.
• Look up the sizing requirements on usps.com
for postcards to insure you make the correct
size.
• Free downloads of postcard blanks are
available on a google search.
• Lay out, cut out and you have cute postcards to
send next year.
• HINT: If you have, print postcard blank on
heavier cardstock for durability.

25. Postcards
Cut out card to size
Cut out postcard
blank to size
Send off your
postcard to Santa!

26. Sachets
• I fell in love with this card design during my
annual post-Christmas shopping craziness.
• They felt very Victorian to me so I thought they
would be adorable filled with potpourri.

27. Sachets
• For each sachet you will need:
•
-2 copies of each card
•
-Scissors/glue/ribbon/pins
•
-Potpourri (Christmas after shopping great
deals here too!)

28. Sachets Supplies

29. Sachets Steps
• Glue together , back to back, two of the cards.
• Glue around the sides and the bottom, leaving
the top open.
• While drying, poke pinholes around the cards
– pick places where the holes won’t be too
noticeable.
• Punch a hole through the tops of each.
• Fill with potpourri and thread ribbon through
the top.
• As an added gift, give the person additional
potpourri so they can refill it.

30. Sachets

31. Sachets

32. DIY ART
• Some cards are just so beautiful I want to treat
them like little pieces of art.
• For this example you will need:
•
-Blank Canvas
•
-Card
•
-2 complementary background papers
•
-Scissors/glue/ribbon

33. DIY ART Supplies

34. DIY ART
• Cut out first background paper and glue onto
canvas front.

35. DIY ART
• Glue card onto second background paper and
cut out (leave approximately ½” around each
of the sides

36. DIY ART
• Add the card with the background paper to
your canvas

37. DIY ART
• Glue ribbon onto the back of canvas and
you have an easy way to create some home
art to give or keep for yourself.

38. From my family to yours, may your New Year be filled
with health, joy, and creative opportunities.
Thank you for reading my blog and please send me
any ideas for projects and I would love to incorporate
them.
Remember, we all are creative in our way and look for
the beauty in the everyday.
Patti Hodder
PattiStudio

39. With just a couple simple supplies, you can create one-of-a-kind
cards and gifts for your friends and family. The only limit is your
imagination! For more ideas and hints on bringing creativity into
your daily life visit my blog, “The Everyday Muse” @
www.pattistudioblog.blogspot.com.
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