Want to know what to do with Christmas cards after the holidays are over? Want awesome ways to recycle Christmas cards and Christmas wrapping paper for other purposes? Check out the following ideas!
Save those old cards during the holiday season so that you can turn them into Christmas crafts! This is the perfect way to make the cards from last year, new and unique. Here are some of the most popular ways to reuse old Christmas greeting cards!
Even though I am not one to be exceptionally crafty, or decorate much for any holiday beside Christmas, as I think crafts can be tedious, I am frugal and I love reusing and recycling objects I already have in order to save money. That’s why I loved learning about some truly awesome ways to reuse and recycle Christmas Cards and recycle wrapping paper too.
For a Church activity recently, I was asked to teach the ladies how to reuse Christmas cards to make a fan but I did not love that craft, I scoured the internet for an even better Christmas card craft using recycled Christmas cards: it’s what inspired me compile the following list of ideas and write this post.
Recycling Christmas cards and wrapping paper is both frugal and a great way to beautify your home for free or cheap! I am totally down for that.
The activity I taught the women tonight is how to make a gift box out of an old card, though modifying the directions a little bit. I chose this one to teach because it doesn’t take long to teach (because it wasn’t the only activity taught that night).
The little gift boxes could be used to do advent gifts/boxes for next Christmas. Or, for a small gift or stocking stuffer. The best part is that you can make the box shallower or deeper to fit whatever gift you have in mind to give. Plus, it’s super cute to already have Christmas images on the front and back of the box. No wrapping necessary.
If you want my full instructions on how to do it (I’ve since made several of these little boxes – they are super easy!) check out my DIY Christmas gift box post.
Below is the list I compiled of things to do with used Christmas cards. I used various sources and cited tutorials for projects that need more than a brief explanation. Google for more ideas if needed or search Pinterest. My favorite ones were pretty much all of the ones from the Better Homes and Garden website. All the images are linked to their original sources.
How to Reuse & Recycle Old Christmas Cards
Simple things to do with old Christmas Cards:
1. Cut off the back of the card and paste in a blank card and reuse it and resend it.
9. Upcycle your cards with some extra paper into a cute Christmas card note pad.
16. For photo Christmas cards you hate to throw out, create a ringed album!
Crafty Things to Do With Old Christmas Cards:
1. Christmas Card Ornaments. Click on the image to get the tutorial.
2. Make a Crocheted Greeting Card Bowls and other crocheted crafts. Find tutorials here:
5. Create a Christmas Card Tree with a dowel rod and foam core base.
8. Stitch four cards together to create candle luminaries.
Even though the craft I led was on how to reuse Christmas cards, I immediately thought about the other big holiday waste: wrapping paper.
I pretty much always save gift bags and tissue paper I receive from various occasions (because they’ll come in handy to re-gift someday and save me, what I think is an outrageous amount of money, for a floppy bag and super thin tissue paper). But, I never do anything with the leftover wrapping paper from the holidays, even though my husband is a fastidious gift opener.
To keep the ideas going, I looked up ideas and ways to recycle wrapping paper pieces and scraps too! My favorite ones are making bows and ornaments: they are so pretty!
What to Do With Christmas Wrapping Paper
Ways to Recycle Wrapping Paper
4. Create a Holiday Wreath with left over scraps and a coat hanger.
13. Create your own gift bows.
16. Weave the wrapping paper together to make fun wrapping paper bowls:
What are some other Christmas card craft ideas?
Now that you know what to do with old Christmas cards, let’s think outside the box on other ways that you can use beautiful greeting cards and put them to good use. I think that using them for scrapbook paper is always a fun idea – and one of my easiest ways to make greeting card crafts.
You can cut the paper into holiday shapes and just cut them up and put them with the rest of your craft supplies. A recycled Christmas card is useful and an easy way to save money to make something new.
What are some old Christmas card crafts for kids?
Have them create holiday placemats using the cards! This is an excellent way for them to share holiday greetings by using up a lot of cards. They can cut up the cards people have mailed, and then glue the pieces onto a bigger piece of paper. All that you have to do then is laminate it so that it’s good to go.
This is one of those Christmas card projects that shows the kids that using old greeting cards and old holiday cards can easily be turned into new uses! And it’s also a beautiful way to display holiday decorations.
What have you done to reuse and recycle holiday goods? Did you like any of the ideas I shared? Which ones are your favorites? Did you even do one of them?! I would love to hear about it!
robbie at going green mama says
We have always reused cards for the next year’s labels. Also dresses up gift bags too.
Sally Ferguson says
Wide variety of ideas!
I am looking for ways to reuse cards from my parents’ 40th & 50th anniversaries, and having a hard time letting go. I also have cards from their wedding 54 years ago, and trying to find a way to make a wedding book for my son & his bride to be. Tips appreciated!
CarrieB says
Thank you for these ideas!! I save the return address labels from the holiday cards we receive, and use a glue stick to affix them to the middle of the following year’s envelopes so I don’t have to address them. Saves a little paper, saves me some printer address labels, and seems personal somehow. Plus no errors!
Katelyn Fagan says
ha ha. That is a great idea!
Debbie says
This is by-far the best group of ideas to recycle cards that I have seen so far. Thank you!
Ponygirl says
I like to laminate the card, put a notch on the top and bottom of the center fold and wrap a stretchy cord along the center. I take plain or lined paper folded in half ( like book pages) and slide them under the cord. Taking another length of stretchy cord, I loop it on to the first cord, then knot the ends together as a closure for my new memo pad. I like to keep it by my fav chair as a handy place to jot down notes. When full, I replace the pages with new.
Thanks for your fun ideas.
Eileen harlach says
Do you have a pattern for the tissue box cover made out of Christmas cards? I would gladly pay to purchase this pattern. Thank you.