Before you start taking down all the holiday stuff, I needed to get in this post on what to do with some of the Christmas Cards you have. There are some interesting ideas on the internet, including one of ornaments made of circles folded this way and that, angels made by cutting out a pattern, and other things, but all that was a bit complicated for right now. Maybe I can save some cards out and try those later, but for today, I wanted to show some quick ideas that don’t need a lot of prep.
First, do you have any gift bags around with store names on them?
Use a cut-out from a Christmas card to cover the logo. Now you have gift bag you can re-use.
Then I had this tri-fold card. I cut the middle into strips, and I’ll use the front on a gift bag.
I cut a long, thin strip with the candies, then put it through the embosser to give it some interesting texture. It took two runs to get all of the strip embossed.
Mounting the strip on a white background, I have a lovely bookmark to add to a book gift next year. Or to use myself now. I usually have multiple books going at once, and there are lots of recipes in cookbooks I bookmark to make later.
I stamped the word ‘friendship’ on the back. You could put any sentiment you like there.
The next card was narrow and wide, so I cut out the motif in the middle.
It was wide enough for two bookmarks, this time with ‘Thank You’ on the back.
This card had a beautiful sentiment inside, so I carefully cut it out leaving space all around.
Punch a hole in the upper left corner and thread a pretty ribbon through. Now you have a gorgeous gift tag for a special gift next year, with plenty of space for a To and From.
This card had a lot of potential, so I challenged myself to get the most out of it.
Begin with cutting the front side of the card away from the back side. Then keep cutting bookmark and gift tag shapes.
Ten bookmarks and gift tags from one card! The inside had a nice green border which I turned into an accent stripe. Stamping flowers on some means I have gift tags for birthdays or other gifts. I mounted the sentiment inside on a piece of cardstock, which will make a nice bookmark for DH. I punched holes in the gift tags to add ribbons.
For the Smile bookmark, I stamped the word on the beige section then punched a hole in the center top. I threaded a ribbon through the hole as it made it a bit fancier.
With this next card, I saw a lot of opportunities to use my punches.
The trees, deer, and snowflakes made cute elements for a hand crafted card next year. Using the ornament punch, I centered a snowflake, punched out the shape, then mounted it on a bit of solid red cut from another card for a place card. Using the scalloped circle punch, pretty elements of pine boughs will dress up a hand made card next year.
Check out today’s Flash Sale at Fat Quarter Shop with my affiliate link.
Amazon FreeTime Unlimited Free Trial
Thought about becoming an affiliate for your blog? Click on ShareASale!
Thank you for using my affiliate links when you can. See my full disclosure HERE.
Lastly, sometimes you get a card that is just so cute, it needs to be a permanent addition to the decor. In that case, frame it. These dogs are just precious in their Christmas pageant.
Somewhere I have one of Airedale dogs singing into microphones with Christmas sweaters on. It is beyond cute, and I am absolutely certain I would never throw it away. I really need to find that before all the Christmas decoration boxes are packed up, and frame it so I don’t lose it.
So, don’t throw away those cards! Recycle them into other projects. And know that you can recycle any kind of card, so keep the birthday and anniversary cards, Easter and Halloween, and any other card you receive. Bookmarks, gift tags, place cards and new cards can be quickly made from recycled cards.
Have you recycled cards into other projects?
My blog is a variety of subjects, quilting and sewing, tablescapes and recipes, book reviews and hand stitching, crafting and mountain living. I love to have new followers, too! See the buttons on the sidebar to follow by your favorite method. If you are visiting from Hometalk, Fave Quilts, All Free Sewing, Pinterest, a link up site, or just found me, please stay a bit and have a look around, my tutorials are gathered at the top in pages to make them easy to find. Lots of fun is had here, and I invite you to follow with any of your favorite methods. Follow by email so you won’t miss my annual Autumn Jubilee event in October with lots of projects and tutorials though the month with a great line up of giveaway sponsors. You can see last year’s event by clicking on the category Autumn Jubilee on the sidebar. Click on the Home page to see the latest posts on the blog.
From My Carolina Home 
Great ideas…all of them. LIke the gift tag idea best. Thanks for sharing this!
Very clever ideas
Really great ideas, Now I am sorry I have thrown some out.
Very creative and fun idea, thank you.
Those are some really neat ideas. I will definitely use the gift bag trick. Thanks.
Good morning! A nice way to start my day here – feeling a little under the weather, so trying out my new embosser sounds like just the ticket after all the chaos of Christmas visits! I’ve cut out parts of cards for tags before, got a scalloped punch last year & no card was safe! Other years i made tiny gift boxes with kisses inside for our holiday dinner table! Decided some were just too cute, so poked a nice clean hole in the corner & threaded a small ribbon thru to hang on the tree. We put our year & initials on the back & so a memory was captured! All the best to you & yours for 2017!
You are so clever and yes I have recycled a lot of cards. Made some eggnog cookies and sugar cookies filled with cranberries sauce and gave to my insurance rep. and used a pretty card that had poinsettias
On the front that were embossed, signed my name and added a bow. When I told him what the cookies were he said eggnog was one of his favorite things, that made my day there, it was worth all the baking and wrapping
You and I have probably had a lot of the same ideas over the years and like you I have a lot I have framed and used in groupings.
Have a great day
Phyllis.
Great ideas and just in time before I throw mine out.
I had some cards returned to me this year. I turned them into small gift boxes.
Love all your ideas. Thanks for putting this together for us to save.
Love the gift bag recycle idea very much, as well as using portions of greeting cards….who doesn’t need a dozen or more bookmarks? And cards are too beautiful to throw away. I’m not a card maker, but I can surely use many of your card suggestions and ideas. I have used portions of cards for gift tags in the past,by just using decorative cutting blade scissors. FUN!
Great Ideas Carole!
Happy New Year!🎉
Great ideas and you use stamps too! Happy New Year!
I love your ideas. I have a number of card fronts I’ve saved over the years because they’re just too pretty to just TOSS! Some are worthy of framing, for certain. There are no little kids in my neighborhood (anymore) but it would be something we could pass on to scout troops or a senior citizen group. I’ll have to check out some ideas on Pinterest.
Hi Carole, and thanks for all the lovely Christmas Card ideas. Especially covering the name on the bag and the bookmarks. What kind of glue did you use to stick onto the bag? Rubber cement? Naturally, sadly, I just filled a garbage bag with cards from many Christmas’ past. It is still in the recycle bin, and I don’t think I will go pull them out!! But I will look at this years cards with different eyes! I like the idea of adding a lovely verse or saying to the back of the bookmarks too. Just not sure how to affix…your embosser probably makes quick work of that. Last year at a crafting party at church they took old hymnals (seems a bit sacreligious I know) and traced Angel and snow flake and other seasonal shapes on the Christmas hymn pages, fussy cut out and pasted together somehow and made ornaments. They were interesting, but I like your projects better! Happy New Year!!
Great ideas. I like the bookmark idea and the gift tags. I have a drawer full of old cards I hate to throw out and I’m always grabbing reply envelops and magazine insert cards to use as bookmarks. Pretty card faces would be much nicer. Happy New Year.
So glad I read this post; was getting ready to take down my card tree, so instead of tossing them, will be turning them into bookmarks & tags, etc. Thanks for the wonderful ideas!
Love, love, love. Thanks for the ideas.
Good Morning Carole! Each and every one of your ideas are marvelous! I am so glad that you shared them because it is something I have never considered and they honestly do make great presents, gift tags and book marks. I will be sure to save all of our cards and use them in a variety of ways this year. Thank you for sharing and have a fantastic creative day!
I have made small gift boxes, bookmarks, tags and also reused parts for a new card. I was wondering what kind of paper cutter you are using and where you got your shape cutters and embosser.
I NEVER have enough gift tags! Thanks for this marvelous idea.
All wonderful ideas Carole. I have framed a nice card before, but never thought of your card,gift tag, or gift bag ideas. Thank you for these creative ideas. Happy New Year.
Great ideas ! I will save this year’s cards and put some of your ideas I to production
I love your ideas. I have made gift tags from cards for years, but using the sentiment and not just the picture is genious. I also love the gift bag idea. Thanks for sharing!
Great ideas Carole, I love the gift bag one!
Jenna
So many lovely ideas!
Great ideas…thank you….I just dug my Christmas cards out of the wastebasket! I think there is a “book” in you that needs to be published!!! I’ve been enjoying your “treats” on the Moda Bakeshop site….but I still believe there’s a homecrafting book in you! Happy New Year….I look forward to another year with you.
Great ideas! I’m just about to take my Christmas cards down. I’ve already been eyeing them off, thinking how I can reuse some of them.
I have used cards to cover logos on fancy store bags, but you have so many other wonderful ideas here. Thanks.
Great ideas and I have used my cards for years. I am also using lovely cards as postcards (cut into 4″ x 6″) because I participate in numerous postcard mailings each month. Creative Bliss 2017…
What great ideas Carole. When I saw the card all cut into pieces…..I immediately thought of….quilting! Thanks for all the tips!
Great ideas! I often recycle my cards. Last year I cut images from them into tags to use on gifts this year. Years ago before scrap book supplies were plentiful I would cut them up and use them to add images to my photo pages. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Carole, You have shared some wonderful ways to re use Christmas cards. I have been doing that for years.
Sylvia D.
When I packed away the Christmas stuff I realized that I had been saving cards for at least 3 years. Now I know what to do with them! Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, have a great weekend.
Clever\ reuse of Christmas cards but could be extended to other occasion cards too. Thank you for sharing your ideas with us at Vintage Charm.
Such a clever way to re-purpose those pretty cards! I always give books as gifts and the bookmarks are a fun addition to that and no more buying gift tags either! Thank you for sharing these ideas.
Hi, I am 65 and my grew-up-during-the Depression-Mom had us kids cutting up cards for Christmas tags soon after we could handle scissors! Another thing I do is cut the card up on the fold so that I have a card tag to open. Usually I just cut tags up with my “funky” scissors, especially the Victorian blades; it’s a great in-front-of-the-TV project. One year I was given a bunch of classy white bags with black and white cord handles and a hearing aid company’s logo. I hot glued pointsettia leaves and a flower for a 3 D effect to cover the printing! They were gorgeous. I loved your bookmarks and will keep that in mind this year! I’ve also cut up thin cardboard and punched holes for items I sell; the colors are a lovely contrast. One year I cut up the Chex boxes for the cartoon pictures of people eating Chex mix, an annual gift for lots of family. They made great tags! Won’t mention that the cereal plastic bags (and instant coffee jars) got reused instead of wasting a Ziploc! I love the 3 R’s reduce, reuse, recycle, and my 4th–repurpose!