6 ways to upcycle greeting cards
4th July 2019 posted in Home Lifestyle
I always feel a bit guilty when it comes to chucking greetings cards in the recycling. But, I don’t have much storage space, and I’m really averse to holding on to any kind of unnecessary clutter. However, many greetings cards are simply works of art. I’ve looked around web and found a few ways to upcycle greetings cards and give them a new life as something fabulous.
1. Notelets or postcards
Just snip off the “written-on” side and keep the fronts for handy note cards. Ideal for when you need to leave a thank-you card or a note for a neighbour. The “picture bits” on greetings cards also make ideal postcards.
2. Ornaments or baubles
This lovely idea comes from Martha Stewart. The ornaments are made from Christmas cards cut into circles and glued together. I’d probably be tempted to add glitter too, but I am a bit of a glitter fiend.
3. Present tags
Old greetings cards are great snipped up and made into new gift tags. Get creative and cut them into shapes – how about anchors, hearts, arrows or birds for non-Christmassy cards? For winter themes, a Christmas tree shape is the obvious choice, but if you’re really handy with a pair of scissors you could do a turkey or a snowflake.
4. 3-D star ornament
This is a lovely one from Jenny Harada. It would work great with Christmas cards, or any type of greetings card. Done with year-round cards, this decoration would make a wonderful focal point for a hallway ceiling. It’s all done by cutting the cards into shapes, to a pattern that you can download from Jenny’s page.
5. Gift box
From Craftypod comes this simple yet handy gift box idea. They work sooo much better than wrapping paper for odd-sized gifts. Full instructions for making the box, along with a detailed series of pictures, are on the Craftypod page.
6. Posh box or basket
If you’re very crafty, you could make one of these fabulous baskets as shown by Jane Lake on Allfreecrafts.com. Though I probably wouldn’t have the patience to sit down and make something so intricate, I really admire those who do! Though there’s a basic pattern available on the site, greetings-card-basketers have got really creative. There’s a whole Flickr group dedicated to vintage versions of the art, in fact. Take a look here.
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