It seems such a waste to throw your old Christmas cards in the recycling bin when there are lots of creative, crafty things you can do with them instead. Here are my family’s three favourites…
- Make gift tags for next year
This is my favourite way to recycle old cards, as it’s so quick and easy. Simply cut out characters such as Santas, snowmen and Christmas trees, make a hole the top using a hold punch, and then thread through a length of thin ribbon. Thicker cards are the best choice for this one, as the tags will stay flatter. - Get the kids to make festive pictures
This one is a great idea for keeping little kids busy for a few hours, and is also perfect for recycling other Christmas bits and pieces. Be warned, it is a bit messy, but lots of fun. Collect together all your old cards, plus any leftover wrapping paper, the shiny bits from used crackers and any used bows and gift tags. Buy some A3 sheets of coloured sugar paper and some PVA glue. Next, get your kids to each pick their favourite Christmas card and cut off the back part with the message, so they’re just left with the picture. Get them to stick the card right into the centre of a sheet of paper.
Once they’ve done that, they need to decorate the frame. Give them some child-friendly scissors and show them how to cut out smaller characters, shapes and messages from other old cards, gift tags or wrapping paper. These can then be glued around the picture to make a colourful frame. Any gaps can be filled in using old bows and the shiny bits from crackers – the idea is to cover the whole sheet of paper. They can get really creative with this, using scrunched up tissue paper, ribbons, glitter… whatever you’ve got to hand.
Display the final pictures proudly on your fridge or on their bedroom walls, or even better get them to give them to their grandparents!
- Make Christmas cards for next year
Why not save some money next year by making a supply of personalised Christmas cards from this year’s? The easiest way for a beginner to make these look professional is to buy a card making kit. You’ll probably find lots of Christmas themed ones in the sale right now.Use sharp scissors to cut out a character or a festive scene from an old card and stick it onto one of the blank cards from the kit. It’s worth spending some time cutting it out carefully and accurately, keeping as close to the edges of the shape as possible. Then stick on some of the bits and pieces from the card kit to complete the card. Finally, use a gold or silver coloured pen to write festive messages on the card.
