It is coming round to that time of year again and guess what that means - Tis’ the season of lots of leftovers! By leftover we do not just mean food; we all are guilty of panic buying Christmas Wall Calendars and Personalised Wrapping Paper thinking we have none left then discovering an abundance of x-mas stock from the previous year. Everyone should be recycling Christmas cards.
Here are our top five most ingenious ways that you can reuse your Christmas Cards
If you are the kind of person that sees the sentimental value of cards, then this idea is definitely for you. Perhaps currently in your loft, there is a box full of the ghosts of Christmas cards past? Or maybe every time you open that miscellaneous drawer in your house (we all have one, full of takeaway menus and dead batteries) to try and find some tape you stumble upon a couple sweet Christmas cards on Recycled Paper that you couldn't bear to throw away. So you could create a scrapbook using your old cards; there are endless approaches that you could have for this.
Firstly, if you want to keep the inner messages of the Christmas cards, a simple approach would be to bind them all together. All you would need for this is a bunch of Christmas cards (preferably the same size) a hole punch, and some ribbon or twine. Start by punching a hole in the cards then all you have to do is thread your choice of string between them and tie a bow - instantly making it into a cute little book of your old cards.
Alternatively, if you have a bit more time and want to make something a little bit more special then this option might be better. You can buy scrapbooks from most craft stores, or you can make your own using giant pieces of craft paper and the tying method from the previous paragraph.
With this scrapbook, you can use Christmas cards of any size so it does not matter if they are A6 or A4. After cutting up the Christmas cards into cute patterns or cutting out the images on them, you can make a collage to decorate your scrapbook. Then from there, it's really up to you what you fill your Christmas scrapbook with - whether its pictures were taken on the day or the cheesy jokes you find inside your Printed Christmas Crackers.
Next in our list of eco-friendly Christmas tips is a personal favourite of mine, you can never have enough cute decorations for Christmas and everyone loves a good homemade Christmas decoration! This year why not give your homemade Christmas decorations a sustainable twist by using your Christmas Cards on recycling paper as bunting? The possibilities with how you want to execute this idea are endless so we are just going to give you a few suggestions to help set you off.
Once again, all you would need for this one is a bunch of Christmas cards, some twine or ribbon, a hole punch and some scissors. If you want to keep your Christmas cards looking like cards then that is fine.
Simply punch a hole in both of the top corners on each card and then thread it together with the twine. The spacing between each card is up to you and by hanging them up this way you get to keep all your favourite cards on display for years to come!
If you would like to use the traditional bunting shape then all you have to do is make a template and cut all of your cards into that triangle shape then follow those same steps as above. The variety of colours and patterns on this Christmas bunting is guaranteed to make your living room look like a scene straight out of Pinterest itself!
This idea could bring fun for the whole family and provide a good source of entertainment for the day. Create a bit of fun for the children and make some holiday puppets out of your Christmas cards. Don’t worry, this is another very simple and very cheap idea - we won’t be suggesting that you paper mache figurines of Santa Claus himself! This is a foolproof creative project.
There are so many different characters and people on the front of Christmas cards; Santa Claus, Snowmen, Choirs, and reindeer just to name a few. To make your own Christmas puppets all you need to do is cut whoever out from the front of the card and then use some glue and some lollipop sticks to make the holder.
If you want to get fancy then you could also make a Christmas backdrop for your puppet performance by taking big sheets of craft paper or cardboard and covering it with Christmas scenery taken from your Christmas cards. All that is left to do is to create your puppet story and rope in your family's thespian to help you execute it.
For many homes, there aren't many occasions any more where you have a formal table setting or any table setting at all. Christmas is one of the few occasions of the year where you get all the family round to sit at your table, so why not make the effort to decorate that too?
It does not have to cost you a fortune either. So why don’t you reuse your Christmas cards by turning them into placement cards for all your family - this idea is also perfect to squash those festive family dramas, you pick the seating plan so you can choose to sit the troublemakers apart!
To make this all you will need is a pen, some scissors, a ruler and of course some old Christmas cards. The easiest way to do this would be to draw out a rectangle on the inside of the card over the fold in the middle. Cut it out and then you will be able to write on the white side, while the other half of the fold will be the lovely pattern from your Christmas card.
If you have a big family or just a lot of gifts to give then this is one that would be great for you. This might be the most creative idea on the list and one I'm sure you'll enjoy; use your old Christmas cards to print personalised Christmas tags for all your gifts! No more scrambling under the tree to work out which present was which and you save a pretty penny on buying gift tags.
Another simple creation, all you need is some string, a hole punch, scissors, and your old Christmas cards. Just cut the front of your Christmas card to whatever shape and size you want, put a hole in the top and thread it then voila. Now you have cute Christmas gift tags for nothing at all - these are also great alternatives allowing you to have environmentally friendly Christmas Cards.
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