Upcycle Holiday Cards with Two Fun Craft Ideas

Do you treasure the cards you got during the Holidays..? Or do you tend to toss them..? I sure hope you didn't toss your Holiday cards yet, because they provide great material for various craft projects. Especially those nice embossed cards with multiple layers of paper - you can cut smaller pictures out of them and make several small gift tags.  I don't toss the cards - I use them for crafts, create Christmas tree ornaments and gift tags. And above all - kids love making the crafts, so it's a fun activity for us to do together. 

If you have been reading my posts the past couple of months, you know that I have been writing about relieving (Holiday) stress and about going on strike on Christmas. My suggestions now are helpful ways you can ease your Holiday stress for next year. Start making a few fun Holiday themed crafts now with your kids. Use the cards you just received and the leftover wrapping paper and ribbon. It's a fun way to upcycle the cards and wrapping supplies, and the small crafts are also easier to store than all of the items separately (especially the wrapping paper). You will also remember the memories of this Holiday fondly with the crafts you are making. One additional note- most stores are running clearance sales on all Holiday craft supplies and you can get great craft products for up to 90% off right now.

WRAPPING PAPER DOVE ORNAMENTS

I created my dove ornaments using wrapping paper or wallpaper on one side and colorful cardboard on the other , and the doves were made entirely with supplies I already had on hand. I had one beautiful gold embossed card with doves and leaves around them, and I carefully cut the leaf branches out and added one small branch for each dove - I was able to create 8 cards just with the golden leaves from one card! I also used the other side of the card as the back side for one of the doves. Since we used the paper and ribbons we had on hand, every dove is a little different --  forming a charming dove family. 

GIFT TAGS

Holiday cards make the easiest gift tags! Cut pictures out of them and glue them on a piece of thick paper, bunch a hole, and you are set. I had some cards that were more abstract and didn't have pictures to cut out, I just cut them into smaller cards and added some stickers, beads, glitter etc. and used a piece of recycled ribbon and I was able to create several cute gift tags that were all unique and had a personal touch. 

What do you do with Holiday cards? Do you have some great craft ideas?