We’re excited to introduce our newest guest author, Jenny Lange. In addition to coming up with practical DIY upcycling projects like this holiday card gift tag project, Jenny is a married mother of two who likes to read, walk with her friends, and explore the outdoors.
Holiday Card Gift Tags
by Jenny Lange
I’m in the middle of doing one of my post-holiday rituals – cutting up all the cards!! Actually, I’m making gift tags for next year, while I’m re-visiting all the wonderful cards we’ve received from friends and family.
I do this every year, sometime in mid-January. We always have a big stack of cards, and I hate to recycle them all, but you can’t save all this stuff either.
Here’s what I do. If a card is one of the traditional types, and has a pretty picture on the front, I cut it out.
You can get creative in your cutting if there are words that you like, but you don’t need the whole front of the card. Sorry, kids!
You can also use special scissors, but I usually just try to keep it simple and try for a straight line.
Next year when I’m wrapping gifts (or using reusable bags), I tape one of these onto the package or punch a hole and thread it onto the ribbon. I write the “to/from” info in marker, and it looks like a fancy tag that dresses up the whole gift. And it’s super easy.
I made all these (and more) from this year’s cards.
The card still ends up being recycled in the end, but it has two uses – once as a card, and later as a tag. And it’s a nice way to keep simple reminders of the cards we have received and the friends behind them.
For more holiday reuse and upcycling ideas, visit the Trash Backwards web app.
Trash Backwards Holiday Reuse Ideas
This is a fun way to re-use your cards! I will have to try it!