March Reuse-it item - Greeting Cards

We all have greeting cards around the home. Here are some easy, functional ideas compiled by our blogger team to give them a second life!

Lana

Move over little blue box! With their bright colours, glitter, and patterns, pretty greeting cards can be made into functional and impressive, one-of-a-kind origami boxes for your small treasures. This video shows you how to make a masu "measuring" box (with lid) starting with two squares http://make-origami.com/masu-box/   The card may be a little bit harder to fold, but the box you get will also be a lot more sturdy. A touch of glue helps to finish it.

The Origami Resource Centre has even more designs. Hint: lighter weight paper is better suited for more complicated designs.

Sarah

I make gift tags out of most of the greeting cards I get. I cut the front image up with fancy-edged scissors or into funky shapes, and punch a hole so I can string ribbon or yarn through to attach the tag. Since most people don't write on the inside of the card's cover, the backs of my new gift tags are blank and ready for me to write a new message.

Nichole

I've learned some really great ways to reuse old greeting cards, but the idea that I loved the most was turning them into festive paper lanterns! Four complementary cards and a bit of matching thread, and you've got yourself a pretty luminary to celebrate any occasion special to you and yours. 

RuthAnn

When I was little, my mother taught me to save the fronts of old Christmas cards to repurpose as gift tags the next year—something I still do. Now, though, there are so many wonderful ways to take greeting card recycling to the next level:

Canning Jar Toppers: As someone who makes a lot of jam and gives a lot of it away as gifts, I think this is a cute and quick way to jazz up the jars. Again, would be great with any kinds of cards.

Mini Album: This would be a wonderful way to collect all the cards from a wedding or a significant anniversary or birthday—and (bonus) it re-uses a discarded book as well.

Mallory

Now that it's time to start thinking about spring cleaning, here's a great project that will help you find a place for all of those greeting cards that you've acquired over the holidays! All you need is your old cards, a stencil, and some creativity. This butterfly theme picture is a perfect addition to your spring decor!

Tamara

Greeting cards are one of my favourite items! I love to send and receive cards because they're always messages of positivity and love. I actually have saved most of the ones I have received and thus have accumulated a huge number of them. I picked a few colourful ones that were given to me at various stages of my life and attached them to a piece of twine with clothes pins, and then I looped the twine over my curtains so it frames them nicely. I love that it adds a homey, sentimental touch to my place. Another idea I recently came across is to make bookmarks out of old cards! This website provides some quick and easy DIY instructions.

Emma

Blog, the little blue room, has a cute and creative idea for reusing cards: mini baskets! Although not designed for cards, large (6x6") cards would work with this tutorial. Perfect for individual Easter table decorations. 

This is a beautiful idea from Dutch Sisters for turning your favourite cards into seasonal art work.