Seven Ways to Upcycle Greeting Cards


[Creative Commons photo by Richard Moross]

If your friends and family are anything like mine, you probably have a mantle covered in greeting cards by now. Of course, some cards are special and go right into the memory box after New Year’s, but there are some that would probably end up in the recycle bin. Why not use your crafty skills to give them a new life instead? Here’s a little round up of some fun ways to upcycle those old greeting cards.

  1. Transform an old card into a new gift box with this tutorial from Crafty Pod. All you need is a card, a pair of scissors and some double-stick tape!
  2. Zakka Life tells you how to turn greeting cards into a lovely luminary.
  3. Try out Julie’s quickie tutorial for making punch out gift tags!
  4. Get a jump start on next Christmas by turning them into sweet little animal ornaments.
  5. Create easy peasey bookmarks! Just glue two 8″ x 2″ pieces of card together printed side out. Punch a hole in the top and tie on some pretty ribbon or use a corner rounder punch on the edges for extra sass!
  6. If you have a bunch of cards, you can make this awesome 3D star! Jenny Harada uses hers as a tree topper, but I bet that if you thread some string through one of the points it would be beautiful hanging from the ceiling!
  7. A greeting card would be perfect as the cover for one of these mini journals by Crafty Daisies. You could use things like junk mail or brown paper bags for the pages inside to make it totally recycled!

What other paper crafts would lend themselves well to using old cards? If you have fun-shaped punches, you might use them to add a little color to a scrapbooking project. You could even cut out designs you like from old cards and use them to make new ones!

21 thoughts on “Seven Ways to Upcycle Greeting Cards”

  1. Garland is a great idea!

    I love the idea in your post of turning scrap paper into tiny stars. That would probably work really well with junk mail, too! It’s time to start saving empty Veganaise jars!

  2. Garland is a great idea!

    I love the idea in your post of turning scrap paper into tiny stars. That would probably work really well with junk mail, too! It’s time to start saving empty Veganaise jars!

  3. Garland is a great idea!

    I love the idea in your post of turning scrap paper into tiny stars. That would probably work really well with junk mail, too! It’s time to start saving empty Veganaise jars!

  4. Garland is a great idea!

    I love the idea in your post of turning scrap paper into tiny stars. That would probably work really well with junk mail, too! It’s time to start saving empty Veganaise jars!

  5. This was so cool! I will totally use all of these ideas, especially in my classroom. Way to go, Becky! Love you, Mom

  6. This was so cool! I will totally use all of these ideas, especially in my classroom. Way to go, Becky! Love you, Mom

  7. This was so cool! I will totally use all of these ideas, especially in my classroom. Way to go, Becky! Love you, Mom

  8. Pingback: Tutorial: Paper Scrap Family Tree : Crafting a Green World

  9. Paper crafts have been extremely popular for some time now. Most children start out doing paper crafts in class. The professors usually start the kid out with very simple paper crafting projects. This usually involves giving the child several color choices and also several shapes of construction paper to work with. Most professors typically provide child many ideas to start with, but every kid is actually encouraged to show their creativity on their crafting paper project.This type of arts and crafts can also be incredibly stimulating for parents. Several, use the paper crafting material for accessories, by placing them in a present basket or using them as gift wrap. While some utilize them for an American preferred pastime known as scrapbook.

  10. Paper crafts have been extremely popular for some time now. Most children start out doing paper crafts in class. The professors usually start the kid out with very simple paper crafting projects. This usually involves giving the child several color choices and also several shapes of construction paper to work with. Most professors typically provide child many ideas to start with, but every kid is actually encouraged to show their creativity on their crafting paper project.This type of arts and crafts can also be incredibly stimulating for parents. Several, use the paper crafting material for accessories, by placing them in a present basket or using them as gift wrap. While some utilize them for an American preferred pastime known as scrapbook.

  11. Paper crafts have been extremely popular for some time now. Most children start out doing paper crafts in class. The professors usually start the kid out with very simple paper crafting projects. This usually involves giving the child several color choices and also several shapes of construction paper to work with. Most professors typically provide child many ideas to start with, but every kid is actually encouraged to show their creativity on their crafting paper project.This type of arts and crafts can also be incredibly stimulating for parents. Several, use the paper crafting material for accessories, by placing them in a present basket or using them as gift wrap. While some utilize them for an American preferred pastime known as scrapbook.

  12. Paper crafts have been extremely popular for some time now. Most children start out doing paper crafts in class. The professors usually start the kid out with very simple paper crafting projects. This usually involves giving the child several color choices and also several shapes of construction paper to work with. Most professors typically provide child many ideas to start with, but every kid is actually encouraged to show their creativity on their crafting paper project.This type of arts and crafts can also be incredibly stimulating for parents. Several, use the paper crafting material for accessories, by placing them in a present basket or using them as gift wrap. While some utilize them for an American preferred pastime known as scrapbook.

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