I know that Hallmark super wants all of your money, but just between the two of us, we know that upcycled greeting cards are where it’s at!
Seriously, they’re more personal. They’re way more awesome. And they’re free!
Whether you’re an avid scrapbooker or a total novice, there is 100% an upcycled greeting card that you will love to make in the list below. Pro tip: Make a few cards at a time whenever you’re in the mood, and then when the next birthday rolls around, you’ll be all set!
1. book page prints. These make super spooky card fronts, but you could change the color scheme for a different look. It’s also easy to substitute a piece cut from a small child’s artwork for this–it’ll give you that same abstract look, but the grandparents will love it!
2. calendar cards. This is a GREAT way to upcycle your old calendars.
3. collaged cards. Use this tute from The Complete Photo Guide to Cardmaking to alter textbook pages, magazine images, or whatever else strikes your fancy.
4. fabric scrap cards. Even the smallest fabric scraps can make lovely embellishments for your greeting cards.
5. paper scrap cards. Here are different tutorials that utilize paper scraps to make cards. Learn how to make a birthday cake, an ice cream cone, and a bunting!
6. patchwork greeting cards. This tute shows you how to piece together lots of scraps to make an entire greeting card.
7. playing card flowers. You definitely have an incomplete deck of playing cards laying around somewhere.
8. record album cover cards. Upcycle the images from old record album covers into awesome greeting cards.
9. re-usable denim card. The idea here is pure genius: create a greeting card that can be re-used every year!
10. Scrabble tile cards. This is an easy way to personalize a greeting card.
11. wrapping paper collaged cards. Here’s an idea for the perfect thank-you card, AND it uses up some of the wrapping paper from your gifts, too.
