How to Create Christmas Cards Using Recycled Materials

Sending Christmas cards is a holiday tradition carried on all over the world. The Hallmark website states that about 1.5 billion Christmas cards are sent in the United States alone. Though there are thousands of designs to choose from, sometimes you may prefer something different and creative to send. There are many household items just waiting to be recycled into Christmas cards.

Things You'll Need

• Plain card stock
• Green construction paper
• Scissors
• Paste
• Colored paper, old Christmas cards or round Christmas stickers
• Pencil
• 6 bottle caps
• Hot glue gun or white craft glue
• Paper bag
• Photo
• Hole punch
• Red ribbon

Instructions

Bottle Cap Christmas Tree

1. Fold a piece of card stock in half, making sure the edges meet evenly.

2. Cut out a Christmas tree from green construction paper. Make it fairly large so that it almost fills the front half of the card stock. Paste it on the front.

3. Cut out six circles from construction paper or pictures from old Christmas cards using the bottom of a bottle cap as your template. Glue these on the inside of six bottle caps. Or you can use round Christmas stickers.

4. Glue the bottle caps onto the Christmas tree as "ornaments." A hot glue gun works best for this project but white craft glue will work as well.

5. Write your Christmas message on the inside of the card.

Paper Bag Photo Card

1. Fold a piece of card stock in half.

2. Cut a paper bag down the middle and cut off the bottom so that you can open the bag and spread it flat. Place the card stock on top of the bag and trace around the edge so that it's one inch wider on all sides than the card stock. Cut out this piece from the paper bag.

3. Fold the cut-out paper bag piece in half. Place the photo on the front half. Use a pencil to trace around the photo. Cut out the shape so that it is slightly smaller than your tracing.

4. Brush paste on the inside edge of the opening you cut in the paper bag piece. Place the photo face down on the opening so it faces out of the "window." Allow to dry.

5. Open the card stock and lay it flat. Brush paste around the outside edge of the card stock and place the paper bag piece over it, making sure that the photo is centered over the front of the card. Press firmly on the edges.

6. Turn the card over. Brush paste on the edges of the paper bag that stick out past the card stock and fold them in so that they stick to the inside of the card.

7. Punch holes around the edge of front half of the card and lace red ribbon through the holes. Tie the ribbon in a bow at the top of the card.

8. Write your Christmas message on the inside of the card.

References

• Hallmark: Christmas Card Statistics