From Christmas to Valentine’s Day to Easter and birthdays, there are many occasions for gift cards, but instead of purchasing a new card every time, why not do your bit for the environment and get creative? Using old cards or cards that have been recycled, you can create your own unique, environmentally friendly designs.
This is a fun activity to try with the entire family, and one friend and family will love to receive it. Read on to learn more about the allure of this trend and how you can partake in it.
Get Creative
Most of us have a box or drawer brimming with old greeting cards we haven’t brought ourselves to throw away. If this sounds like you, why not get creative? Fashioning your designs from old cards is a fun project to embrace and will allow you to create an array of personalized designs.
If you prefer to live life clutter-free and don’t own such a drawer, there are plenty of websites stocking recycled card in various hues, thicknesses, and sizes.
From pastel shades to hot hues, there is something to suit all, meaning you can create a card tailored to the recipient.
Why Recycling Greeting Cards Helps You Do Your Bit for the Environment
A huge number of cards end up in the bin only a few days after receiving them. To put this into perspective, trash output increases by a massive 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year in the United States alone, which equates to an extra one million tons of rubbish per week. And this figure isn’t considering Valentine’s Day, birthdays, Easter, and other events.
Aside from being a creative and fun project for all, recycling greeting cards has a huge impact on our planet, and the more we do it, the lighter our footprint will be.
Innovative Ways to Reuse Old Greeting Cards
There are many innovative ways to reuse old cards, some of which we have listed below:
Turn Greeting Cards into Postcards: Many think they can’t reuse old greeting cards because of the messages inside of them. One way to overcome this is to cut the card in half, removing the part displaying the message. The result? Your own set of postcards, which can be sent to both friends and family.
Create Customized Gift tags: Most cards boast numerous designs, patterns, and colors. You can easily turn these into gift tags When you cut them into various shapes, from hearts to stars to Christmas trees. Aside from saving money, you’ll also be saving the planet.
For best results, when cutting cards into gift tags, ensure no writing is on the back or glue a piece of recycled paper over the writing to create a blank canvas for a new message.
The final step requires you to punch a hole into the top end or corner of the gift tag and thread through a pretty colored ribbon - something else that can be recycled from old gift bags.
Use Old Cards to Decorate Your Scrapbook: Whether you’re teaching an arts and crafts class or your kids are looking for scraps to add to their scrapbooks, greeting cards are a go-to, particularly as they boast various designs.
Create a Puzzle Game: Looking to fill the hours on a rainy day, why not fashion puzzles out of old greeting cards?
Turn the card over to reveal the blank side, draw out various puzzle shapes, cut these out, and you have your own DIY puzzle! To create a puzzle that stands the test of time, glue the card to a piece of cardboard or poster board before drawing the shapes and cutting them out.
Design Cards: Even if you don’t have old greeting cards to hand, you can still invest in a card that has been recycled and design your own. For best results, add paints, pens, glitter, ribbons, buttons, and more to the mix.
Create a Collage: Whether for fun or an art project, using various cards to create a collage is a unique approach that will result in an innovative design.
Host a Card Creation Competition: This activity is cost-effective for children and adults. From judging the best card to trying to guess who’s who, this project can provide hours of fun.
Conclusion
Aside from embracing your creative side, recycling greeting cards boasts numerous benefits for the planet. By providing you with the correct recycle cards, you can save everything from water to oil while preventing our landfills from overflowing.
On top of this, it’s a fun activity to partake in with the entire family hugely benefits children's emotional well-beingwhile lowering anxiety levels.
Allowing them to express their feelings, ideas, and thoughts through card creation is a great way to encourage creative expression, and who doesn’t love to receive a homemade card?
