Three Uses For Your Old Greeting Cards

By Kimberly Hall

I love everything paper, but greeting cards are my absolute favorite. There is something nostalgic about receiving a card. I truly get a warm fuzzy feeling thinking about the sentiment, love, and care of the person giving the card. It makes me feel special to know that someone took time out of their day to purchase a card for me! I don’t know about you, but for me, a card beats a text message any day.  

After I’ve enjoyed the happy thoughts and special moments each card gives me, I re-use or re-purpose it. Here are three of my all-time favorite uses for greeting cards.

Gift Tags 

Christmas cards are great to make gift tags out of. All you need are scissors, a hole punch, and ribbon, and you’re golden! What a simple way to preserve holiday cards. You can purchase a tag punch from your local craft store to make this super easy to create, or take the freestyle approach and use scissors. I typically can get two to three tags out of one standard five-by-seven Christmas card. I’ve also reused birthday cards as tags for birthday gifts. It’s such a fun way to personalize your gift!

Scrapbooks

There are some cards that melt your heart, cards you can’t bear to let go of. I incorporate these cards into my scrapbook by putting them next to photos. I have a handmade Mother’s Day card that my son gave me when he was in elementary school. Seeing his handwriting next to his photo reminds me of when my now-adult son was once a little boy. These are memories and moments you will cherish, and sometimes you just want to hold on to them. 

Donations to Charity

Did you know that you can donate cards? St. Jude’s Ranch for Children is just one organization of many that takes greeting cards. They accept cards for all occasions and make new ones out of them. St. Jude’s Ranch for Children is a charity which cares for abused, abandoned and neglected children, so not only are you recycling your cards, but also doing good.

These are just a few ideas for your greeting cards. Holding on to tons of paper creates clutter, but it can still be hard to toss the cards that hold such special sentiments for us. The next time you hesitate to throw a card in the trash, consider one of the three options above. If you have other ideas for reusing cards, please share them with us at info@soleinspiredinc.com.