Recycled Card Tags & Bags

Begin by tearing or cutting the fronts of the cards you're going to use. Save or discard the backs. Decide which cards can be used in whole and which have smaller areas to use for gift tags. Many cards have "frames" or borders around the art; those work well for gift bags (or frame them for holiday art around your house!). Cards with several small graphics or an all-over pattern work well for tags.

These gift tags couldn't be simpler. Just cut portions of holiday cards with scissors (use fancy-edge scissors for even more interest); punch a hole in the corner (I used Making Memories round- and star-shaped eyelets in the holes, but they aren't necessary); feed some ribbon through the hole; and write (or stamp) "To" and "From" on the back. Embellish the details with glitter glue, bells, beads, sequins, ribbon/trims, or anything else you can think of, and presto! You have unique, handmade, nearly free gift tags by the dozen.

To make tags like these red ones, select solid-colored sections of old cards and cut them out in interesting shapes and/or using decorative-edge scissors. Then stamp or embellish as if you were using store-bought card stock--the only difference is, it was recycled and free!

These gift bags were all made using plain, solid-colored 50-cent gift bags and last-year's Christmas card fronts. Each one is one-of-a-kind and was a cinch to make. Cut entire fronts from cards or cut out various pieces and reassemble them on the bag. Attach them with glue; then embellish with glitter glue, beads, sequins, ribbon/trims, etc. It couldn't be simpler. What a great project for kids!

Some holiday cards have such beautiful scenes on them, whether just winter scenes or copies of famous works of art, that they just beg to be framed. I love the idea of totally transforming my house at Christmastime, and that includes the pictures on the walls. After a few years of saving old cards, I've collected several that lend themselves to matting and framing; now each year right after Thanksgiving I take down the smaller pictures on the walls and replace them with these beautiful (and inexpensive) works of holiday art. Just buy ready-made frames and slip the card in like you would any other photo or art print. You can change them out year after year or leave them for years to come. Hang them like a regular picture or hang them on festive holiday ribbon.