5 Ways to Reuse Old Holiday Greeting Cards

Every holiday season (and during birthdays), we get a flurry of “Happy *insert special day here*” types of cards. 

Opening these cards is always a treat, but what do you do after the birthday or holiday season is over? 

Throwing them out would be wasteful. You could recycle them, but believe it or not, you can repurpose these cards into a number of decorative items for your home. 

With that in mind, here are some ways you can reuse those old greeting cards.

1. Reuse it as a New Card

One of the simplest ways to reuse your greeting cards… is to make them into a totally new card.

It’s quite easy. All you have to do is measure the card’s size, then cut out a piece of construction paper that fits perfectly into it and glue it in. 

From there, you can write your message and add any decorative flair that you want.

By doing this, you’re saving a little bit of money on your next greeting card and helping the environment since you won’t have to buy a new card next time.

2. Make a Garland

Have a party or social gathering happening soon? You can put a large number of old greeting cards to use at once by fashioning them into a custom garland. 

To do this, find greeting cards you like that all have a similar theme. Then, cut them all into any shape you prefer. Triangles tend to look great, but any shape will do.

After that, glue on your string to the back of the cards, loop the ends of the string, and hang it up on your wall.

Boom. Easy, affordable decor.

3. Create Custom Gift Tags

Chances are, the cards you have are full of interesting designs and bright colors. These make for excellent tags to put onto gifts. And by making them into gift tags, you of course save a few bucks on buying new tags.

To make your tags, first, make sure that any part of any card you use doesn’t already have writing on it. If it does, glue a piece of construction paper over it.

Then, just cut the cards into whatever shape you want. Voila, you have your custom gift tags.

4. DIY Jigsaw Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles are a fun, low-tech way to pass the time. They make for great group activities for families and friend groups alike.

But instead of buying a new jigsaw puzzle every week or busting out the old ones in your closet, you could make a puzzle out of your greeting cards.

First, glue the greeting card on some thin cardboard and cut the piece of cardboard containing the card out. This will help make the final result less flimsy. 

Then, draw the outline of each piece on the blank side of the greeting card — or in this case, on the cardboard on the back. When you’ve finished outlining the pieces, simply cut along your lines, and you’ll have your puzzle.

5. Create a Framed Picture

Every so often, someone will send you a greeting card that has a beautiful design. You can’t just throw it out, cut it in any way, or put it away in storage.

A better idea would be to turn it into a framed picture. Doing so gives you some free decor for any room in your house, and you don’t have to throw the card out.