RECYCLED CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY GREETING CARDS - Page 2

Church & Blessings
Many Ladies Groups collect greeting cards and ask Children's Bible Study or other groups to create cards, ornaments, etc. to be sent to children all over the world.

A Birthday Party for Jesus - let the children use greeting cards to make placemats to take home as a party favor. Give them color construction paper and cards to design their placemat. Provide them with glitter, colored markers, etc. If you have, can borrow or rent a laminator, this is a perfect lasting memento; otherwise, laminate them at a later date and send to the children. 

Save all the greeting cards in a basket by the table. Each night throughout the year, one card is selected and that family is remembered when grace is said over the dinner meal.

Collage of Signatures
Cut the signed names from all of the greeting cards you've received and make a collage to display next season.

Collections
Select one or various themes and save holiday cards with those themes, such as snowmen, Santa Claus, cabins with snow on the roof, angels, village scenes, antique toys, Christmas trees, etc. Opening cards each season will be much more fun if you have a collection started. Display the cards in groupings on your table, piano, mantle, coffee table, etc., during the holiday season. These can then be used to make arts & craft projects throughout the year.

Day Care Centers
Donate for arts & craft projects 
See other ideas under the category "Teachers"

Decorations for the Holidays

Holiday Advent Calendar
Great family project! Cut pictures from the front of greeting cards like you would for gift tags, using different sizes and shapes - use regular scissors or pinking shears around the edges. Make them big enough to fold in half to write messages on the inside. Number the outside of each with one number (1 through 25). Using a large poster board flat on a table or the floor, arrange the 25 "tags" into a design you like. Inside each tag, write holiday quotes, rhymes, lines to poems or a short message of encouragement. On the tag number 25, make it the most special of all. Use double-sided tape to attach the "flaps" to the board and store it flat with all the flaps closed to hide the writing inside. When the decorations are taken out next year, a personalized Advent Calendar is ready to help count down the days to Christmas!

Holiday Card Houses
Use greeting cards to make "houses" and decorate the roof with straw or Spanish Moss, cut out windows and put fabric on the inside to show out when the house is assembled, small flowers glued to side of the house, etc. Great gifts!

Holiday Centerpieces
Cut out characters and trees to make a 3-Dimensional holiday scene - can glue to Styrofoam, cardboard boxes, etc. 

Holiday Flower Pots
On a clean terra cotta flower pot or plastic container, glue cut-out characters or scenes from greeting cards.

Holiday Jars
Using any jar with a lid, insert a cut-out holiday scene or characters to stand up. Screw on the lid, add a piece of fabric that has the edges cut with pinking shears to the lid with material hanging down about 1-inch, tie with ribbon around the neck of the jar. (For a snow globe effect, add dry glitter).

Holiday Garlands
Cut pictures and/or sentiments from the holiday cards. Using a decorative holiday hole puncher, punch out holes in the top of each of the cut-outs. Weave them together with festive red or green curly ribbon. For a more colorful garland, glue cut-outs on colored construction paper or light cardstock. You can "curl" the ends of the ribbons, add small bells and other holiday items, such as silk flowers, small tree ornaments, decorative buttons. You can also string popcorn and cranberries between the greeting card cut-outs.

Easter Garlands
Cut egg-shapes out of varied-color (marbleized) lightweight cardstock, as well as pictures/sentiments from greeting cards. Decorate egg-shaped cut-outs with colored marking pens, using glue, add glitter, sequins, beads. Punch holes in all the cut-outs and weave a white, light pink, light blue and yellow curly ribbon through all of them. For a more deluxe garland, insert cut-outs of chickens and rabbits between the cut-outs.

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