Don't Throw Away Those Old Christmas Cards

Each year we get lots of Christmas cards from family and friends. And, each year, I save them. But after a few years, the cards do become clutter!! My nieces were visiting with us last weekend, and we dug out all the old Christmas cards. We had a fun time going through them, and making different crafts with them. Below is a list of the crafts we made using old Christmas cards. They are simple to make, and from my experience with my children and my nieces, children love to make these! - Bookmarks The larger cards make great bookmarks. We cut the cards into strips of 6 - 7 inches long by 2 inches wide. We tried to get ones that included a picture or scene on it. We then punched a hole at the top of the strip and tied ribbon and/or string to the top. The girls made a couple for their parents, and, on the back, they wrote a personal message. -Gift Tags Why pay for gift tags when you can make your own!! We cut some of the cards in circles, and in squares, and with scalloped edges. Then on the back of the card, we used a marker to write: "To:", and, "From:". We also cut some larger ones, and folded them so they ended up being like a small card. For all the tags, we hole punched and tied thread through them. We ended up with enough tags to do all our gifts. - Puzzles We used two cards cut to the same size. Then, we glued them together so there is a picture on each side. Once dried, we then cut the cards into pieces and put in an envelope - an instant puzzle and a great stocking stuffer!! -Magnets The girls found some picture cards that they loved. So, they cut out the picture and we glued a magnet on the back. They were going to use them to decorate their fridge once they got home!! - Merry Christmas Sign >From the pictures on the card, the girls cut out the letters for "Merry Christmas" (block size 2"). We then used thread and taped it on the back of each letter to keep the words together. They ended up with a colorful "Merry Christmas" sign. - Ornaments Using the picture from a card, and a piece of scrap material, they put together Christmas ornaments. For the back of the ornament they cut old material and glued it to the back of their Christmas picture. Before gluing, we placed a piece of cord between the card and the material so it formed a loop (cord was 8 inches long). This made the ornament ready to hang. We made the picture approx. 4", and the material piece was 4