Do you have piles of Christmas cards sitting around, and perhaps you’re feeling a bit sad about throwing them away?

There are plenty of ways in which you can give your Christmas cards a little extra life. Not all cards can be recycled, especially if they are shiny, glittery or have any special adornments, but it can be a shame to have to throw them into the bin. Instead of getting rid, why not get crafty?

We’ve found some fabulous ways to reuse Christmas cards – here are our top three. 

One – Create Gift Tags For Next Year

Why not cut out elements like Santa figures, snowflakes, Christmas trees, pretty backgrounds, gifts and other festive characters to create gift tags?You can easily cover any writing with tippex, white paint, or paper cut into the same shape and then stuck down with glue. You’ll also need;

• A hole punch or something to cut a hole for the attachment string/ribbon.
• Some nice ribbon or string to attach the tag to gifts.
• Any of the mentioned materials to cover any writing inside the card.
• Scissors or a craft scalpel.
• Anything else if you’re using a tutorial to help you!

Crafty Youtube star Lisa Fulmer has impressed us with her gift tag tutorial video – it’s so easy to follow and seriously inspiring. I know what I’ll be doing this weekend!

Two – Cut Them Up and Create Cards For Next Year

Like we mentioned when creating gift tags, you can save your favourite elements from your cards in order to provide yourself with beautiful craft materials to make your own Christmas cards next year. It’s actually a pretty financially and environmentally savvy idea – it saves you a trip to a craft shop, it saves you money on new materials, and it prevents waste. Perfect!

Crafting Vicky has filmed herself doing just this in her video here – we love her creations!

Three – Donate To Charities Looking For Used Cards

There are quite a few charities who make use of old Christmas cards… St Giles Hospice is one that we’ve spotted, but we can’t find much information online about other charities who will accept them, so it’s worth asking on your local high street.

Do you have any other fantastic crafty ideas? Let us know in the comments!

Love from Katie & Team BBY. Xx