10 Holiday Crafts to Make Using Old Christmas Cards
Updated: Jan. 25, 2023
What's old is new again. Repurpose last year's holiday greetings with these Christmas card crafts—perfect for decking the halls or gifting to friends.
Rustic Garland
Have more than a handful of cards on hand? Transform your stack into a fun and rustic garland perfect for draping across the mantel, the tree or your banister. Using a large paper punch (a 2-inch punch works great!), cut out a few dozen circles. Then sandwich butcher’s twine between two rounds and glue together.
Festive Jar Topper
Boxing up your favorite treats to give to friends? Why not give your classic mason jars a festive spin? Cut a card to the size of your jar’s lid and slip inside before sealing. Finish with a bow and you’re ready to gift. If you need a few ideas for what to pack inside, we have 25 tasty giftables.
Cheerful Coasters
Keep Christmas cheer close at hand with these decoupaged coasters. To make, simply decoupage card cutouts to the tops of plain tiles. Back the tiles with a bit of cork and you’re done. These creative coasters are just the thing to break out during your next holiday party—and they make good gifts, too.
Tape Tree
Do you have a few cards you just love? Incorporate them into a clever display made with festive washi tape. To make this faux tree, all you have to do is tape a basic tree outline up on an empty wall and include your favorite cards as ornaments. Best yet, it makes a great display for this year’s incoming cards.
Gift Box Bling
Love brown paper packages tied up with string? Decorate the holiday classic with a few cutouts. Trace and cut holiday shapes and attach to pretty ribbon for picture-perfect packaging.
Picture-Perfect Placemats
Recycle a handful of your favorite cards into a cheery placemat. This DIY is super easy—simply cut circles from old cards, paste them to a piece of cardstock and laminate.
Gift Tags
Add a bit of eclectic flair to your presents with recycled tags. Simply cut out a whole tag from an old card, or punch out shapes and glue to plain tags. Both options give your gifts a whimsical and festive feel—perfect for your next white elephant party.
Dazzling Ornaments
Some cards are just too cute to toss. Save your prettiest greetings and repurpose into ornaments you can enjoy every year. All you need are a few favorite greetings, flat wood rounds (you fan find these at any craft store—ours were only 50 cents!), a little glitter and twine. Cut your card to be a bit smaller than your wooden disk. Paste to the wood using decoupage glue (regular school glue works OK, too). Once dry, finish the edges with a bit of glitter for extra sparkle. Glue a loop of twine to the back, and you’re ready to deck the halls!
Scrappy, Sparkly Ornaments
Lots of scraps left over after all these crafts? Put them to good use! Fill a plain ornament with shreds of old cards and sparkly gift wrapping filler. Top with a bow and you’re ready to decorate. You can also use them to decorate your front door with spray-painted mums. Prefer your ornaments to be of the edible variety? Try these adorable (and tasty) options.
Next Year’s Cards
Give old cards new life as a brand-new greeting. Cut out phrases or shapes and adhere to blank cards. Accessorize with scrapbooking letters, washi tape and more. The options are limitless with this DIY, and we’re sure loved ones will treasure these upcycled cards.
Originally Published: October 10, 2018
