Sunday, January 4, 2009

what to do with those holiday cards?



What to do with all of those holiday cards when the season is over? As a stationery designer, I like to hold on to each year's haul. ALL of it- the good, the great, the bad and the ugly. It's a great way to do 'market research' and to see what else is out there. It's also serves as a reminder as to just how many cards I need to order next year (I WAY under-ordered this year...I hadn't taken into account the new friends via my son factor). I used some pretty leftover cord from present-opening, tied them all up, and slipped them into a large envelope from Paper Source and labeled them 2008. I put my own card on top, so I can keep track of our holiday cards each year as well. Do you do anything creative with your cards?

13 comments:

Jane said...

well, i tie mine up with ribbon and put it in a drawer. i like the idea of adding our own card, though ..... so thanks!

sandra said...

i like to cut mine up for crafts. you can see a banner i made here: http://nerdsinlove.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/holiday-crafts/

Colleen Terpening said...

I put mine in beautiful leather photo albums (link below) and leave them on the coffee table year-round. Guests love to flip through the books and see all the cards from the last 5 years.

http://overcocktails.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-cards-galore.html

Rissa and Jared said...

we usually throw ours away, but I heard that if you send the fronts of cards to St. Judes Ranch for Children, they will make new cards out of them. the proceeds benefit abused, neglected and abandoned children at the 3 ranches. We'll be sending our cards there this year.

kim said...

i throw them in a bag along withthe past several(!) years. every yr i go through them and either use the entire top of an old card, or i cut them and insert a hole, add ribbon... to use as gift tags. this is also when i reminense (sp?) looking back at all the photo ones from yrs past.

kayce hughes said...

i always toss them into a large zip lock bag and keep them in a leather trunk in our living room. (not as beautiful as yours but it does the job) I love the idea of putting them in an album one day.

by Sara Hicks Malone said...

I love all of these ideas- thanks!

Mafe Molinari said...

I do the same!!! and then put the envelopes in a box...

mel said...

My mother started our family tradition of keeping all the old cards in a shirt box, which she keeps with the holiday gift wrap, and we cut them up for gift tags! Some have been around since before I was born, and it is fun to dig through to see how card "fashion" has evolved.

Anna said...

My mom makes an amazing scrapbook out of old Christmas cards. She has a poem for each letter of the alphabet that highlights a special part of the season (A is for angels..etc.) We cherish the one she made for us years ago and now my children cherish theirs. They are beautiful and recycling at it's best!

Leslie said...

I only save the photos and started doing so about three years ago. I have a pretty, skinny album (red and white damask) and pull it out each year. My husband and I love to look at it and see how everyone has changed. Then I have a separate album just for our family photo and Christmas card we send out. I can't wait to see it in 20 years and see how our family has changed.

....but this year I decided to save the cards to make ornaments for next year.

Sarah said...

The photo cards I keep and add to my one and only completed scrapbook. I started it when we got engaged and each year begins with our photo and letter and then our special people follow. It's fun to see how the beginning of the book is couples and weddings and then follows the growth of the kids throughout the years.

I'm not a scrapbooker but this tradition I really like. The book has prominent placement in December.

The other cards are kept in a bunch and used for crafts or gift tags.

Frappier Delphine said...

Thank you for sharing the holiday ideas with me. I am planning to send gifts to my friends and family.
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