Ordering Disorder
with Busy Mom
When you have kids, the battle between order and chaos at home can take place on many fronts. Ordering Disorder is about ways to fight domestic entropy with organizing tips, tricks, meal ideas and more.
To learn more about Elizabeth, visit Busy Mom Blog or check out her Work It, Mom! profile.
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I love to get holiday cards in the mail. I can’t wait to see what the mail brings this time of year and I love to look at them, and I even look forward to update letters.
I’ve tried displaying them various ways over the years: decorating a doorway, clothes-pinned to a decorative cord on the stair bannister or on the mantle.
However, I’ve discovered that I like them best in a little holder I got at some Christmas party. I keep it on the kitchen table because it’s where I tend to spend a lot of time, and I like being able to get them out and look at them.
But, my biggest problem is what to do with the cards when the holidays are over.
I’d love to be the crafty person to recycle them and make something cute, but I’m not.
But, if you are that person, here’s a few ideas to recycle old Christmas cards:
1. Cut the backs off, and use the fronts to make a Christmas collage (fun activity for kids), or decoupage a tray, a small box or a frame.
2. Use the backs for scrap paper or to make lists, etc.
3. Make gift tags for next year with a hole punch and some ribbon.
Or, you could cut the backs off and donate the fronts to a preschool, kindergarten or library for crafts.
Additionally, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children has a Recycled Card Program. The children at St. Jude Ranch make new cards from them to sell.
But, my dilemma is what to do with the pretty photo cards people send. I have the worst time throwing away pictures, and for years I’ve stored photo cards in a cigar box (remember those?) and it’s getting full. I know it’s clutter, and I need to go through it and pick out the special ones, but I can’t seem to do it.
Any suggestions how to declutter or save photo holiday cards?
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We make ornaments out of them! We trace a big circle on the front of the cards, cut out the circles, glue 2 back to back with a ribbon in between (or staple them when the glue goes missing….OFTEN….) and the kids hang them on the tree, sometimes we can get 2 circles per card if the pictures work out right. We do it with family photo cards too!
Jaci | December 20th, 2011 at 9:41 am
I save the picture ones. I only get them from close friends and they are saved just like I’d save any other picture. I don’t consider those clutter any more than I would consider a school picture or portrait.
jen (melty) | December 20th, 2011 at 5:02 pm
i am searching for an answer to this question…i have thought of buying a photo album dedicated to holiday cards, but that seems awkward and i’m not sure that the cards would fit, i feel a box would never get taken out and look at them because they would be disorganized…I would love any suggestions on what to do with them so we can actually go back and read them and look at the pictures…thank you!
lisa | January 1st, 2012 at 9:22 pm
My friend takes the cards and makes a collage (with the year somewhere on it) the size of a placemat and then laminates them, and then uses the placemats every year for the holidays. It’s really sweet, and doesn’t take a lot of work at all.
Emily | January 13th, 2012 at 8:20 pm