Give Cards from the Heart

How many times have your received duplicate holiday cards or a card repeated from the previous year? Rather than purchasing mass produced holiday cards, why not try your hand at creating a designer original? Not only will it come from the heart, it will be more thoughtful and unique than any card you could buy. You will see a noticeable difference in the reaction when you give a handmade card. It will also more likely be saved as a keepsake rather than tossed into the recycling bin.

These cards were made entirely out of recycled materials. I maded ruffled strips of colorwashed paper from a magazine to make the tree. I used magazine pages to make the snowman body and braided yarn for the scarf and plastic twigs from silk flowers for the arms.

Here are some cardmaking tips:

• Attach shapes cut out of recycled gift wrap and fabric to create holiday pictures such as ornaments, snowmen and Christmas trees. The texture and patterns of the reused paper add interest to the card.
  


• Enlist your own budding artist. Children’s art has such innocence and endearing qualities it is sure to warm anyone’s heart. The only challenge will be parting with the little masterpieces.
  


• Give edible cards. Make a batch of your favorite holiday cookies and write your message on the cookie with icing.
  


• Just have fun. Create cards make from recycled and found materials to personalize it for each recipient.