Making Christmas Cards with Recycled Materials

Recycled Christmas Card - finished card on shelf against white background

When making your Christmas cards this season consider using recycled materials, such as magazine pages, leftover craft or scrapbook paper, fabric, or whatever you have on hand. Not only will you have a unique card, but you will be actively recycling. This is a page about making Christmas cards with recycled materials.

Craft: Recycled Christmas Card

15mhhm15
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,298 Posts

November 23, 2018

Recycled Christmas Card - finished card on shelf against white background Here is another great way to recycle any old magazines and cardboard packaging you have into holiday cards.

You can apply this same concept with any shape cut out for any card occasion too, like for Thanksgiving, birthdays, etc.

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 1 card

Supplies:

cardboard - 2 pieces, one a thinner piece with one white side
ribbion sticker
magazines
glue stick
pen
X-acto Knife
scissors
ruler

Steps:

Use any cardboard piece as the base for your card. My card measures 7 inch by 5.5 inch or you can cut to the size of your liking. Using any cardboard scraps you may have, trace and cut so you have two even cardboard pieces for your card.

Recycled Christmas Card - draw or trace the shape of your card on a piece of cardboard

Using the thinner cardboard piece with blank white on the front, I flipped it over and freehand drew a Christmas tree with a pen and ruler.

Recycled Christmas Card - other side of the white piece of cardboard, beginning to draw a tree

Recycled Christmas Card - tree sketched out

Using an X-acto knife, carefully cut out your shape (mine is of a Christmas tree.)

Recycled Christmas Card - cut out the tree shape using an X-acto knife

Recycled Christmas Card - tree cutout on the cardboard

Now set the Christmas tree template over the cardboard. Using your pen trace the inside of the Christmas tree.

Recycled Christmas Card - use cutout as a template and place over the other heavier piece of cardboard

Recycled Christmas Card - trace the tree shape onto the cardboard

Flip through magazines and clip out assorted shades and sizes of green paper for the tree and brown for the tree's trunk.

Recycled Christmas Card - cut out varying sizes and colors of green from the magazines for the tree and some brown for the trunk

You are now ready to glue down magazine clippings over the Christmas tree shape on the cardboard.

Recycled Christmas Card - start gluing the paper bits down

Recycled Christmas Card - trunk covered and starting at the top of the tree

Recycled Christmas Card - entire tree shape covered

Now glue down the Christmas template over the magazine clippings.

Recycled Christmas Card - glue the template over the tree

Recycled Christmas Card - white side of template up and tree created

Optional: You can decorate your tree or leave it plain. I like it plain and sleek and decorated the edge of the card with ribbon sticker. On the back of the card you can write your message (or on the front in the blank areas, option is yours).

Recycled Christmas Card - edge decorated with sticker ribbon

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Comments

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

November 24, 20180 found this helpful

Lovely!!

15mhhm15
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,298 Posts

November 25, 20180 found this helpful

Thanks :)