green crafting: gift tags from used cards and notes

Good evening all! And a Happy New Year too! I hope everyone was able to celebrate the dawn of the new year with your loved ones and that you all made it to twenty-eleven safely. I know I had a great time last night. What was interesting was we did the count down three times in a row... It seemed that there was a bit of an echo at the party I attended. : )

When I got home today, I spent some time going through all of my wonderful Christmas gifts and putting them away or getting them ready for some good use. While doing this, I came across some holiday cards that I wasn't sure that I wanted to keep, or it was just time to retire them from display in our home. Instead of tossing the cards into the recycling bin, I thought of a better way to keep the cards going for another time! (Okay, I actually have to give credit to my step-mom here, because I think she's been doing this for years and it just finally was time for me to follow her trend. Thanks!)

Not only did I have holiday cards, but thank-you notes and a wedding invitation.

1. Cards in original state

The holiday cards and thank-you cards had writing on the inside, so I had to take that into account when deciding what elements would work best as a stand-alone tag. Then, I cut the cards down into smaller pieces, about the size you see on a purchased gift bag with attached tag.

2. Cut-up cards, now gift tags!

I folded some and left some flat, and I punched a hole in each of them to string ribbon or string through to attach to the future gift.

3. Finished gift tag with ribbon

Now I have gift tags at hand for any occasion! 

Just keep collecting cards thoughout the year, and after they have seen their day, add them to your new gift tag collection.