How to Recycle Christmas Cards

By: Terry Shannon

     Now that the holiday season is here, and almost over, it’s time to start pondering what to do with all those holiday greeting cards that are displayed throughout your house.  Besides throwing them away, here’s a really neat idea how to recycle them for next year’s holiday.

     Why not make beautiful, decorative holiday coasters out of them?  Not only will you be reminded of the senders next year, they’ll brighten up your house as well.  And, it’s easy to do.

     Cut out a 4 ½-inch circles from the Christmas cards.  Cut the same number of circles from the gift boxes.  Cover one side of the gift-box circle with the duct tape* and then apply a thin coat of the glue mixture to the opposite side of the gift-box circle with the craft brush. 

     Place your Christmas-card circle on the glue side of the gift-box circle. Make sure your Christmas image is facing up and the ends of circles match.  Use your hands to apply pressure to the circles to make sure there is a good connection between the two circles.

     Wash and dry the craft brush.  Use the same brush to apply a thin coat of the Aleene's® Paper Glaze™ over the Christmas image and let the glaze dry.  Apply two more coats in the same way.  The thinner the coat, the faster it will dry. Applying a thick coat can cause crackling, so it’s better to stick with thin coats.

     Once the glaze is finished, your coaster is ready for use.  Duct tape now comes in many fun colors, even Christmas patterns!  So, coordinate your tape with the images you use for the coasters.