12 Creative Ways To Recycle Your Christmas Cards!

By: Lindsay Small
Don't throw your Christmas cards away! There are so many creative ways to use your Christmas cards, many of which you can do with your kids. We have brought together some ideas below. Christmas jigsaw game: Make a Christmas jigsaw game. Gather 10-20 cards and cut each one into 3 or 4 pieces, using straight lines. Shuffle them up and lay them out on a flat service such as a dining table or the floor – then put them back together again! Store the cards in a shoebox for next time. This is fun on a quiet family evening at the beginning of the season as it helps to get everybody into the Christmas spirit! Christmas tree ornaments: Make cinnamon stick ornaments for the Christmas tree. Wrap a small bundle of cinnamon sticks together with a pretty ribbon tied in a bow (leave a loop for hanging). Using a small dab of glue, attach a pretty shape cut from a Christmas card with pinking shears to the centre of the ribbon bow to finish the ornament off. These look pretty and smell delicious too! Scented sachets: Make scented sachets to give as gifts or fragrance your own home. Simply glue the bottom and side edges of the card together and then slip a small amount of potpourri (or a cotton ball on which you have dropped a little Christmas essential oil) into the space. Use a hole punch to make two holes on the top edge, through which you can thread a pretty ribbon before tying a bow. If you leave a loop in the ribbon, the sachets can be hung on door handles, coat hooks or radiators (the heat will help to release the scent, but it won’t last as long) to create a welcoming, Christmas atmosphere. Christmas mobile or “string”: Cut shapes out of the cards in matching pairs. Hearts work nicely, as do simple Christmas tree shapes and even plain squares and circles. Stick the cards back to back and laminate them, then punch a hole in them and use to make a colorful and child-friendly mobile or “string” to decorate next year. You could add to this every year. As a variation, you could back each shape with a plain-colored piece of card or construction paper and write on it the date and name of the person who sent the card. Christmas card game: Cut playing-card shapes out of the cards, stick a piece of plain card over any writing if necessary, and use to make a Christmas game or quiz for your children to play next year. Laminate to protect. Gift tags: A traditional activity, but one which never fails to amuse the kids, is making gift tags for next year's presents. Use pinking sheers, a hole punch, and leftover ribbon Gift bags: Make gift bags for next year by saving smart paper bags. Cut a nice shape out of each card and stick it to the front of the bag (covering any shop labels if necessary). Sometimes one Christmas card will yield many different bag decorations! Add a little ribbon bow just above the card and wrap your present in tissue paper before putting it into the bag. This looks lovely with brown paper bags and tartan ribbons. Miniature Christmas cards: Some Christmas card designs can be cut and folded into miniature Christmas cards for the kids to give next year, or for decorating the dolls house. Christmas screensaver: Scan your favorite cards into the computer – and some of your favorite messages from inside the cards as well – and make them into a Christmas wallpaper or screensaver with a photo program. Children love this and it is a great memento if you do it each year. Lacing card: Cut out the pictures on the larger cards, punch holes around the edges with a hole punch, add a shoelace or brightly colored yarn (with sticky tape wrapped around the ends) and you have a cheerful and cheap lacing card for little ones. If they are particularly popular you could laminate them to make them last longer. Christmas confetti: Make some Christmas confetti to use next year (scatter it on the Christmas table, or put a pinch inside your Christmas cards and gifts!) Use either a plain hole punch or a special Christmas one (both together look great) and choose the most colorful areas from each card to cut. Gold and silver looks very effective, especially mixed in with red and green. Small scraps of leftover wrapping paper can be used too. You can keep the children busy with this for hours!
About the Author: Lindsay Small is the owner of Activity Village, packed full of fun and educational activities for kids. Do you have children aged 2-10? Visit http://ww.ActivityVillage.co.uk to find free kids crafts, printables, educational resources, worksheets, coloring pages and puzzles, jigsaws, Sudoku for kids and much more!

Ooooh Scary!! By: CASSIE MORGAN

With Halloween just around the corner, why not consider doing some ghoulish crafts with your children? One of my favorite crafts to do with the kids is Halloween candle making. Your kids will love it, and it is appropriate for any age group. You will need the following supplies to get started:
1. A pillar candle. 2. Some “cut and carve” wax. 3. Some wax adhesive. 4. Halloween cookie cutters. 5. A shallow pan.
Heat your “cut and carve” wax, and pour it into the shallow pan. Be sure that you fill the pan approximately 1/4 inch., and try to ensure your pan is on a level surface. Allow the wax to cool, but not until it has completely hardened.
After the wax has cooled somewhat, use your cookie cutters to produce your scary shapes. We like to use quite a variety of shapes and sizes. Try to arrange your shapes to maximize the use of the wax.
You can use other tools to produce different shapes. For instance, you can use drinking straws to produce eyes for your creepy monsters. Or you can use a small paring knife to make free form shapes. As always, be extra careful using sharp objects around the children.
Remove the cookie cutters, and allow the wax to harden completely. This will ensure that your cut-outs maintain their shape when you are working with them.
When the wax has cooled, start removing your shapes. Do this in the same manner as you would if you were making cookies. Feel free to use a spatula or another household utensil to assist. Do not worry if the excess wax breaks up….you can always reheat it!
If you are using a round candle, you will need to shape the wax cut-out to fit the contour of the candle. We like to use a hair dryer to soften the wax enough to be pliable, but not enough to melt it. Place it directly on the side of the candle to shape it, but be careful not to break it.
Using your wax adhesive, cover the back of the cut-out. You can also use clear candle wax, but try to work fast because the wax will harden quickly. You can use a paint brush to apply the melted wax.
Now you are going to apply the cut-out to the candle. Try to place it in the correct spot on the candle. The cut-out will be difficult to move once the wax has started setting, and the candle may get damaged. That’s it! You’re finished! Trick or Treat!
About the Author: Cassie Morgan is a mother of three, and loves doing crafts with her little ones. When she is not playing with her children, she writes freelance articles for websites such as http://www.candlesandcandlemaking.com – a website dedicated to all things wax, featuring information on candle making techniques(http://www.candlesandcandlemaking.com/ ).Source: www.isnare.com