One More Seasonal Tradition: Scrapbooking Holiday Cards

My Parents' church recycles them by donating them to the youth. The youth then create new cards to send to the church shut-ins.

I just read this year on some blog or other a great idea that we are implementing in our family. Stick all the Christmas cards in a basket on the dining room table. Read through one each night and then pray for that person/family. So far, so good. I'm going to try and tell people and/or write them a note to let them now what we're doing and that we prayed for them that day.
Blessings!
Shana

Ali!!!!! I absolutely LOVE this idea! Yet again, you inspire! I actually was just about to do the ol'boring posting of the photo cards on a 12x12 and call it a day. But you have inspired me to do something different with them, and I LOVE IT! Thanks, again, for sharing! (And I just finished my December Daily . . . I posted some photos on my blog. It was my first attempt, and I absolutely loved the process and the final project!)

Amazing how much information is there! What I was most surprised by was the use of 3 ring binders. I've only used the post bound and found that they fill up really quickly. Due to the hassle of adding pages or moving things around I may have to make a switch to the 3 ring. But I do like the finished look of postbound. decisions, decisons...

Wow--what a great idea! I think I am going to scraplift it :) Thanks for sharing!

This is a fantastic idea! I have ofen wondered the best way to keep these pieces of Christmas without having the sheer bulk of keeping a bundle of cards from each year. I'm thinking that this would work equally as well for birthdays! Thanks so much for all the wonderful inspiration you give. Wishing you a fantastic 2010!

Ali, how could I have missed that you do this all these years? Or if I did know that you did this, I had forgotten. Either way, thank you for sharing this wonderful idea.
I normally hang onto the cards because I can't bear to throw them away. Now I have a great solution. Thanks!

Totally love this idea, normally all the photos end up on my refrigerator. I like the cleanness of this.

I love this idea so much! Seriously, you are too smart.

I love the ATC card idea as well as the others shared above. I hope that all of you have a wonderful 2010 - may it be your best yet!

Each year, I pack away the cards with the rest of the Christmas stuff. When I unpack next year, I look at the cards from the previous year, toss the ones without pics and save the ones with pics. But that changes this year. I'm making a layout!!! Thanks for the great idea, Ali. Once again, and as always, you ROCK!!!

AAAAHHHHH...fabulous idea!
I'm so excited...I'm going to do that right this minute..
Thanks Ali..you're so inspiring...I'd give you some banana bread I just made if I lived near by..
xoxo

wow! what a great idea! I had been feeling guilty because i'd gone through the trouble of making a december daily but didn't keep up with it. Now I can take parts of my christmas cards and photos and use them for that purpose. thanks for the inspiration.

There isn't so much of a tradition of photo cards where I live so I don't feel the need to keep them. I tear the fronts off the cards and donate them to the playgroup across the road where they use them for art. The rest goes in the recycle bin where it might become a card that pops through my letterbox next year!

Ae...
love that the Asletts made it into several years of layouts...It markes how long we have been friends...
What a great idea...
I may use this idea in the Christmas Journal I add to each year...
loves friend...
kiss kiss
m

I usually toss them (and feel guilty about it for a short while), but this year I included a pocket page in my Dec. Daily & stored them there.

My cards are still hanging in my entrance way and will probably stay there until Valentine's day. I have all my decorations put away but I love the cards and they stay for a while. Then they will go in a basket with the ones that I had from the last three years that we have lived in this home. Hey, the basket isn't full yet! Great ideas on this thread!

Thanks Ali! What a fabulous idea! Here in Western Australia the post office supplies large envelopes that are postage paid until the end of Jan to recycle old cards to Planet Ark. That is what i usually do with my cards. I am a teacher and I usually get cards from all my students as well as family and friends so I have way too many to keep. But I love the idea of capturing part of each card. Thanks for sharing. :)

I have taken my old cards to my kid's school and used the Ellison die cutter to cut out shapes--trees/snowmen/stars/snowflakes. With the shapes, I have then made layered wreaths to adorn my house. Or, I will take fishing line and put 2 stars or snow flakes back-to-back and affix them together. I then hang them over my kitchen island, along with crocheted snowflakes, during the holidays. I feel like I am in a winter wonderland for a few weeks!
Ali--I love your collages. Your creativity is amazing!

You can also donate to St. Jude's ranch. A fellow blog-friend (Kimba from A Soft Place to Land - http://asoftplace.net/2009/12/reuse-those-christmas-cards/) pointed this out to me just recently - we were both elated upon learning this:
http://stjudesranch.org/help_card.php