Repurposed Christmas Cards

©Michele Emerson-Roberts  2014

December is one of my favorite months of the year. There is a feeling of peace and love starting with the Thanksgiving celebration that sets the mood for the month of December, and the anticipation of the new year.

In keeping with my philosophy of re-purposing items that most people toss, here are just a few of the more than 100 Christmas cards that I will be mailing out soon.

Supplies:

• Any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits
• Microwave, heat gun or a sunny window
• Blender, small strainer, cello sponges
• Iron and pressing cloth
• Westcott™ personal paper cutter, scissors
• Scor-Pal™
• Beacon Quick Grip™ Adhesive, double sided foam tape or dots
• Scraps of white, olive green, red, dark red, tan and Christmas green paper or cardstock (think junk mail, etc.--except for the white I am using scraps left from other projects – and remember to always save the scraps)
• Envelopes for a 4 ¼ x 5 ½” cards (or use the AG template to create matching envelopes), envelope for 5”square card
• Christmas card sent to me some years ago
• Dies: Spellbinders™ Ornaments, scalloped ovals and shaped square

          Impression Obsession Pine Branch

         Sizzix Tim Holtz Pinecone

         CheeryLynn™ Fringe

• Christmas themed embossing folders 
• Spellbinders Grand Calibur™ Machine
• Bow Easy™
• Small amounts of various sheer, velvet and Christmas cotton ribbon

Instructions:   

1. Follow the direction for paper making and casting found in any of the Arnold Grummer paper making kits or books to make slurry from the white scraps. Create numerous sheets of thick white handmade paper. (Think card stock weight) Make the different colored slurries and create a sheet each of green, red, olive green and tan. (Or use scraps left from other projects as I did.) (Think card stock weight) Allow the papers to dry. If you want the thick white paper to be smooth as I did, iron it using the pressing cloth.
2. Cut most of the sheets of heavy white paper in half, and score and fold to create 4 ¼ x 5 ½” cards and one 5” square card.
3. Emboss the fronts of all the cards with Christmas themed folders.
4. Die cut ornament shapes from the fronts of old Christmas cards.
5. Die cut lots of pine branches from the green paper.
6. Die cut lots of (fringe) evergreen boughs from the olive green paper.
7. Die cut pinecones from the tan paper.
8. Die cut some verbiage from the inside of old Christmas cards using scalloped ovals and shaped square dies.
9. Die cut a larger dark red shaped square.
10. Die cut a larger red scalloped oval.
11. Use the paper cutter to cut a message for the front of some of the cards.
12. Refer to the photos to assemble the cards.
13. Attach the pine branches, ornaments, layered shaped squares and oval dies cuts with double sided foam tape or dots.
14. Attach the evergreen boughs and pinecone with Beacon QuickGrip™ adhesive.
15. Use the Bow Easy™ to tie bows for the cards out of various ribbons.
16. Write a personal message inside your hand made cards.