Upcycled Valentine’s cards

I love reusing craft supplies and coming up with new ways to use things that would otherwise be thrown out in the trash. For this project, I used leftover Valentine’s Day cards and some old, blank thank you notes to create new greeting cards. These cards can be sent to family and friends as an unexpected way of saying, “I love you and I was thinking of you”.

If you’re really feeling ambitious, you could make these ahead of time to send for Valentine’s Day, or you could use some of the Valentine’s cards your kids get from friends at school and upcycle them into new cards to send “just because”. Regardless of the timing or the supplies you use, it’s a fun way to get your kids crafting while using up old supplies.

Supplies

1. Construction paper
2. Scissors
3. Old, blank thank you notes or other small blank greeting cards with envelopes
4. Glue (glue sticks, Elmer’s, or craft glue)
5. Valentine’s Day cards (new or recycled)
6. Glitter (or glitter glue)
7. Other miscellaneous craft supplies like felt hearts, buttons, sequins, pom poms, ribbon, stickers, or pipe cleaners

   

Step 1

Trace around the front of your blank note cards onto the construction paper. Cut out what you traced and glue it onto the top of the note card to completely cover the front.

Step 2

Cut out the parts of the Valentine’s Day cards that you want to keep. You can cut out characters, hearts, and/or phrases. Glue them onto the front of the note cards.

Step 3

Use the glitter and miscellaneous craft supplies to embellish the cards. You can also add items to the inside of the card (just keep in mind that if the card will be mailed, you might not want to make it too bulky).

Have fun with the supplies and get creative with what you use. If you don’t have that many supplies on hand, you can cut hearts out of the construction paper, or simply use crayons or markers to add some design to what you are using from the Valentine’s Day cards. Personalized snail mail is so uncommon these days that I’m certain it will be received with a smile!

Photos: Robin Winningham

This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 9:59 AM.