Recycling Cards -- Good or Bad idea?

[lindsycarranza]

Okay I have a question to throw out there for all you crafty peeps
I wanted to get a feel for this proposal before doing it in case it was considered taboo.....
For a few years now I've saved every card ever given to me and I have a shoebox now overflowing with cards. A thought came to me the other day why not upcycle them and reuse them? Now of course it would depend on where the giver wrote on the card and such but I thought I could glue new card stock on the inside of the card and voila new card. Is that a bad idea? Do you think anyone would get hurt if they found that they received an reused card? Of course I'll save the ones that mean a lot to me and I plan on scanning them all in and creating a scrapbook of cards eventually but I just wanted to get everyone's feelings on this idea. Thanks for all your help!

[little me]

I don't think it's a bad idea. I'd use just the fronts of the card (cut & glue to new card fronts) & as long there is no writing that can be see thru, it would work great. I don't really think they would mind & keeping the special ones is a good thing. I'm not really a card person so I wonder if people remember what cards they send to other people?

[PaulaCT]

I agree with. "Little Me" and would suggest taking the card front and attaching it to a new blank card but other then that I have no problem with the idea. I make handmade cards that I donate to our military to use to keep in touch with home and I have recycled cards in this way. Often I had some ribbon or embellishments too. I say go for it!!

[lindsycarranza]

Thanks for the advice I just hated to throw them away but they are overflowing! So I need to do something with them, I've always wanted to get into card making but have no time maybe this will give me a start. Plus I have a HUGE family and buying cards can get expensive sometimes, even if I buy the 99 cent Hallmark cards sometimes I still spend at least $20 in cards a month.

[SkitzoLeezra]

Reusing the card intact could appear a bit chintzy.  I cut the front of the card, crop it and mount it to complementary color paper and glue to a new cardstock card made by me.  Embellish the images or add your own captions.  Cute kitties in a basket just beg for laser eyes, don't you think?
By the way, my local libarary accepts donations of greeting cards.  They crop them to bookmark size, punch a hole and add a yarn tie at top.  The bookmarks are placed at checkout counter and free for the taking.

[little me]

. . . buying cards can get expensive . . .

Which is why I don't buy cards anymore. They are very pricey & not everyone keeps them. I like to make my own & personalize it to the person that's getting it. Recycling is an excellent idea & what SkitzoLeezra does is great.

[lindsycarranza]

I think I try that, that's for all the suggestions! I'll have to get started and post a few one here. First I have to go thru the box and take out the ones I want to keep.

[bminks]

I actually have a friend who cuts the front out of all the cards she gets and sends them to me to use. I usually don't glue them on wholesale, though, although I think that is fine. I like to cut out all the images that I like from them, then cut shapes with the rest of the card and turn it into a sort-of collage.

[crazydaisyamy]

late to the party, but I think this is a wonderful idea. We do this for our kids. My 5 year old has fun with it.

[TheMuseFactory]

My Auntie does this with all her cards. I've never found it offensive, in fact I think it's awesome. (She's a nun too, so you know, it can't be THAT bad, lol!)