by Stacey Torres

Created on: December 05, 2009   Last Updated: March 10, 2010

Seeds of Life Christmas Cards

A fabulous holiday greeting card can be made by most anyone, including children, by simply recycling old greeting cards you have received the prior year. This project is both easy on your pocket as well as our eco system. In fact, these holiday cards are a perfect way to give back to the environment in a way that really does continue to give over the years.

You will need:

Plain white (non-glossy) cardstock.

White glue

Rubber cement

Gel Pens

Craft scissors

Holiday themed cookie cutter

Wild Flower (perennial varieties) seed packets

Small pieces of holiday fabric

Scraps of ribbon, tiny rhinestones, sequins, pearls, buttons and glitter

Inexpensive white envelopes (approximately 4x5)

Old Christmas/holiday cards from the year before. Feel free to ask your friends and neighbors to save their cards and donate them to you for a craft project. Most people will be willing to help you, and almost everyone gets rid of their greeting cards after December. You can save these throughout the year.

Measure and cut a piece of cardstock that will fit into your envelopes when folded in half. Whether you fold your card lengthwise or by its width is totally up to you, depending on the design you create for your card. Fold the cardstock, and press the crease sharply with a pen or ruler.

Measure and cut a piece of fabric the same size as the front half of the card, plus around all four sides.

Using your cookie cutter as a template, trace the shape onto the front of the card, and carefully cut it out forming a window. This window can be any shape, including gingerbread man/woman, bell, Christmas tree, ornament, stocking, etc. Or, you can simply cut a standard square or oblong window shape.

Cut tiny scenes or interesting sections from your old greeting cards and glue them randomly around the window, overlapping as you glue into a collage. Embellish the design with ribbon, stones, glitter or any trim that pleases you. Bits of straw, buttons, leaves and seeds also work well on a more rustic design. Glue glitter or thin ribbon around the edge of the window to give it a nice finish.

Place the seed packet (face down so that the front of the packet is visible through the window on the outside), and glue top and bottom to secure it in place.

Fold and iron down the edges of the fabric, then glue around the edges with rubber cement it to the inside of the greeting card, right side up. This will serve as a bit of cushion to protect the seed packet. The rubber cement will allow the recipient to peel back the fabric to gain access to the seeds.

At this point, you can either cut out a greeting from one of the recycled greeting cards, or write your own on the inside of the card. Using gold or silver gel pens on black construction paper gives a nice touch; however, you do want to coordinate the colors of your fabric and papers throughout the project.

Write a simple message in your card, such as, The Seed is Hope, and the Flower is Joy!

*This project can be utilized for any season, holiday or occasion.

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