Treasuring Memories – Storing and Recycling Old Greeting Cards

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Words. Beautiful, heartwarming, appreciative.
Images. Memorable, heartening.
Designs. Beautiful beyond imagination. 

The right greeting card can do what many times actions fail to do. The right words said at the right time can make all the difference to a person’s day, occasion, or celebration. Finding the right card that says exactly what is within your heart or writing those special words that make for strong connections. 

The work that goes into picking out the right words shows the sender’s connection to your relationship. 

10 years of marriage add up to 11 Valentines days, 11 Anniversaries, 7 Mother’s Days, and more birthdays and special occasions. 

Store-bought & hand-made cards. Special mementos made at preschool.

This year, after ten years after collecting them, we started a new tradition of taking out the old cards and reading them. The kids got a kick out of seeing the many cards I made for them their first year they were born and the many, many mementos we have created together over the many years. 

They turned a normal day into a day full of happy memories and laughter. It led to getting out all old photographs and talking about “what happened when … ” 

Reading through those sentimental memories can be the perk up you need on a sad day. Or displaying them up on a sad occasion can take you through a time travel of the many wonderful celebrations you have shared. Any day can become as special as Valentines Day. 

But storing them can surely be a pain. 

How To Store & Recycle Old Greeting Cards

Ideas for storing cards: 

  • Periodically go through every card you have and be selective about the cards you keep. 
  • Keep everything in a pretty box organized by year or occasion.
  • Scan the cards or letters you don’t want to keep physically.

Ideas to reuse cards.

  • Create a timeline for an anniversary or a milestone event! 
  • Use them as gift tags or cards for friends. 
  • Tuck them into a journal.
  • Recycle old card fronts into new cards.
  • Use them in new craft projects for school or handmade gifts for family members. 
  • String all old cards for a specific occasion on a string to create beautiful decor.
  • Lots of organizations, from Girl Scouts to YMCA and Kiwanis summer camp programs, can use your card tops for their craft projects all year long.

I wish you all a happy life full of beautiful words that you can re-read over and over. Going back in time down memory lane with your loved ones. Playing that amazing game of “what happened when … ” 

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