Free Christmas Crafts
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Make a CommentMore Christmas Card Crafts
New Cards from Old
Christmas Card Angels
Christmas Card Basket
Mini Christmas Card Boxes
Victorian Icing Cards
Juice Lid Christmas Card Ornaments
Christmas Card Fan
Recycled Christmas Card Ornaments
Copyright 2004-2008 Jane Lake All Rights Reserved
These recycled Christmas card ornaments are so effective, you'll want to make a whole collection. Don't forget to save your Christmas cards this year to make some more crafts for the next holiday season.
What you will need:
used Christmas cardspencil
scissors
tacky glue
gold cord or ribbon
round template or large coin as shown below
optional: glitter hot glue sticks, glitter or sequins
Directions:
On the back of an old Christmas card, trace around a large coin (I used a Canadian toonie). Cut out this circle. Trace around the coin again, and this time draw an equal sided triangle on the inside of the circle, as shown on our template above. Cut out the triangle. Cut the face page from a used Christmas card. Use the coin, or your cardboard circle template, to trace 20 circles on the blank side of this card. Trace the triangle shape inside each of these circles, then cut them out.
On each circle, fold up the sides of the triangle. This can be a bit tricky at first, but with practice it is possible to fold up all the triangle shapes without having lines to follow. If so, you can skip tracing the triangles.
Set out the folded triangle shapes as shown in the pictures to the left. The top and bottom parts of the ornament are formed by gluing five triangle shapes together. The center section is formed by gluing 10 triangle shapes in a line. The second picture shows the triangles glued together, with the bottom section turned upside down to show you the back view. Tacky glue is much better than white glue for this project, because it enables you to attach one triangle to the next by pinching the side tabs together for a few seconds instead of using clips while the glue dries.
Sometimes there is a small hole at the center of the top and bottom sections; this is normal. You may use the hole in the top section to secure a gold cord or ribbon hanger. Just loop the cord to suitable length and knot the ends. Feed the loop through the top hole and pull through, securing the knot on the inside with a dab of tacky glue.
Once your ornament sections are dry and holding together securely, continue construction by gluing both ends of the center section together in a circular band.
Apply tacky glue to each outside tab of the top section and place on top of the center band, aligning all the tabs. It will not be an exact fit. Pinch together two sets of tabs until the tacky glue holds, then do another pair, until all the tabs are holding. Allow this to dry before doing the same with the bottom section.
Your recycled Christmas card ornament is now complete. If you want to recycle the back half of the Christmas card, make another ornament in the same way and spray paint in Christmas colors. You can add embellishments like glitter or sequins or give the ornament a more structured look by outlining each seam in colored or gold glitter hot glue.
Thank you for posting this. I have been looking for this craft & waiting for my girls to get old enough to do this. We are going to use up old Christmas cards & glitter gift bags that can no longer be used for gift wrapping for this. year, as we reuse the bags year after year.
I have seen this done with phot as well on the Caroll Duvall show.
this is cool!
I made these when I was in girl Scouts. am looking forward to making them with my troop!
hey can this be used on any kind of paper or does it have to only be christmas cards
I remember doing this craft in grade school back in the 70's I think my mother till puts it up every year
THIS SITE HAS THE RIGHT IDEA-WE NEED TO TAKEOUR CHILDREN
BACK
TO WHEN THE ORNAMENTS HAD TO BE MADE TO HAVE A TREE AND THIS WOULD BE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION BACK TO WHERE OUR KIDS NEED TO BE AGAIN !!!!!
Thank you for helping me explain how to make tree baubles from used cards. I learnt to make them many years ago, but when a friend asked me to give her some intstructions, I didn't know where to start. I Googled and presto - your site came up. Thanks again.
I use circle paper punches in various sizes and pretty papers from the scrapbooking store. Some of the balls come out as small as a walnut. Some as big as a tennis ball. Then I fill a tall glass hurricane candle holder (without the candle obviously) and use it for a centerpiece.
you can also do this craft by just having the kids color some paper or paint it . ADD glitter! makes it sparkle! easy craft for kids. just help with the folding a little
has anyone found the print out sheet for the circles already printed on a 8 x 10 sheet of paper? You then use iron on adhesive to glue the page to a piece of 8 X 10 piece of fabric, cut out and assemble so your ornaments are made of cloth and the paper makes them stiff.
