Like most families, we receive dozens of Christmas cards every year, many of which include beautiful images of the Nativity, glittery winter nights or rosy-cheeked Santas checking their lists. It always seemed like such a waste to throw this heap of sentiments and artwork away. So one year I decided to make placemats using a bunch of holiday cards the sentimental pack-rat in me had stashed in a box with Christmas decorations.
I first made placemats for my own family to use at our table. It was wonderful to see favorite cards from past Christmases every time we sat down to eat. Plus, they added a dash of holiday spirit to our kitchen table. In fact, I liked the way they turned out so much that I started keeping my cards every year so that I could make placemats for family members and friends as gifts. I even started separating cards by themes, so I could personalize the placemats and give my friend who was the animal lover all the holiday cards depicting puppies, reindeer, and polar bears or my children’s godparents placemats with angel images.
If you have a stash of Christmas cards in your reach, sit down with your kids some time this week and make your own placemats. NOTE: These directions use circle shapes to make the placemats. I just measured a standard placemat and used it as a guide to make your typical rectangular-shaped placemats.
I absolutely love this idea! I am definately going to save my cards this year.