Keep all of your holiday & special event cards while saving space and memories!
After a grand holiday or special event like a wedding or baby shower, you are left with an unimaginable amount of cards. Funny cards, sweet cards, heartfelt cards– just so many cards! For me, throwing away any part of a gift that a friend or family member took their precious time to hand-pick for me simply feels wrong.
It’s like “Thanks for the baby clothes. Here, you can keep the card though”.
On the other hand, where do you keep all of these cards every year? Eventually your underwear drawer will be overflowing with panties and cards from your great-aunt Sally! Before we head down that scary road, try this cool and VERY easy card keepsake project.
What you will need:
All of your chosen greeting cards
Scissors
2 pieces of cardboard the same size of the greeting cards
Hole puncher
Ribbon or ring clip
Glue/paste
Hot glue for cover design
Construction or decorative paper for front and back cover
Any decorative add-ons for the front cover
When I created this keepsake, I was 9 months pregnant with my first, and only, child. The day I found out that I was pregnant, I was determined to keep every little memento throughout his life. Since my mother died when I was young, I don’t have a thing from my childhood which only feeds my desire to keep everything he touches! These are the cards I was given throughout my pregnancy and from my baby shower. The front cover was created from the gift bags that I had left over (and still currently have! Pack rat?). You, of course, can design your cover however you’d like. I also used cardboard from a diaper box since it was the only form of cardboard I had.
So, start by cutting your cardboard pieces to be the same size as the greeting cards in the back and front. Try to choose cards that about the same generic dimensions for the front and back. Paste your chosen decorative paper onto the inside front and back cover trimming the edges. The decorative paper sides should be facing each other. Punch even holes in the top left corner of the back cover and top right corner of the front cover. At this time you can decorate the cover by pasting decorative paper on the front and back covers on the sides not facing each other. You can use the hot glue gun to add beads, foam letters, or cut outs.
Put the covers to the side and gather your greeting cards. You might have to group them into manageable sections depending on how many cards you have. Punch holes into the top left corners of the cards. Now you are ready to put it together. With the front cover decorative side down, place the stack of cards on top followed by the back cover the decorative side up. Pick up the stack and string a ribbon through the hole in the left corner or any other clip you choose.
I plan on saving this card keepsake in a special place to show my son when he is older how much he was loved even before we all saw how cute he was!
