Uses for old birthday cards?
May 31, 2013 4:10 AM Subscribe
What do you do with birthday cards when the party is over?
Receiving birthday cards is lovely - you read the message, admire the funny/pretty picture, put them up on the mantelpiece and feel ever so grateful that people remembered your day. But then the time comes to take them down - what do you do with them? I'm a bit on the sentimental side, and feel guilty chucking away cards (even into the recycling bin) after someone I care about has taken the trouble to choose it, write it and send it. As a result I have drawers and boxes stuffed full of wadges of old birthday cards. Each year when it's time to take them down, I bundle them together, put them in a box or a drawer, and forget about them-at nearly 30 I'm running out of space! Am i being too sentimental? Can I put these old cards to good use or do I just need to enjoy them for the few weeks a year and throw them away?
Receiving birthday cards is lovely - you read the message, admire the funny/pretty picture, put them up on the mantelpiece and feel ever so grateful that people remembered your day. But then the time comes to take them down - what do you do with them? I'm a bit on the sentimental side, and feel guilty chucking away cards (even into the recycling bin) after someone I care about has taken the trouble to choose it, write it and send it. As a result I have drawers and boxes stuffed full of wadges of old birthday cards. Each year when it's time to take them down, I bundle them together, put them in a box or a drawer, and forget about them-at nearly 30 I'm running out of space! Am i being too sentimental? Can I put these old cards to good use or do I just need to enjoy them for the few weeks a year and throw them away?
Recycle.
posted by Ideefixe at 4:17 AM on May 31, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Ideefixe at 4:17 AM on May 31, 2013 [4 favorites]
Recycle the folding ones with pretty but non-personalised fronts into gift cards, by cutting the front off and punching a hole in one corner. Crop as needed.
Write your message on the blank backside, and tie the card to a gift, using ribbon or something like that.
posted by Too-Ticky at 4:32 AM on May 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
Write your message on the blank backside, and tie the card to a gift, using ribbon or something like that.
posted by Too-Ticky at 4:32 AM on May 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
Weeeell, I haven't actually done this but I keep meaning to: scan them all and save into folders on laptop or Dropbox or similar. Then recycle the originals.
posted by Ziggy500 at 4:34 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Ziggy500 at 4:34 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
Cut out shapes / characters, etc and thread some sting through them, use as christmas ornaments or other type decoration.
posted by WeekendJen at 4:50 AM on May 31, 2013
posted by WeekendJen at 4:50 AM on May 31, 2013
Honestly, I don't even scan them before I recycle them. I haven't been able to figure out a good re-use for birthday cards, unlike christmas cards that I can cut up into gift tags.
I also find that birthday cards (at least in my social circle) run more to the jokey or silly than "pretty". Unless they're from my mom, in which case there's about a 50% chance they will be musical, and I can't get that out of my house fast enough!
posted by quaking fajita at 4:54 AM on May 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
I also find that birthday cards (at least in my social circle) run more to the jokey or silly than "pretty". Unless they're from my mom, in which case there's about a 50% chance they will be musical, and I can't get that out of my house fast enough!
posted by quaking fajita at 4:54 AM on May 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
Save the special ones. Rip the picture portion off the rest (ie the cover) and re-use as a post card.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 5:05 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by St. Peepsburg at 5:05 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
I put pretty/interesting-looking cards on the fridge. I save meaningful cards in a drawer or somewhere. Everything else gets recycled.
Here's what gets me over the guilt of recycling cards or giving old presents to Goodwill: the people who give me those things like me and care about me, and they wanted me to feel good, not burdened by their gifts. Besides, it's not like I remember every card I've sent people; they're not keeping score either.
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:06 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
Here's what gets me over the guilt of recycling cards or giving old presents to Goodwill: the people who give me those things like me and care about me, and they wanted me to feel good, not burdened by their gifts. Besides, it's not like I remember every card I've sent people; they're not keeping score either.
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:06 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
I made a wreath for the front door out of holiday cards (because I can't just throw anything away). You could do the same thing with any kind of card; just use different embellishments for the season.
You can see my wreath at my blog here: Handmade Christmas Wreath from Christmas Cards Past. The key is using a dowel to start the roll for the heavy cardstock. And either making or buying a flat surface for the "spokes". (I cut mine out of foamcore after realizing that the pre-made wreath form I bought didn't have enough surface area in contact with each "spoke" to make everything stable enough. A three inch wide disc was enough to provide the necessary support.)
posted by Kronur at 5:26 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
You can see my wreath at my blog here: Handmade Christmas Wreath from Christmas Cards Past. The key is using a dowel to start the roll for the heavy cardstock. And either making or buying a flat surface for the "spokes". (I cut mine out of foamcore after realizing that the pre-made wreath form I bought didn't have enough surface area in contact with each "spoke" to make everything stable enough. A three inch wide disc was enough to provide the necessary support.)
posted by Kronur at 5:26 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
If the cover can be used alone like a postcard (no writing on the inside cover and it doesn't rely on a punch line inside), nursing homes will sometimes take them for their residents to use.
posted by BlooPen at 5:34 AM on May 31, 2013
posted by BlooPen at 5:34 AM on May 31, 2013
Into the recycle bin.
posted by Doohickie at 5:36 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Doohickie at 5:36 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
In my next life when I have more time and more space, I want to cut the cards into flags, and create an ever-expanding string of bunting that I can put up at subsequent birthdays.
posted by juniperesque at 5:45 AM on May 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by juniperesque at 5:45 AM on May 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
The ones I get from my kids, that they make themselves I keep. Significant ones from my significant other I keep. All others - recycle...
posted by SpringRobin at 5:46 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by SpringRobin at 5:46 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
I've also been contemplating boxes and boxes of cards and letters and decided to get one of these scanning wands to scan them all quickly so I can get rid of the hard copies. I'm a sentimental, recovering pack rack and I have a feeling that I will get about 20 cards into the project before deciding to just read them all once last time and scan/keep the handful that are really special. That probably won't include the pen-pal letters from 3rd grade....
posted by Room 641-A at 5:54 AM on May 31, 2013
posted by Room 641-A at 5:54 AM on May 31, 2013
If there is a really sweet personal note I might hang on to it for a few months. Otherwise I throw them away within a month, no scanning or anything (of course I call or email to say thank you, or write a handwritten note if it came with a gift).
posted by amaire at 6:00 AM on May 31, 2013
posted by amaire at 6:00 AM on May 31, 2013
The older I get, the shorter the time between 'receive card' and 'recycle card' gets; unless it's a particularly lovely/hand-printed card or has a personalized note in it, after a couple of years all the generic hallmark cards with only 'Happy birthday!' written in them get hard to distinguish from one another.
But, I totally get the sentimentality. Scanning them is a great idea (when my parents moved a couple of years ago there was a massive purge of old stuff. I took photos of a lot of childhood crap that I absolutely didn't need or have room for, but wanted to remember) and into the dumpster it went. But if you really want to hang on to them there's no reason you couldn't recycle them into ornaments like this (Link goes to marthastewart.com, but I remember doing this in Cub Scouts with Christmas cards.) I think we made them with pentagons instead of triangles, which results in 12 sides instead of 20. I suppose it might wind up taking up more space than storing them flat, but it would be a festive thing you could bring out once a year.
posted by usonian at 6:04 AM on May 31, 2013
But, I totally get the sentimentality. Scanning them is a great idea (when my parents moved a couple of years ago there was a massive purge of old stuff. I took photos of a lot of childhood crap that I absolutely didn't need or have room for, but wanted to remember) and into the dumpster it went. But if you really want to hang on to them there's no reason you couldn't recycle them into ornaments like this (Link goes to marthastewart.com, but I remember doing this in Cub Scouts with Christmas cards.) I think we made them with pentagons instead of triangles, which results in 12 sides instead of 20. I suppose it might wind up taking up more space than storing them flat, but it would be a festive thing you could bring out once a year.
posted by usonian at 6:04 AM on May 31, 2013
I put them in a box and save them with my other important correspondence.
posted by Rob Rockets at 6:07 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Rob Rockets at 6:07 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
I used to just recycle them, but now I'll start turning the Christmas cards into gift tags and maybe some of the prettier other-cards into earring cards for if I ever turn my jewelry making thing into a side biz.
posted by kimberussell at 7:17 AM on May 31, 2013
posted by kimberussell at 7:17 AM on May 31, 2013
If it contains a really meaningful message, I'll keep it (I have fewer than 10 cards like this). I throw out the rest.
posted by k8lin at 7:19 AM on May 31, 2013
posted by k8lin at 7:19 AM on May 31, 2013
The warm-fuzzy-oh-yay-a-card feeling is the whole point of the card. The actual physical card is just a piece of paper. Recycling the card is not recycling the memory. Nobody gives you a card because they want you to spend the rest of your life curating this piece of paper. Be openhanded. Smile, enjoy, recycle.
posted by selfmedicating at 7:36 AM on May 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by selfmedicating at 7:36 AM on May 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
If they are especially pretty, I frame them, but I've never had a really beautiful birthday card - this works best with Christmas cards. Then I pull them out and put on the walls at Christmas time.
posted by kitcat at 7:40 AM on May 31, 2013
posted by kitcat at 7:40 AM on May 31, 2013
I keep the ones I think I might feel bad about throwing away. I put them in a particular spot.
Then, once a year when I'm super-cleaning and organizing my house, I go through them and recycle the ones that don't matter anymore. (Because really, how many cute animal cards does anyone really need from a single relative?)
posted by cranberry_nut at 8:04 AM on May 31, 2013
Then, once a year when I'm super-cleaning and organizing my house, I go through them and recycle the ones that don't matter anymore. (Because really, how many cute animal cards does anyone really need from a single relative?)
posted by cranberry_nut at 8:04 AM on May 31, 2013
Response by poster: Feeling less guilty about the recycling thanks guys! 30th birthday coming up, let's see how successful I can be!
posted by Mnky197 at 8:06 AM on May 31, 2013
posted by Mnky197 at 8:06 AM on May 31, 2013
I have a special drawer for correspondence I want to keep (letters/ cards/ etc.) I think about the likelihood that it will make me reminisce fondly if I find it later and put it in the drawer if so, and chuck it out if not.
posted by mermily at 8:13 AM on May 31, 2013
posted by mermily at 8:13 AM on May 31, 2013
I have special folders for the special ones in my file cabinet. The rest are recycled. I'm not sure about whether I'll ever scan the ones I've kept, because I know one of the few wonderful things about my parents' deaths was reading the cards they'd retained.
posted by bearwife at 10:18 AM on May 31, 2013
posted by bearwife at 10:18 AM on May 31, 2013
Collage?
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:15 AM on May 31, 2013
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:15 AM on May 31, 2013
> Am i being too sentimental?
Yes. Toss them. Think about it: do you know what's happened to any of the cards you've given people over the years? Do you care?
It's the picking the card that's enjoyable for the giver; it's reading it that's enjoyable for the receiver. Nobody cares about it after that. Recycle!
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:01 PM on May 31, 2013
Yes. Toss them. Think about it: do you know what's happened to any of the cards you've given people over the years? Do you care?
It's the picking the card that's enjoyable for the giver; it's reading it that's enjoyable for the receiver. Nobody cares about it after that. Recycle!
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:01 PM on May 31, 2013
Best answer: OK, I do have one idea. If you really wanted to find a use for them, you could call a preschool in your area and see if they wanted them for arts and crafts. Little kids do a lot of cutting, and the cards could be good for their scissor skills.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:02 PM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:02 PM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by FreelanceBureaucrat at 4:16 AM on May 31, 2013