I know some of you chose not to keep the holiday cards each year, others take photos of them and and use them as the contact images on your smart phones. But if you are like me, you hold on to those cards since it is the best way to keep photographic memories of your favorite friends and family from year to year.
Chelsea, from Two Twenty One, is here today to share her super simple and fantastic way of organizing her annual greeting card collection.
Hey, IHeart Organizing readers! Happy Holidays!
It
won't be long until your mailboxes will start piling up with Christmas
cards from friends and family. You'll proudly display the cards in your
homes until the end of December, and then what happens to them? Well,
if you're me, you put them in plastic zipper bags, write the year on the
front, and toss them in one of your Christmas decoration totes. You
see, I have a hard time throwing away sentimental items. Some call it
'hoarding'. I call it 'memory treasuring'. It's not like I've been
stockpiling newspapers since 1998, and I can't find my 16 cats in my
hoarder's den. So in an attempt to organize and make my past Christmas
cards more useful, I made them into Christmas card books.
I started by gathering my Christmas card bags. See. I wasn't lying.
I created a few 6 inch by 8 inch covers
for the Christmas card books, which you can download for free at the end
of this post. My Christmas gift to you. Ho, ho, ho.
I
printed a cover onto card stock, cut it to size, and used a hole punch
to make two holes on the cover. Then, I used the cover as a template
to punch the holes in the cards.
After all the cards were hole punched, I grabbed two binder rings and
started slipping the cards onto the binder rings. I did one binder
ring at a time, but do whatever works for you. Once all the cards were
on the rings I added the cover, closed the rings, and wrote the year on
the front of the cover.
I displayed the books in a small basket, that I jazzed up with some ribbon and a bow, on an end table in our living room
This project was super simple and
inexpensive. My kind of project. I will admit, my hand was a little
sore from all the hole punching the next day.
You can download your preferred cover{s} below. Enjoy and happy Christmas card organizing!
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| {click here to download} |
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| {click here to download} |
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| {click here to download} |
Do you typically keep or throw away Christmas cards?
Do you think you'll turn your Christmas cards into a Christmas card book this year?
"Hey friends! I'm Chelsea from Two Twenty One!
I'm a twenty-something living in Indiana with my husband, Brad, and
our crazy mutt, Jack. My loves are photography, travel, DIY projects,
baking, wine, sarcasm and my iPhone. The husband and I are attempting
to make our home a little less cookie cutter and a lot more awesome.
My little slice of the internet, Two Twenty One, is where I share my
latest home improvement projects, furniture makeovers, crafts, recipes
and home & seasonal decor ideas. I am beyond excited to join Jen
and the rest of the IHeart Organizing team!" 
LOVE THIS!! And thank you so much for the freebie printable. I keep my cards every single year and I have lovely ziploc bags for every year back to 1993 (the year I was married)- I've tried to cull through them occasionally but I just can't get rid of more than a few of them each time I do that. I've been wanting to put them into books or do something nicer than a baggie for them forever and you have make that so much easier for me! Thanks for the great idea and for sharing:):) MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great idea. I always struggle with what to do with cards after the holidays. Some years, I've tossed them. Some years I've made them into gift tags. Now, I think I'll be making books, thank you very much. Thanks for the idea, Chelsea.
ReplyDeleteOH one more thing! You should totally use a crop-i-dile to punch your cards. I can see why your hand is sore!!!! I love my crop-i-dile and you can punch through probably 5 cards at a time, if not more.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Raesha! I've never heard of a crop-i-dile before, but I'll look into one. Very clever name.
DeleteI did something like that for our wedding cards we got!
ReplyDeleteWay cuter than the plastic bags. I have all our wedding day cards all over the place! This would be great for them! Thanks
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCah-ute!! Love this idea
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered what to do with all of those cards! So adorable!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool idea! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI do this with my son's cards that he gets throughout the year. First I started with baby shower cards, and saved everything through his 1st year, and started a new book with his 1st birthday. Maybe I should blog about that... never thought anyone would enjoy it :) I didn't think about making a pretty cover though, I'm excited :)
ReplyDeleteI have kept all my cards and letters for several years. I keep them in a three-ring binder in plastic sheet protectors (to fit the 8 1/2 x 11 papers.) It is so fun to go back and read the letters, even one year later. But, I love this format, too. Cute covers!
ReplyDeleteI like to save my Christmas cards for one year. I put them in the tote with the other decorations and it's so much fun to pull them out and read them again. Then, I either have to throw them out or I put them into cheap frames and make them decorations.
ReplyDeleteI did this with all my picture Christmas Cards last year, except I tied them together with ribbon. So cute and something to put under the tree.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! I've got all years past in one very unorganized basket. (I'm hoping the people dated their cards)
ReplyDeleteSuper cute!
ReplyDeleteI keep the cards from family, cut the pictures down to size and add them to a $1 photo flip book from Michaels. My kids like to look through them during church, while traveling, and anytime they have to sit in one place. We live far away from most family so it's a great way for them to be familiar with their cousins. Hmmm, maybe I should out a cute cover on mine too :)
ReplyDeleteI am so doing that!!!! I just got my cards in the mail and pulled out my tub of cards I had received in past years (put together by year with a rubber band. I know. I know. After I address all of my cards I am going to put on a Christmas movie and make books. My girls will LOVE it. What a fabulous idea!!! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteVery nice idea! Always wonder how to organize them! {Just can't throw them out!}
ReplyDeleteIt looks so pretty in that basket! I love it.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea. I keep my cards every year. I just throw them in the boxes with the decorations, then they next year when I get the decorations out, I look through the cards. I believe I might be doing this this year, and with the past cards too. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteoh, and one other thing...this would be great for Bday cards too. When my now almost 20 year old son was about two or so, he loved books. He called his bday cards his happy day books. He loved to look at them, so there, you see, they would make good happy day books for your kids to keep {and you too ;)}
ReplyDeleteI have found that when you make a book like that, to hot glue the binder ring together so they don't fall apart! (I made a book with all of my wedding cards!)
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestion, Laura! Making wedding shower and wedding card books is next on my list.
DeleteI already had this on my to do list for Christmas break. Now they'll all be coordinating! :) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!!! I hate throwing away Christmas cards and literally had last year's cards laying in a pile on a table trying to figure out what I was going to do with them. Your post came at the right time! Now I'm going to make books! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI have one question, how did you manage to take a photo of all MY holiday cards from years past?!?!? Seriously, I about fell off my chair laughing when I saw the pic and read the story.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for the printable and the great idea. this might be my absolute favorite thing to do this year - love it!
I love the cover designs. Maybe I'll have to ponder not trashing the cards this year!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I never know what to do with Christmas cards. I hate to throw them out, but I don't want them just cluttering things up, either. This is a perfect solution!
ReplyDeleteA lot of people have trouble letting go of greeting cards. I suggest tossing the ones from your dentist, accountant, paper deliverer, etc. and only keeping the ones that really have some meaning to you. I rarely keep cards unless they have a special message that will make me feel good to read again.
ReplyDeleteIf you are going to keep them, though, making a book out of the meaningful ones is a great idea. It is fun to see how kids grow every year when people send photo cards.
I agree Marcie! We only keep the ones with photographs. It is so fun to look back and see how friends and family change over the years. :)
Deletexo,
Jen
Every year I write the year on the back of each card. Then I place them in a wicker basket. I have been doing this since 1992.
ReplyDeleteThis year I was trying to think of a good way to group them year by year. You have given me a great solution!
My kids are older now and really like to look at the cards we have received. This is a great project to do with them.
I do the same thing but I use our card that we send out as the cover. I've also done this for my wedding shower and baby shower cards with the shower invitation as the cover.
ReplyDeleteOMG I love you!!!! I have been wondering what to do with our wedding cards! LOVE it! Having them in the tote in the basement seems so icky lol
DeleteThis is a fabulous idea! My son loves to look through our old cards and this will keep them off the floor! I'm going to do the same with his birthday cards!!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea...if you keep cards. Personally I think it's clutter. I keep the picture cards until the next year. We pull them out of the decor box when we decorate, look at them, and then toss them in prep for the cards to be received.
ReplyDeleteI just did this with all of our photo cards or really special cards that I've saved for the last 5 years. It's such a great way to organize and actually look through everything in the future.
ReplyDeleteI only keep the picture cards and then put them in my "they don't need an album" photo boxes :)
ReplyDeleteI like this idea though especially to use as decorations for the following years!
I ran across this idea last year after christmas was over, I have everything ready I just need to put my books together. The difference is that the cover for each year will be our own christmas card for that year. Love that we can pull these out and use them as "coffee table" books for December and they will get more love and use.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I already used rings to bind my cards together, but I'm oh-so-excited to have covers now, too! :)
ReplyDeleteFor the sore hands, get one of these: http://www.staples.com/Staples-2-Hole-Punch/product_799825?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:799825&KPID=799825.
ReplyDeleteYou can punch a few at a time and not have the sore-hand syndrome! And for $10, it's worth it!
Another cute idea for Christmas cards. I'm so glad to know that some people do still send cards via the US postal service!
ReplyDeleteI have a photo album with the sticky pages that I add all of the photo Christmas cards to from each year. It's fun to look back and see how people have changed and how kids have grown:)
ReplyDeleteI did this with all our wedding cards! I tucked them away in a decorative box along with all our wedding trinkets like the garter, our vows, a program etc. I love being able to pull that box out every now and then and easily flip through all the sweet words.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Now, can you tell me where you got those awesome aqua curtains in the background of your photo of the cards in the basket? :) Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteHey Kristen! I sure can. I made them! Read all about them here: http://www.twotwentyone.net/2012/08/how-to-make-curtains-diy.html
DeleteWhere did you find your binder clips? I have been wanting to do this for a while but don't know where to find those.
ReplyDeleteHi! So sorry I didn't see your comment until now. I bought my binder clips from the office supply section at Walmart.
DeleteLove this idea! I think I will try it, but add a mailing list printed on cardstock (folded like a card)as the back of my list. That way, I'm ready for the next year...
ReplyDeleteThis is genius! I can't wait to do this with all the cards I've kept, wedding, baby, birthdays etc.
ReplyDeleteChristmas cards, birthday cards, wedding & birth announcements . . . Love this idea! Some of my cards won't fit but I could take a picture of them and re-size them ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the great idea
I'm still making these! Love this post!
ReplyDelete