Around this time of year I end up with a bunch of cards from my Birthday (also in December) and Christmas. I always feel a pang of guilt even putting them in the recycling bin. Especially when you’re like “oooh what a lovely card!” followed by “such a shame to throw it away!” That last sentence btw….be careful….that’s hoarder speak right there!
Anyway, this year, rather than throw the lovely cards away I decided to repurpose them as gift tags!
Really simple. Stanley knife, metal ruler, cutting mat and hole punch. I guess the trick is visualising where to cut and what would make a good “stand alone” image. I could definitely see the potential in this birthday card…
Start by seperating the front section from the back….
Having said that, don’t rule out the back piece entirely! That “enjoy part” would make a good tag right? Just check with every potential tag you are going to cut from your card, that the back is plain and clear for writing on…
Use the lines on your cutting mat to make sure everything is lined up and square and get cutting…
Once you’ve cut your tags, punch a hole ready for some ribbon or string et voila! Lovely card finds new purpose as lovely gift tags! 
I probably won’t have to buy another gift tag all year tbh. I have a whole stack cut from birthday and Christmas cards. Here’s a few more examples (I did a load more after these pics were taken too. It’s kind of addictive!)
As a side note that I thought you’d enjoy, my Christmas gift tags this year were also recycled; but in a slightly different way. I took a bit of a shine to the packaging of a curtain pole we ordered for the new house (we bought a house in August). Black on one side. White and perfect for writing on on the other. So I naturally sliced it up into loads and loads of narrow rectangles…
The addition of a punched hole and some glitter duck tape and decorative washi tape transformed them into luxurious and glam gift tags. What’s more, this part is great for getting the kiddos involved with. Elliott had fun decorating these with random bits of tape and was super proud to see his tags on the pile of presents under the tree :)
So yeah. Anyone who sent me a card this year may well end up having it gifted back to them in the form of a gift tag on a present. (Wonder if they’ll notice!). But much better than throwing those lovely Christmas and birthday cards away right?
Happy New Year to you all!
They also make wonderful bookmarks. I’ve used cut cards, cover with clear sticky plastic, punch a hole in the lower portion & thread a ribbon through it add beads or charm & nice bookmark.
They all look great! Love the way you’ve used the words/messages too
Another wee tip – sometimes RTW clothes come with a tag attached by ribbon or cord. I save these little loops and use them for my hand-made tags!
Inspiring! I was just trying to decide what to do with mine. It bothers me to just throw them out, too
This is an excellent idea! After reading this, I did this with mine on Saturday when putting away Xmas stuff, all stored away for December!