So, the holidays are over and cleaning up has ensued.  What to do with that pile of cards everyone sent your way, along with annual letters, photos, etc.?  Here’s what I do with mine.  This is an easy and efficient way to recycle, reuse, save the memories and get the most of the cards received.  I figure, people put time, effort, and money into them so I would have too much guilt just throwing them all away come January 1; but even worse than that is holding onto them without any real purpose, moving them from place to place, from pile to pile as the weeks go by.  (For those of you who have no problem tossing them, good for you – one less thing, right?)

First, I separate all the card paraphernalia into three piles:  envelopes, cards, and photos/letters.  (I save all the envelopes that the cards come in as we receive them.)  Second, I take all the envelopes over to the computer and pull up our universal address list.  I add any new addresses and double check any that may be out of date.  This is a great way to keep our addresses current.  Then, I select the best looking envelope out of all of them and hold onto it for one of the other steps coming up.  I toss the rest of the envelopes in the recycle bin.

Next, I place all of the photos and letters neatly into the nice envelope.  Then, I go through all of the cards, cutting out the images and sentiments that I think are worth saving.  Be sure to look on the backs of the cards, as some have nice small images there as well.  There was a really great green card with a lot of solid space that I was able to use to punch all those green circles shown above.

Next, I put together a quick and easy scrapbook page, featuring the photos and letters envelope.  I added one of the sentiments and images from the cards as well.

Finally, I save all the sentiments and images to make cards and gift tags for next year.  I made a quick card below.  Please keep in mind that this is in no way a guide on card making or scrapbooking, as my efforts in these areas are mediocre at best :).  I hope my examples; however, provide some inspiration for recycling your cards and providing a quick and easy way to retain the photos and letters you receive in an organized way.