Christmas Tree with Baubles - upcycled denim Christmas card

This is the last of my upcycled reusable and re-sendable Christmas Cards for this year. Using some green starry fabric and buttons for baubles.

The cards are reusable as they have a clear pocket on the inside where you can slip in a greeting written on a piece of paper. This can be removed and replaced to re-send the card to someone else next year!

I'll be sending all the reusable cards that I've made this year and I do hope that the recipients embrace the idea behind them and send them on to someone new next year! Maybe I'll even get one or two back??

Here are the cards I've made.

The tutorial showing how to make these upcycled denim re-sendable Christmas cards is here.

And for lots more inspiration for an eco and budget friendly Christmas, visit my 

Christmas Shouldn't Cost the Earth page.

I shall be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons and direct links can be found on my linky party page.

Another Christmas Tree Reusable Christmas Card

Here's another upcycled reusable and re-sendable Christmas Card I made using scraps of Christmas Fabric.

Here are the other reusable Christmas cards I've made so far.

 And the tutorial showing how you can make your own is here.

For heaps more Christmas craft ideas that are both eco and budget friendly, check out my 

Christmas Shouldn't Cost the Earth page.

And do come back often as more ideas and inspiration is being added every week.

I shall be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons and direct links can be found on my linky party page.

Christmas Fabric Reusable Christmas Cards

This week I made some more of my 

Upcycled Reusable Christmas Cards.

This time I used some scraps of Christmas fabric that had some mini picture panels on. So I simple cut out some panels and stitched them onto the front of the cards!

I did one in white, one in blue and one in grey denim from jeans scraps I have left over from other projects.

For the tutorial showing how to make these eco- and budget friendly cards, that can be reused and sent on to someone new every year, go here.

And for lots more Handmade Christmas inspiration, please do check out our group Pinterest board

Christmas Shouldn't Cost the Earth

I'll be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons can be found on the bottom of this page and direct links on my linky party page.

Button Tree Reusable Christmas Card

As part of my Christmas Shouldn't Cost the Earth series this year, I've been making some Reusable Upcycled Denim Christmas Cards.  

I created them because I feel that Christmas Cards are quite wasteful in that they are 'single use' then thrown out.

These cards are more eco-friendly, first of all because they are made from upcycled materials, denim from jeans, card from cereal boxes and fabric scraps, buttons and ribbon; but also because they have a clear pocket on the inside where you can insert your personal greeting. This can then be removed and replaced and the card resent to someone else the following year!

This card was made white denim from a pair of old jeans, fabric scraps and buttons for the tree.

The other upcycled reusable cards I've made so far are:

If you're interested in making your own - you can find the tutorial here.

To see more ideas for eco- and budget friendly Christmas Crafts - take a look at my

Christmas Shouldn't Cost the Earth page.

And keep coming back as I'm adding more projects and ideas all the time - like yesterday's round up of

100 Handmade Advent Calendar Ideas

I'll be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons and direct links can be found on my linky party page.

Resuable Denim Rudolf Christmas Card

This week I made another new Upcycled Denim Reusable Christmas Card.

This time I used a simple Rudolf face applique - adapted from the free printable template that I made for this Mug Rug 

And this Christmas Handibag.

The card has the usual clear plastic vinyl pocket on the inside to add and change your greeting, and a message on the back explaining that the card is reusable and resendable!

To see the other Reusable Upcycled Denim Christmas Cards I've made so far and the tutorials showing how to make your own - go here.

And to see what other eco and budget friendly things I've made so far - see my

Christmas Shouldn't Cost the Earth page.

I shall be linking this project to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons can be found on the bottom of this page and direct links on my linky party page.

Another Reusable Upcycled Denim Christmas Card

Last week I made some upcycled denim Christmas Cards that are designed to be reused again and again making them more eco and budget friendly than the usual single-use Christmas cards we send each year!

I'm really pleased with how they turned out - so I've decided to keep on making them.

This week I made a snow globe card.

The card is covered with some grey denim from an old pair of jeans. The snowman is fabric scrap appliqué and the snow globe is some clear vinyl I cut from bed sheet packaging!  The snow in the globe is simply some sequins - mostly white and silver, but one stray red one got in there too!! You just shake the card to make it snow over the snowman!

The card has the design on the front, a clear vinyl pocket on the inside to insert your greeting in (and replace with another greeting to resend) and a printed explanation on the back as to the card being resuable and resendable!

What do you think? Would you send reusable cards like this?

They are easy to make - go here for the tutorial.

If you didn't see them, these are the two other cards I made last week.

To see what other eco and budget friendly things that I've made for Christmas so far - see my Christmas Shouldn't Cost the Earth page. There are ideas for Christmas Crafts, stocking fillers and more being added every week.

I shall be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons can be found on the bottom of this page and direct links on my linky party page.

Reusable Upcycled Christmas Cards - a tutorial

Last week I wrote about Christmas Cards and the mixed feelings I have about them since they are 'single use' items and although I do like sending and receiving them, they are, I feel, quite wasteful! 

So I've been thinking of a way to make a more eco-friendly version of a Christmas card and this is what I've come up with.

No longer a 'single use' card - this is the 'reusable and resendable' handmade card! Designed to last for years to come and bring greetings and messages to countless people.

Made with upcycled materials and fabric scraps, the cards have a clear pocket on the inside in which you can slide your own greeting,

 and then replace it with another to re-send the card again next year, and so on!

I even printed an 'instruction label' for the back of the card!

I used denim scraps from jeans, card from a cereal box and fabric scraps to make these cards. The clear plastic pocket was a piece cut from the packaging a bed sheet set came in!

I'm really pleased with how they turned out, and will certainly be making more to send this year and hopefully the years to come too. Who knows, maybe someone will send theirs back to me next year when they reuse it!

So here is how to make your very own reusable and resendable Christmas (or any other occasion) card.

Please note, the measurements are just what I used (my finished cards are approximately 11 x 15 cm (4.5 x 6")). But cards come in all kinds of sizes, so you can make your card bigger or smaller to suit your needs.

Gather your supplies - Fabric scraps (I chose denim for the main card fabric , mainly because I love working with it but it's also looks better with age and frayed edges, so the cards should age well too!) ; card - I used a cereal box, clear plastic - from some kind of packaging like bed sheets; embellishments for the card front.

First cut your card. I cut a piece 22 x 15 cm (8.5 x 6").

Then cut two pieces of your main fabric just slightly larger than the card.

Take one piece of fabric, fold in half and on the right hand side, which will be the front of your card, decorate with fabric scraps, ribbon, buttons, whatever you choose to design your card. 

I used ribbons for the bauble strings which I stitched in place first.

Then I added the baubles which were just scraps of fabric cut into circles and small squares at the top of each bauble. I have a bag of scraps from other appliqué projects

 - scraps which have fusible webbing on the back, so they are great for small projects like this. They are ready to cut and iron into place.

I appliqué stitched (tight zig zag) around each piece too. This is also where I added my own label to what will be the back of the card. I printed this onto fabric and appliqué stitched it to the fabric.

For the inside of the card, all you need to add is the clear plastic pocket. I cut mine 8 x 10 cm (3 x 4").

Place this centrally on the right half of the other main fabric piece. Pin into place then appliqué (tight zig zag) stitch around the side and bottom edges.

Now you're ready to put your card together.

Place the front of your card face down, then the card on top of that, 

then the inner fabric piece face up on the top. I used a little glue stick on both sides of the card just to hold the 3 layers in place while stitching.

Stitch around all 4 edges of the card. I keep old needles for stitching through card and other non-fabric things I experiment with!

Finally, cut the edges with pinking shears. This gives a nice finish and will help stop too much fraying.

Fold your card in half.

And you're done!!

Now all I need is some reusable fabric envelopes to send them in!

Update: These are all the Reusable Upcycled Cards I made this year (2015).

For the free downloadable PDF version of this tutorial, click here.

I hope you liked this tutorial.

To see what else I've been making for Christmas this year, things that are both eco and budget friendly, go here.

For even more Christmas crafting inspiration, take a look at our 

Christmas Shouldn't Cost the Earth Pinterest Board. 

Please feel free to ask for an invite to be a contributor to this board and share your finds and projects too. The more the merrier!

Follow Jill @ Creating to Success's board Christmas Shouldn't Cost the Earth on Pinterest.

I'll be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons can be found on the bottom of this page and direct links on my linky party page.