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Recycle Your Greeting Cards - Creatively

My mother had a Christmas morning ritual that she followed for decades: after the presents had been opened and while Christmas dinner was cooking, she would peel the Scotch tape from the wrapping paper, then carefully fold the paper and put it away for next year; then she’d get a pair of shears and cut all the greeting cards she’d received into various shapes, all destined to be used as gift tags for future Christmas presents.

Thankfully the routine recycling of paper has freed me from the guilt of throwing away gift wrap; but I still think the whole greeting-card-to-gift-tag idea is a good one. You might want to try it yourself. Simply cut large shapes from the Christmas cards you get—snowmen, clusters of poinsettias, angels, messages like Season’s Greetings, and so on—and store them in a small box. You might want to use a hole punch to put a small hole in one end of the card. If you’ve got a card with an abstract design, simply cut the card into large squares or rectangles and, again, punch a hole in one corner. Just use the blank side of the tag for your writing.

You may receive a few cards that you want to keep, either because they are beautiful in themselves or because they contain a special message from the sender. If you want to save the card because the front of it has an attractive design, mount it, put an attractive mat around it in a contrasting or complementary color, and frame it. If you want to save both the front and inside of the card, cut the card apart on the fold, mount the two pieces side by side, and then mat and frame. You may want to bring these pictures out for hanging only on the holidays, or keep them displayed year-round.

The tags made from Christmas cards can be much more attractive than most of the ones you can buy in a store, and displaying framed cards are a much better way to hang on to a keepsake than stuffing them in away in a drawer somewhere.

It’s a fun, creative way to recycle.

Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for local and regional newspapers and for a number of Internet websites, including Tips and Topics.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aldene_Fredenburg

E-Cards- The X-Age medium to express your Emotions!

Gone are the old days of perspiring in a card gallery to choose the nearest appropriate message to convey to your dear one on the varied occasions of life. This is an era which Introduces E-Cards. This now makes it easy and fun to send a customized message and song — a great way to tell someone you care. E-Cards helps people connect and express themselves in a fun and easy way. Today E-Cards are highly popular in all the sectors of life. From businessman to students from lovers to a family man they all agree that E-Cards are the coolest way to convey their message. Ready-made E-Cards save you time and money while still offering all the benefits.

E-Cards come to you for all possible occasion and expressing multiple emotions to suit your needs in your everyday life.

• The Valentine Day: This auspicious day for lovers beckons you in the next turn ahead and it’s time to relive the ultimate pleasure of romance. Take a break from the hectic rat race of life and set the sensual mood this Valentine's Day with romance-oriented thoughts and deeds. Life is all about love and togetherness and the Valentine Day is a perfect excuse to let your companion know how much you care. And on this special day choose a heart warming card with a special gift for your loved one to say how much this relationship means to you. This sensual day with all its magic is never complete without a special E-Card which conveys your true dedication and love along with all the loving words that you always wished to convey to your lover.


• Birthday E-Cards: This is a big occasion and a birthday of a dear one hardly seems to be complete without a personalized greeting card.

• Anniversary E-Cards: Remind your spouse how much precious this companionship means to you or take this opportunity to wish your near ones on their anniversary.

• Wedding E-Cards: The moment of wedlock is always so very memorable and what better way can it be than to wish someone with a card bearing your heartfelt message.

• Love E-Cards: To say you love with a beautiful soul stirring message is a matchless gesture that touches your heart like nothing else.

• New Year E-Cards: The beginning of a year can always start with an extra special note of good wishes and promises conveyed to you through an E-Card.

• Christmas E-Cards: When good rules over evil and when we are all excited in wishing the coming of Jesus to this world, we care to do it in a special way. Celebrating with an E-Card is always so warm in the winter festivities.

• Diwali E-Cards: The celebration of “Lights”, with a touch of divinity and uniting in love and harmony always happens in Diwali. Celebrate it in style with the extra edge of an E-Card.


Benefits of E-Cards:

The popularity of E-Cards has surged sky-high. The masses prefer it over Paper Cards. The reasons behind it are multiple:

• More cost-effective than paper cards
Many companies spend thousands of dollars every year on paper Christmas cards and postage. Why not send an E-Card instead and put the money saved back into your business – or better still donate the rest to a worthy cause.

• Increase your website traffic
Using E-Cards that include your corporate logo and a link to your website also means that your logo is exposed to more people. If the E-Card is entertaining, your clients will forward it within their business increasing your name recognition with your customers. It's the ultimate in viral marketing.

• Reach thousands of customers within a few minutes
Sending an email to your contacts with a link to your E-Card is the quickest and most instantaneous method of broadcasting your logo and message.

• Easily forwarded to friends and family
Fun and interactive E-Cards are more likely to be forwarded, thereby spreading your logo and message – even beyond your existing customers.

• Bypass the Post Office backlog at Christmas
Encouraged by the Post Office as they ease the pressure during Christmas. By using E-Cards, you know your contacts will see your E-Card on time.

• Eco-friendly
E-Cards are encouraged by environmental groups, as they reduce the waste associated with huge volumes of printed greeting cards, not to mention saving paper, trees and fuel.
There is undoubtedly no comparison to the beautiful animation, personalized statement and the color graphics of an E-Card. We can say without doubt that the X-Generation is rightly basking in this fever of E-Card age. It is unbeatable. Enjoy it.

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About the Author: This article is written by Subhasis Chatterjee for ecard4all. It is a free article and can be used by any webmaster on their website, provided they will keep the link intact with the article.

Why Free Ecards

Would you like to send greeting cards for free? No envelope, no paper, no stamps, no waiting in line at the post office, no crayons, no markers, no pens or crafts materials are needed. These greeting cards could be quick and convenient.
Free ecards allow you to choose and click to customize using images you choose, a personal photo is sometimes an option, and you can type in your own messages or choose from a pre-made selection.

You can search for free ecards in several ways. Obviously, you could simply type in the words, "free ecards", to your search engine. Or you can put free birthday ecards, free printable greeting cards if you choose to go that route. That does defeat the purpose of no supplies, but you still would be allowed to stay in the convenience of your own home, in your pajamas if you desire, and choose at your convenience to eliminate the hassle of shopping at a store, and you can choose more than one card or send the same card to more than one person.

If you don't have your own computer and can take a trip to your local library, you can still send free ecards. Many libraries now offer the use of public computers which are connected to the internet. This is especially helpful should you wish to send a card to more than one person at a time.

The best free ecards are laminated. Of course, this is a bit more time-consuming because you have to search through the animations, which may take time to load. However, the end results are worth the wait for those patient enough to see a wondrous creation come to life on their screens.

One of the great things about free ecards, besides the very powerful word "free", are the choices. People want choices, they need choices, they crave choices. So, the almost endless supply of websites offering free ecards allows one to practice their choice of freedom.

Searching for the free ecards is also a benefit to those who enjoy learning and maximizing their experiences. It stimulates the brain and thought processes. It allows you to explore, invent, create. It can also lead you to other web sites you would not have found were you not searching for free ecards. You may discover online worlds you never realized existed. Free ecards can lead you to products and services you to which you were not otherwise aware until you began your search. They can also lead you to charities you didn't know existed. They can enhance your knowledge of what is offered on the internet.

Are you an artist? Searching for free ecards can stimulate your artistic side. They may give you ideas for your own artistic creations that aren't even related to greeting cards. A writer may benefit by the poems offered for the free ecards, a painter may be inspired by the artwork involved, a reader will be enriched, a tattoo artist may even enjoy the creativity of the free ecard sites. Maybe a person doesn't even need to send a card, but only wishes to stimulate their mind by visiting the free ecard sites. Whatever the reason or the outcome, you can be sure to find some enjoyment in the benefits of free ecards.