repurposed Christmas card wreath

one last wreath to share,
and this one's made from something we all have: old Christmas cards!

yep, i'd bet there are a few (dozen) cards stashed in with your holiday decor,
with graphics or photos so cute that you just couldn't toss them out.

this project will get those cards out of the box and up where you can see & enjoy them!

i love projects that make use of simple materials,
and i've always liked pulling out old holiday decorations and enjoying them in 'different' ways.
this combines the two in a simple paper craft.

continue reading for the easy how-to!

i began with the pool noodle wreath that had recently been made over with paint chips.
i pulled the colorful ones off, and the wreath was back to the white paint chip-wrapped base.

i sorted the Christmas cards & envelopes that i found by color,
laying them out in a roygbiv pattern.

next, i cut circles of varying sizes out of the cards & envelopes -
placing my circle template so that the best graphics on the cards were used.
i also cut circles from a multi-colored dot gift wrap paper from Dollar Tree.

i played with all of the circles as i figured out the arrangement...
the circle above is the same size as the wreath, just lying flat on my worktable.

i began on the right side of the wreath with red, and continued adding more circles
that transitioned from one color to the next all the way around the wreath.
two sizes of the multicolor dot circles repeat in each color story.

here's a closer look at how the circles work together:

after i had the placement the way i wanted it, i began attaching them to the wreath...
this time, i used small sewing pins (the kind with colorful balls on the end).
that choice will make it possible for me to disassemble the wreath later.

another method would be to glue the circles to pieces of paper,
then pin that to the wreath.
for more permanent adhesion, i'd suggest hot glue.

after all of the circles were attached, i hung the wreath up....
and decided that it needed a bow. but not just any bow!

i glued some of the dot wrapping paper to posterboard, then cut out a fat 'bow' shape.
it simply sits on top of the wreath, leaning against the door of my studio.

this was a fun, easy way to bring even more bright color into my 'merry and bright' theme,
[and to be honest it was not in my plan until November 30th!
once completed, i decided it needed to be shared in a blog post,

so i reworked my post publishing schedule to fit it in!]

and now it's got me thinking about creating similar versions for other holidays!

links to previous related posts:

paint chip wreath, too!

shared online:

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #556 

creatively beth | creative crafts link party #19 

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