The Green Groove by Trish Smith
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You get them on every major holiday, on your birthday, when you get married and even when you buy a new house. In fact, you get so many of them that you often find them in between magazine pages, inside boxes and under the couch when you're not even looking for them!

They're called greeting cards, and whether you get them from Hallmark or the gas station, they're usually meant to brighten your day.

The problem with greeting cards is that once you've read the sappy message inside and set it on your work desk for all to see, it gets old after about a week. So what do you do? If you're a packrat like me, you shove it into the infamous "black hole box" with the hundreds of other cards that have been collected since middle school. But if you're not like me, which is a good thing, then you don't pack it up or throw it away. You recycle it.

Here are 6 ways that you can recycle greeting cards into hip and artistic creations:

1. Coasters - Cut your greeting cards into circles or squares, cover them with self-adhesive laminating paper, and get ready to take your drink anywhere!
2. Bookmark - If your greeting card has a sentimental message in it, or a picture on the cover that you really like, then cut it into a 2" x 5" strip, laminate it and use it as a bookmark.
3. Framed Art - Whether you want to remember the amazing artwork on the outside or the sentimental message on the inside, all you need is a frame and your imagination. Check out Heather's How To: Greeting Card Art on YouTube:




4. Personalized Luggage Tags - You know that suitcase you always use on business trips or when you visit your parents? You can cut the greeting card to fit into the luggage tag and write your personal information on it.
5. Postcards - Old cards that have an amazing picture on the front of them are perfect for postcards. If nothing is written on the back of your greeting card cover, then you can cut off the front cover, write a message on the back of it, put on a stamp and send it in the mail.
6. St. Jude's Ranch for Children Recycled Card Program - St. Jude's Ranch for Children, an organization that rescues abused and neglected children, also has its own Recycled Card Program. You mail in your old cards, and then the children recycle them into new cards. The children are paid for their creative work and you feel good about your eco-friendly donation! If you're interested in donating cards you can mail them to:

St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Card Recycling Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005

These are just a few of the ways that you can turn your old greeting cards into new green products. If you have any more ideas please feel free to share them with our Greenopolis readers!