Wednesday, November 7, 2012

25 Ways to Display Christmas Cards

We got our first Christmas card in the mail today!  As someone who loves (almost) all things Christmas, this got me thinking:  with everything that I've come across on Pinterest in the past year, how in the world am I going to display my Christmas cards?  We typically get too many to just set out on the TV stand, and besides, with a 20-month old in the house, they'd be walking around in no time, and end up who knows where!

So.  I've done a bunch of searching, and while I haven't decided which way I'm going to go yet, I thought I would share my compiled research - 25 different (though some variations on a theme) creative ways how to display Christmas cards!

All photos above and below are taken from the websites that the links are directing you to - since I haven't made any of them yet, I'm sending you straight to the sources!

1.  From WarehouseFabricsInc.com, this French Memo Board is a very classy way to display a lot of cards!  I'd probably wrap it with fabric or paper a little more festive, but I love the idea! Find the instructions on how to make this board here.
 
2.  For those who are a little more into wood working (not that there's a lot of finesse or expertise required!), this simple wooden tree with mini clothespins is a great option!  Bec at Little Lucy Lu has a great tutorial on how to make this Christmas Card Holder.

3.  Kelly over at Kelly's Corner set out a Christmas tree especially for Christmas cards last year!  What a neat idea - unfortunately we don't have the room to do it in our house, but I would never turn down an extra tree if space wasn't an issue! 

4.  Anne shows off her neighbour's cranberry Christmas card garland on her blog A. Party Style.  She uses keychain rings to hold the cards - how brilliant is that!

5.  At Bright, Bold, & Beautiful, they showcase their Christmas cards on a door frame garland! 

6.  There are a lot of clothespin wreath ideas floating around, but I liked this one over at tipjunkie.com - with mod podged clothespins! 

7.  A different take on the clothespin wreath - this one I like, and I might do sometime in the next few years with my little guy - perhaps with a nativity scene in the middle instead of a wreath, though!  At a cost of only $5, you should definitely check out the tutorial at The Bean Sprout Notes! 

8.  Now, I have cupboards with glass doors, so I think it might look funny on mine, but I love the idea of displaying them in the kitchen like this!  A) out of reach of little hands!  and B) they're right in your line of sight for a good portion of the day!  Melissa at Greener Grass claims that this was created as an act of desperation, but I'd say that it's a success! 

9.  More ribbons!  Placed on a door in a prominent area of the house, you could display a lot of cards this way - I saw some great ribbon at Micheal's the other day that would be perfect for this!  I found this one via a Google images search at trulynaturallyme.blogspot.com, but it looks like that blog no longer exists!  Thanks for the idea, though!

10.  Thanks to House & Home for this beautiful idea!  This board could be used for thank you cards, birthday cards, and mail generally worth keeping once the Christmas holidays are through!

11.  I have to admit - I'm a big fan of the framed chicken wire idea.  For Christmas cards, I'd probably go with a white or red, but then again, I'm more of a traditional decorator when it comes to Christmas!

12. Or, you can go frame-less, and just hang the chicken wire straight on your wall!  Love the simplicity of this, and you could hang strips of it in different places in the room!  Check it out over at Attempting Aloha

13.  If I had an open staircase in my house, I'd absolutely have a garland running down it - and once again, what better way to decorate a garland than with Christmas cards?  It looks like these clothespins are mod podged as well!   This is idea # 13 of Martha's Easy Christmas Crafts. 

14.  Another Martha idea - displaying your cards on branches gathered from your yard and arranged in a vase.  Naturally, my display would look nothing like that, as I lack Martha's flair for perfection, however I do love the idea!  Check out her tips here. 

15.  I like this one.  Cover some foam board or cork board with fabric or wrapping paper - how easy is that?!  Amy over at Pens and Needles as an awesome tutorial for this one! 

16.  Now this one has a certain charm to it for those of us who don't have elegant mantles or large walls to display our cards on - as the cards come in, punch them, and add them to a book!  Display on your coffee table!  Michelle at Allen Designs meant for this to be for photo cards, but I like the idea of just putting them all in there!

17.  Now this one is actually wall art that you can buy from Bright Star Kids, but how easy would it be to run some ribbon down the wall from a star, and then use the ever useful clothespin to attach your cards?

18.  I love 'book art', but I'm not sure that I could bring myself to actually do this to a book, even if I bought it for this precise purpose!  This is number 4 of 11 book-inspired crafts at Home Made Simple. 

19.  You can find a great tutorial for this vintage clothes hanger display at File Me Away. 

 20.  A simple, yet creative idea - start with a yellow star on the door or wall, and as the Christmas cards come in, work down from there until you have a tree!  Visit the Culinary Queen Bee for this one!

21.  And how about this one?  Turn a ball of yarn and a pringles can into a card display!  Find the tutorial over here at FreeCraftUnlimited.com.

22.  This is incredibly simple, but we did this in our double door frame when I was growing up, and it works well!  Check it out at The Diaper Diaries. 

23.  Find out how to make this cute and incredibly easy star-shaped card holder at KidSpot.com.au. 

24.  The next one is my fave, but this one here is probably the one I'll actually end up making this year, because I have a newborn (and I'm not one of those super moms!) and this is So. Simple. but also so cute!  And effective!  Thanks to Emily at The Anderson Crew for this one! 

25.  As I said above, this is my fave.  Granted, it will look a LOT different with Christmas cards of all shapes, sizes, and colours hanging from it, but I really love the idea!  (The photo credit actually goes to The Pottery Barn, as this is one of their products.)   Check out the tutorial over here at DIYLife.com. 

And, as a bonus, this last one - I just found it, and couldn't NOT include it - I love it!  A Christmas card holder made from a tomato cage, at FamilyFun.go.com. 

What do you do with all of your Christmas cards?  Do you do anything differently now, LAP?  (Life After Pinterest)  ;)

Cheers!  Happy decorating!  I can't wait to bust out the Christmas music (I typically wait until at least after Remembrance Day....)!


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6 comments:

  1. So many cute ideas! I wanted to do the cupboard door one, but my handles are RIGHT in the middle of each door...

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  2. What wonderful ways to display Christmas Cards! I'll have to try some! thanks for sharing.

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  3. Awesome, thanks a lot. Happy New Year

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  4. Wonderful, creative ideas!! Look forward to trying these for Christmas 2013! Happy New Year everyone!

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  5. Thesea are so clever and creative thanks for all of the wonderful ideas and have a great day.
    heather hgtempaddy@hotmail.com

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