We had a huge party for Sawyer's first birthday and got tons of cards. I didn't want to throw them away, but I didn't want a stack of cards just floating around. Well, eight months later (ha!), I finally did something with them.
I made them into a book! I have a Cinch (which is quickly becoming one of my favorite tools) and used it to bind all these.
Since it was a Mickey themed party, I put one of the Mickey cards at the front.
The Cinch is so great because you can decide which holes it will punch by pulling out or pushing in those little pink knobs. I chose to only punch seven holes because all the cards were different sizes.
I punched each card and used a spiral to bind them all together.
Since I plan on doing this with all of our cards (wedding, graduation, birthdays) I wanted a way to differentiate them when stacked on a shelf.
I pulled out some of the ribbon that I used for Sawyer's birthday party and tied on a few pieces.
See how the ribbon will show when it is standing up straight?
I am so happy that I have this done and tucked away for years to come. I plan on doing this every year for his birthday. How sweet will it be to have cards from grandparents and aunts and uncles all in one place?
Yep, I am pretty happy with this one.
p.s. Just in case I haven't reminded you enough, don't forget to link up your cards to my card month link party!
p.s. Just in case I haven't reminded you enough, don't forget to link up your cards to my card month link party!
linking:
so adorable Allison. :) so happy to find your sweet blog. Rebecca
ReplyDeleteThanks Rebecca!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!! I don't have The Cinch, but may have to do something similar to this with a hole punch!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. I like it very much. Think I'd like to make a cover for it myself with the year birthday on it and which child, just for easy reference
ReplyDeleteThat is such a great idea! I love it. It's so creative and a great way to hold on to the cards without taking up too much space or time.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool idea! I never know what to do with cards (especially beautiful homemade ones)--I love receiving them, but usually end up just shoving them in a drawer. This is a great way to keep them!
ReplyDeletePerfect..I was trying to come up with something creative to do with all my son's bday cards! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI love this. I have been trying to come up with an idea for all those cards. I hate to just throw them out.
ReplyDeleteAwesome idea! I have stacks of cards...floating around. Some are in with the Christmas decorations, some are on bookshelves in stacks, and some are in a keepsakes box. Some day I'll definitely have to do this!
ReplyDeleteSo... does this make Sawyer 20 months old, then? My son Nathan is 20 months!!! Almost 20 and a half, to be exact. : )
such a great idea!! i LOVE it!! i have all our wedding cards just sitting in a box...i'm off to do this now!
ReplyDeleteWell what kind of cool tool is that! Now I want one. I've always got cards from different years floating around, and I open them and have no clue what year they were from. This is the perfect solution. Now, to go get one of those handy Cinch tools...
ReplyDeletethis is such a wonderful idea!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I'm going to have to try that.
ReplyDeleteCute! I'm also planning a birthday party for my soon-to-be 2 year old (minniemousebirthday.blogspot.com), so I think this will be a must-do project for after the party. I have never heard of a Cinch, though, so I may need to research that a bit...
ReplyDeleteI'd love for you to stop by and add your fantastic project to our first blog party this Thursday! It's a party specifically for kids' and teens' craft projects and other ideas, so your idea would be perfect! Hope to see you then!
bearrabbitbear.blogspot.com
This is such a great way to save cards! I always have a huge stack laying around! LOVE This idea - sharing on my FB page as well!
ReplyDeleteSo cute & simple! How much does one of those cinch things cost though? And the metal spirals?
ReplyDeleteLinda - It is not cheap... They retail for $100.00. I used a 30% off coupon on mine and got it for $70.00. I use it for making albums, notebooks, and other stuff, so it was a big investment for me. The metal rings are &1.99 for two 12" strips I believe, so not a big cost there.
ReplyDeleteIf you wanted to get a Cinch just for this, I wouldn't recommend spending all that money. But if you would use it for lots of projects like albums, notebooks, recipe books, etc, I would say get it if you can. It is so easy to use and so useful.
If you don't have a binding tool - consider an office supply store. I know some stores will bind books and reports for you, so it is worth asking if they would be able to do this. If all else fails, ask around among your crafty friends - someone may have a Cinch or a Zutter Bind-it-all and would be willing to share.
Hope this helps!
Love what you did - I punched all our cards and used two binder rings :) And for a non-crafty me, that was a super-proud moment! Ha :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea!! I actually just came across a folder full of cards when I was cleaning this weekend, and I just couldn't throw them out. You're really selling me on the Cinch... it's getting added to my wish list!
ReplyDeleteI also have a Cinch and it makes life and art project designing easier. Cricut is also a must-have for me. The creation is indeed very cool! This is a very creative way of stacking those cards together. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, i will start saving cards for the year and do them up this way! thanks for the idea now i need to look for that machine you used!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic idea!!!! I have been wanting to do something with all my daughter's cards; now I know what...I just need a cinch!!! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAllison-I've never heard of this Cinch...hmmm....need to put on my to-buy list...great for bookmaking!
ReplyDelete:)
If you have a moment today, please share this with my readers @Creative Juice Thursday. Hope to see you there!
I love this idea, and I posted a link to your tutorial on my blog :)
ReplyDeletehttp://vegasnarcissist.blogspot.com/2011/08/tutorial-birthday-card-keepsake-book.html
Love LOVE this idea!!! I may need to get a Cinch, what a fabulous way to keep cards you can't throw away!
ReplyDeleteAlso wanted to let you know I gave you a blog award at:
http://kerraftycreations.blogspot.com/2011/08/sweet-blog-award.html
What a great idea!
ReplyDelete"Becci Sundberg said...
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. I like it very much. Think I'd like to make a cover for it myself with the year birthday on it and which child, just for easy reference
August 8, 2011 9:26 PM"
I think what I might do is print the child's name and the year and/or age on a transparency and put that on the binding first - then you can still see the "theme" card underneath.
Heather B.
Absolutely a fabby idea! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete:-)
Great idea! I stumbled onto it on pinterest. Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDelete