How to Reuse your Holiday Photo Cards!

Okay my friends. I work really hard on this blog to create educational content that helps you build and grow your photography business. But sometimes you need to set the business stuff to the side and just have a little fun.

That is what this post is all about! A little Holiday fun!

Now something you probably don't know about me is that I love the Holidays. And I love holiday decorations.  

Like, LOVE them.  

I'm also kind of a pack rat.  And I can not bring myself to throw away holiday cards at the end of the year, especially the photo cards!

For years I stored them all in a big box in the basement. But I never looked at them.  They just sat there, collecting dust. 

Then one day, I decided to merge my two loves.  I took all those old cards and turn them into a decoration! And my holiday card paper chain was born!

Ever since then, the making of the holiday card paper chain has become one of my family's favorite traditions.

Each year when I take down the decorations, I store all of the old cards in a box, and then, the next year, when the decorations come out, my family and I get to work turning last year's cards into a colorful festive chain.

We add the new links onto the old chain, and so every year it grows. And it's so fun to be able to look up and see faces of friends and holiday wishes from years past.

This is how its done.

Step One

Select the cards you want to use and cute them into one inch(ish) strips.

Step Two

Make a loop and staple it. In the beginning I used tape, but I have found that staples work best.

Then, just continue creating the loops and building your chain.

Step Three

Decorate and enjoy year after year!

I created the photos I’m using for this post years ago when my boys were little. Now they are teenagers… but we still add to our paper chain each and every year. And I can say with confidence, that it is my family’s favorite decoration!