Nothing shows care quite like a homemade, handwritten card. And one Redditor took card-making to the next level with a clever repurposing hack.
The scoop
The inventor posted on Reddit to show off their trick.
"Made some cards from a calendar!" they enthused, sharing a photo of several funny cards with cat photos plastered across them.
The method is simple, they explained: Simply cut the image you want from a calendar and use a glue stick to adhere it to the front of a blank card.
The result? A group of one-of-a-kind cards that are doing the double duty of making people smile and keeping leftover paper out of a landfill.
"Love this!" one person said.
How it's working
Like the OP, many people are eager to find creative avenues to repurpose common items around the house, finding it rewarding to figure out new ways to reuse and upcycle. Occasionally, this means great financial savings, such as when you mend worn clothes rather than buy new. And other times, such as in the case of the calendar cards, it's simply a fun way to prevent waste.
People have suggested everything from reusing condiment bottles as salt and pepper shakers or travel containers to turning old candle jars into planters, storing plant seeds in old spice jars, and putting old tights to work in a garden.
They have good reasons for it. Material consumption — and its corresponding waste — is astronomical in the United States, roughly 88% higher than it is in Europe, per the University of Michigan. This ranges from mass-produced, cheaply made clothes migrating to landfills to incredible amounts of food waste piling up. According to the Department of Agriculture, 30-40% of the country's entire food supply ends up in the garbage instead of on the table.
Working to recycle and minimize your own waste, as well as encouraging others to do so, is a great way to move toward a less trashy future. And the options are endless. Even if you're not a calendar or greeting card person, for example, many major clothing retailers offer cash back or store credit for trading in your worn clothes. Even something as simple as a plastic pill bottle can be repurposed in a number of ways.
What people are saying
Some commenters were happy to see a fellow sustainability-minded crafter.
"I save calendars too, for collage purposes," one person shared.
Others were simply excited to see the hack and try it for themselves.
"This is fun!" one said.
Another agreed, writing, "Those are awesome!"
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
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