Did you know that every year 1.5 BILLION holiday cards are sent in the United States alone? And most of those cards end up going right into the garbage at the end of the season. Wouldn’t it be great if something good could come out of all of them instead?

Well this might be the solution!

I have a cool craft that combines the making of paper and planting into an awesome greeting card!! And with the holidays coming up, this is the perfect project to try right now.

PLANTABLE GREETING CARDS!

For 1 card, you need:

  1½ cups of paper cut into 1 inch strips. It can be almost anything – newspaper, construction paper, used printer paper – but not magazine or catalogue paper. You might want to think about how the colors you’re choosing will work together.

  A large bowl of warm water

  Masking tape

  A 6×10 inch piece of screen – you can get window screening from any hardware store

  A blender

  A 9×13 inch baking pan

  A packet of seeds – you can use a wildflower mix or anything else you like, even vegetables; but you probably don’t want them to be big seeds. If you know who you’re sending your card to, you can even customize it with their favorite plants or something that’s right for their planting zone.

  Towels

  Markers

Instructions:

  Soak the scraps of paper in the bowl of warm water overnight.

  Prepare the screen by folding strips of the tape over the edges, so it’s easier and safer to handle.

  The next day put the soaked paper into a blender and fill the blender halfway with fresh water. Blend them together until the mixture looks like a thick, creamy soup – but don’t eat it!

  Fill the baking pan one quarter full with water, and then pour in the paper soup. Add the seeds and mix it well with your hands. (This is the fun part!)

  Slip the screen into the pan so it slides underneath the pulp and seed mixture. Then lift it gently, catching the mixture in an even layer on top. Let the water drain off.

  Once most of the water is out, lay the screen on a towel. When the area underneath the screen gets totally soaked, move the screen to a dry part of the towel. Do this a couple of times or until the towel underneath doesn’t get totally soaked. Then let the paper dry for at least 24 hours.

  When the paper is completely dry, remove it from the screen VERY gently.

  Use the markers to add your message or design.

  Make sure you let the person you send your card to know that they can plant it!

This is a great project to do with your family or friends and is a much better idea than buying cards that will just end up in the garbage.