RECYCLING PROJECT Crafters turn old greeting cards into unique place mats

New and creative ideas are turned into crafts for the holiday season.
By KATHY ANTONIOTTI
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
I'm always reminded that the holidays are right around the corner when craft bazaars start popping up everywhere.
You may hear people complain that Christmas decorations go up too early these days. To me, that idea is just absurd. I don't think it hurts to get a shot of Christmas spirit periodically throughout the year, perhaps with an occasional Bing Crosby recording or with a favorite holiday video.
So, it seems only natural that I look forward to the start of the holiday craft bazaar season each year. I relish prowling the highways and back roads that lead to lots of new and creative ideas. As a craft bazaar junkie, I am always amazed at the people who sell their homemade handcrafts so inexpensively at these shows.
Many of the people manning the booths at craft bazaars have been restocking their inventories since last year's holiday shows. As a whole, they are pretty special people. Much of the time, their hard work raises funds for churches, civic groups and other charities. Contrary to the complainers, they have been able to find a way to keep the holiday spirit in their hearts 12 months out of the year.
Good example
The ladies of the Great Oaks Condo Crafters of Wadsworth are a good example. The group of retired ladies gets together every Monday morning, each one toting a brown bag lunch to fuel their bodies and craft supplies to feed their creativity.
They work on projects like the ones they sold recently at a bazaar at the nearby Liberty Residence II independent and assisted-living complex. Mug rugs, tissue box covers and gussied-up kitchen towels crowded their table for space. The dollars they made will help pay for decorating the clubhouse where they meet each week. Money raised through their 25-cent weekly dues is already earmarked for charity.
Shares a secret
These place mats immediately caught my attention because I had never seen the idea before. That's understandable, craft group president Eva Beck said, because she brought the idea back from a former craft group she belonged to in Jensen Beach, Fla. Colorful, fun and easy to make, they are a great way to recycle old greeting cards and can be adapted to any holiday. Beck graciously supplied the directions, even though letting the secret out may mean a cut in the group's profits at future shows.
Supplies you will need:
UAt least 24 recycled greeting cards with the same theme.
UContact paper, clear and colored with pattern
UPinking shears.
UScissors.
UCardboard for template.
UCompass.
URuler.
UPencil.
You will need 24 circles (four rows with six circles per row) to make this craft, so you will probably need about that many old greeting cards in a specific theme. They may feature snowmen, animals, fall colors, Christmas or any theme you'd like.
Easy directions
Use a compass to make a 3 1/2-inch circle on a piece of card board. Cut out the template with scissors.
Center the template over the parts of the greeting card picture you want to use. Trace around the template with a pencil. Cut out the circle using pinking shears.
Repeat on each of the cards.
Measure a 18-by-24-inch piece of solid-colored contact paper. Peel the backing off it and lay on your work surface, sticky side up. Measure and cut a piece of clear contact paper the same size and set aside.
Starting at the top, left corner, place a circle, pattern side up, just inside the edges of the colored contact paper. Overlap one-half inch of each circle with a new one, until you place six circles on the top row. Start the next row by overlapping the first row one-half inch at the bottom. Continue until you have the contact paper completely covered.
Peel off the backing from the clear contact paper and place over the circles. Smooth out any bubbles.
Trim the excess contact paper from around the edges of the place mat with pinking shears.