A Valentine’s Day greeting card made with recycled shredded paper.

A Valentine’s Day greeting card made with recycled shredded paper.

Taking care of the planet does not mean sacrificing things we love like holidays and gift-giving, it just means we need to find more creative and nature-friendly ways to do them. According to the Greeting Card Association, the average person receives around 20 commercial greeting cards a year. When you receive a Hallmark card, do you ever think about what went into that card and how it harms our planet? Almost every aspect of a commercial greeting card negatively impacts our planet, from oil-based inks spelling out “Happy Birthday” down to glitter, a petroleum product derived from fossil fuels. Even the clear chemical film the cards are covered in is made in factories generating harmful pollution. With the state of our planet, we no longer have the time or capacity to be generating pollution through our celebrations.

For upcoming holidays, I urge you to make your own cards either from a piece of paper or from scratch! During Valentine’s Day, that is exactly what I did, and I’m going to tell you how you can do the same.

Step 1: Saturate your shredded paper in your small bin of water overnight.

Step 2: Squeeze out the excess water with your hands and blend the paper/water mix until you get a pulp with an oatmeal-like consistency. Add more paper or water as needed to get to the desired texture.

Step 3: Next, fill your bucket with water and pour in your pulp, coloring and your seeds. Make sure to stir the pulp and water so it comes to the top before you get your deckle and scoop the pulp from the bin toward you.

Step 4: Shake out the excess water, slowly flip over your deckle on a piece of cardboard and sponge it down. Let your sheets dry for a few days, and you have your own handmade cards!

I love this card craft because not only do you recycle old paper, but you also give back to the Earth by planting flowers. Our planet has given us life and the endless ability to create; it’s time for humanity to realize we are coexisting with the planet, not just living on it.

Isabella Tetreault-Saez is a sophomore at New Mexico School for the Arts. Contact her at tetreaultsaez.isabella@nmschoolforthearts.org.

Stay up to date on the latest news and the local entertainment scene by subscribing to The New Mexican's email lists.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Receive a list of headlines from the latest edition of The New Mexican in your inbox every morning.

Get the highlights from Santa Fe's weekly magazine of arts, entertainment and culture each Friday.

Contests and special offers from The Santa Fe New Mexican and advertising partners.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

Stay informed of the latest local news by receiving emails as soon as news is posted online.

Receive a list of headlines from the latest edition of The New Mexican in your inbox every morning.

Contests and special offers from The Santa Fe New Mexican and advertising partners.

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.