While we might save a few for sentimental value, most are fairly generic. Sometimes we can use them in scrap booking, or creating cool origami crafts or boxes; but for the most part, we’ve got an extra box of recycling to turn in.

Fortunately, this is a problem that can be easily remedied with plant-able paper.How cool would it be to enjoy your card–and then plant it into the ground to have a long-lasting gift of nature in its place? Every time you saw it, you would think of the person who sent it to you, and be reminded of the earth-friendly, natural gift of beauty from such a thoughtful friend.

While you can buy such paper, it’s also possible to create your own. You can use all of the steps in creating regular paper to begin with. Why not select some greeting cards for your paper base? Then they will already be infused with good thoughts and holiday cheer from past senders.

Now the variation comes in to make your paper plant-able. During the step where you add your paper “shake” mixture to a sink or basin, be sure to also add plenty of the seed of the plant you wish to be grown from the paper. Flat seeds work best, such as tomato, hollyhock, chili pepper, and forget-me-not. Then, follow through with the rest of the steps and you will have made an incredible gift of plant-able paper!

If you decide to give the paper as a gift in the form of a card, gift tag, stationary or anything else, be sure to note somewhere that it is plant-able and it can be torn up and directly deposited into the ground as seeds would be. The paper around the seeds will naturally disintegrate as the seeds grow.