Turn Playing Cards into a Dress, Bowl, Calendar and More (VIDEO)

Few people consider playing cards craft materials. And yet the last time CraftFoxes published a post on playing card projects, it wound up getting liked over 7,000 times on Pinterest — so the materials definitely have appeal. 

Playing Card Dress

If you have 40 extra decks of playing cards lying around, you have enough to make a dress. A few years ago, teenager Staci Jo Sundblad used about a 1,000 cards and 5,000 staples to make an outfit that will turn you into an Alice in Wonderland character as soon as you put it on. Her design (inspired by a picture she saw on Pinterest), helped her win a design ribbon at the Carver County Fair and take her crafts to the Minnesota State Fair.

Wood and Resin Bowl

Woodturners who have a set of cards they don’t mind parting with can embed them in a resin bowl. In addition to the cards, this project requires a nice hunk of wood, several cups of resin and a lot of patience for carving out the bowl. You should also have access to woodturning equipment. The finished result is a wonderful conversation piece for any game table.

Valentine's Day Gift Card Deck

If you need a last-minute Valentine’s Gift — and have a a glue stick and a set of cards — you can make a very endearing gift. This video from Tesco shows how to cut out paper, attach sweet messages to each, and then glue them to the cards for a “52 Reasons Why I Love You” deck.

Playing Card Speaker / Amplifier

For a much easier craft that only requires the playing card box, there’s a cell phone speaker. This video actually includes several crafts, like a stash box and desk bowl, but the amplifier may be the simplest of all. Merely cut a phone size rectangle into the top of the playing card box and slide the speaker side of your phone inside. The toughest part may be finding a phone that will fit (this one was made with an older iPhone) and getting it to remain upright. Fast forward to 4:50 to see the instructions.

Farmhouse Card Calendar

Only artistes who appreciate the lure of dollar store crafts will probably want to attempt to make this playing card calendar, but it’s a cute idea. BasicallyBrndn takes a deck of cards plus paint, plywood, hooks and markers to make a down-home hanging wall calendar. The cards are painted, and decorated to make the months and days of the year. An impressive outcome for crafters willing to invest the time.

Amazing House of Cards, Plus Card Towers and Skyscrapers

At some point in your life you’ve probably tried to build a house of cards. Chances are it looked nothing like one of Bryan Berg’s structures. The Harvard-educated designer started building card houses with his grandfather and later took his knowledge and experience to make towers that break world records (at least the Guinness type). Even if you don’t build a skyscraper out of cards, chances are you’ll pick up some good ideas listening to Berg discuss his construction techniques.