How to Make Miniature Books From Playing Cards

You can use playing cards to make tiny blank books.

One creative way to recycle old playing cards is to use them to make small, pocket-sized blank notebooks. The playing cards are used for the front and back covers of the notebooks and a strip of printer paper is folded to make the pages. These craft projects make great party favors or gifts and are fairly easy to create. You can use these books as notebooks for grocery lists or note-taking or as decorative items around the house. All you need is paper, some old playing cards and scissors to get started.

Things You'll Need

• Playing cards
• Printer paper
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Thin cardboard

Instructions

1. Measure the height of the playing cards you want to use for the cover of your book. Write this measurement down.

2. Cut an 11-inch strip of paper from standard 8.5-by-11-inch printer paper. The strip should be 1 inch narrower than the height of the playing cards you measured. This ensures that the playing card covers protect the inside paper.

3. Fold the strip of paper one by one into an accordion shape. This is done by folding one end of the paper strip inward, then then folding it inward again in the opposite direction. Continue alternating until you have a small accordion-shaped paper strip.

4. Glue the first fold of the paper accordion strip to the back of one of the playing cards.

5. Glue the final fold of the accordion-shaped paper strip to the back of another playing card.

6. Cut a piece of cardboard that is 1 inch wide and about 1 inch shorter than the playing cards.

7. Glue this piece of cardboard on one side of the playing card books to connect the cards, forming a spine.

8. Lay a heavy book on top of the closed book until the glue holding the spine on dries completely.

References

• CraftyPod; How to Make Playing Card Notebooks -- Accordion-Style; June 2008