Tray Made Out of Cards

So, I had this old deck of cards. I bought it about five years ago in a second-hand store, for something around 50 cents. I brought it to school, and the following three years me and my friends used it almost everyday. We had a lot of fun with it. However, as you can imagine, it started to get a bit worn-out. Some cards were damaged, others were entirely lost - and eventually I stopped using it. These two years past it's just lain on a shelf, half forgotten. Call me sentimental, but I just couldn't throw it away. And now I'm glad I never did - because I just came up with a use for it! I took a piece of plywood just lying around, and made myself a tray. Here's how I did it - and how you can make one yourself.

Here's what you'll need:

• Some cards (I used 13 cards, but this number may vary depending on how big your plywood piece is and/or the pattern you place your cards in)
• A rectangular or square piece of plywood (mine's 22 x 12 cm)
• A fairly strong, universal glue
• Scissors
• Sandpaper (if your plywood's a bit rough, otherwise you can skip it)

If you already have a smooth, even piece of plywood - hooray! You can skip this step. Otherwise, it's quite simple - even out the edges of your piece of plywood using the sandpaper. That's it.

The second step is to decide on what configuration of cards you'd like. For example, would you like to just have the cards next to each other? Or do you want some sort of pattern? Try to experiment by placing your cards on your plywood piece in different patterns and formations. I recommend having a bit of an overlap, so that the plywood's not visible underneath. When you've come up with a design you're happy with, I suggest taking a reference photo.

Now it's time to glue the cards on! It's very simple - start with the bottom layer (if you have several, otherwise start wherever you please :D ) and work your way up. Glue on the back of the cards, then position them and press down on them for as long as is necessary for them to stick to the plywood (I did this for about a minute, then I thought them secure enough).

The next step is to make the cards you're going to use for the border. I thought whole cards would make too high a border, so I folded cards as seen in the pictures, and then cut along the fold.

But feel free to personalize! Make a higher or lower one by cutting your cards differently or not at all.

Now you just need to glue the border on! So, take one "piece of border" (half a card) and glue as seen in the picture. Then press it tightly to one of the sides. Make another and glue it on next to it, but with an overlap. Be sure to not have the border cards stick out around the corners - instead make it so that the two corner cards only just meet.

When you've worked your way around the whole tray, leave it to dry for a while.

Well done! You've just made a tray out of some old cards, and things you had lying around (or at least I had). That wasn't very hard, was it? I hope you enjoyed making this, I sure did.

Until next time!