Personalize Your Placemats

If you are like me, then greeting cards hold sentimental value and you cannot bring yourself to throw them away.  I have a hoard of cards in my craft room.  I decided I should turn them into something instead of letting them gather dust.  This project is quick and easy and only takes about 10 minutes.  Materials you will need? Some greeting cards, scissors, adhesive (optional), and contact paper (or clear packaging tape).

1. Cut (or rip) your greeting cards in half.  You can either use only the fronts, or you can use both sides to display the personal messages scrawled inside each card.  Do not feel obligated to retain the traditional greeting card shape. Cut them into circles or triangles if you want!

2. Cut pieces of contact paper to size.  The size of your placemats is completely up to you.  Again, don't feel like you have to keep with a rectangular shape.  Round, oval, square...the shape of your placemat can be whatever suits your fancy.

3.  Once you have your contact paper and greeting cards ready, decide how you want your cards placed.  Peel the contact paper off of the roll, and place it on your table sticky side up.  Arrange your cards.  If you chose the double-sided motif like me, you may want to adhere the two sides together so that they don't separate when you put the second layer of contact paper on.

4. Place on a second piece of contact paper so that the two sticky sides face each other.  Adhere the second piece slowly to avoid bulges and bubbles.  You can use a brayer to work out bubbles if need be.

5.  Trim any unseemly, uneven edges, and your placemat is complete!