Turn old photos and cards into place mats. It's cleaning time, and you stumble upon a box of old cards. They could be Christmas cards, congratulatory cards, or even birthday cards. Perfect for adding personal touches to your home! One of the easiest and cheapest ways is to make your own place mats for your kitchen table. You can do this using any kind of card, and use the place mats as part of your seasonal decorating. A lot of times, birthday and congratulations cards can have many beautiful fronts that can be used year round.
•Select different cards or parts of cards that you like. You can cut similar shapes like circles or squares from each, or you can keep them whole.
•Remove the backing from one sheet of contact paper and arrange the pictures. You can either line them up side by side, or layer them over one another. You can even lay down a piece of construction paper first as a background, and glue the pictures on in shapes or letters. Be creative! Add your own personal family photos if you'd like too!
•Once you've gotten everything put out to your liking, remove the backing from another sheet of contact paper. Now, with a steady hand, lay the sticky side down without creating bubbles in the paper. Smooth out any bubbles the best you can.
•Cut the place mat to whatever shape and size you wish. Now you have fun, creative place mats that you can truly call your own!