Shower Cards Project

I have to admit I'm a card hoarder. I have friends who are great at purging. They get a card, enjoy it for a time, and then recycle it, and it's just that simple. I, on the other hand, have gift bags stuffed to the brim with old cards just waiting for me to sit and reminisce with them in the basement. The only problem is, I don't often reminisce with them, and the most time I spend with those bags full of cards is the minute and a half it takes me to stuff another stack in.
Well, I decided that the cards I received when I was pregnant with my twins needed a home a bit fancier than an old gift bag. After some hunting online for ideas and some trial and error with a few cereal boxes, I came up with this idea for preserving these cards for my girls.

Addison and Emily will each have her own book of cards to go through when she is older

The Cover

After sorting your cards, cut paperboard about a half an inch longer and wider than the biggest card

Cut a piece of fabric twice the width of the paperboard

Using adhesive spray (I used Tacky Spray, which I found at Michaels), spray one side of the paperboard

Position the paperboard, tacky side down, on the fabric

Use the adhesive spray to spray the second side of the paperboard

Smooth the fabric over the second side of the paperboard

Trim excess fabric 

Cut 4 pieces of ribbon to match the length and width of the cover

Use glue to attach ribbon to the edges of the cover (I used a paint brush to evenly apply Tacky Glue, also found at Michaels). Fold the ribbon lengthwise so it wraps around the edge.

Repeat the steps above to make a second cover
Decorating the Front Cover

Use a stencil to trace letter out of coordinating fabric (I traced the letter backwards on the wrong side of the fabric to avoid pen marks)

Use adhesive spray on the letter to attach onto the cover

I used a silver Sharpie paint pen to outline the letter to make it pop

Punching holes to make a book

Using an adjustable three hole punch with one puncher removed and the two remaining punchers spaced about 3 inches apart, punch two holes in the front and back covers you just made. Then punch holes in the cards you would like to include in your book.

If the inside of a card only had writing on one side, I cut the card in half along the seam and glued the blank side to the back of the card so that the card became a double-sided single sheet with the front of the card on the front and the written expression from the sender on the back.

When all cards are punched and in order, use rafia or ribbon threaded through the holes to make a book

The finished product will be a fun book for your child to look through for years to come