DIY Deck of Cards Wall Art

What I Made Today - Bathroom Reveal Part 2

You may have seen my earlier post on how to wallpaper using book pages here. I love the little feature wall in our downstairs bathroom now but wanted to make some artwork to accompany it. I had picked up this little pack of herb playing cards in the local charity shop because the botanical theme matched the book of wild flowers I used to paper so perfectly, but I wasn't sure how I was going to use the cards for a while. This is what I came up with!

If you'd like to make your own artwork using an illustrated deck of cards, here is a super easy tutorial...

What you will need

A pack of cards

A box frame

Small sticky foam pads

Paint or wood stain, paintbrush (optional)

Backing paper and double-sided tape (optional)

Method

I began by selecting the suite I wanted from the pack of cards - I considered mixing them up but felt it might look a little messy, so went for the hearts. I then laid them out on the box frame and decided how to arrange them.

My box frame (12x12") was £6.50 from Wilkos and is square, but I did have to leave the Ace card out because of this - if you buy a portrait frame you could include the Ace on a row of its own.

I next took the box frame apart and painted it. I wanted a darker colour to frame the white playing cards and so I used a tester pot of Cuprinol exterior wood stain in 'Wild Thyme' that I had lurking in the shed - and was quite pleased with how it turned out. I'm a big believer in making use of whatever is available in the shed!

If you are unsure what colour to paint your frame, I would suggest picking a colour out of the card illustrations. Or you can't go far wrong with buying a black frame!

Remember to paint all the parts of the box frame that you will see when it is reassembled, like this spacer section that fits between the glass and the back of the frame.

While the frame dries, you can start to stick the cards to the back of the box frame. I decided to leave the back of my frame unfinished, as the brown colour worked well with the dark green in my botanical theme. If you want to cover your board, however, now is the time to fix your backing paper to it - I suggest using double-sided tape around the outside edges for a clean finish.

Tip: check you have the frame's hanger in the right place before you start sticking cards down!

Spot the not-so-deliberate mistake!

To fix the cards, I used small sticky foam pads, as seen in the pic. I got these from Hobbycraft but most stationers' or large supermarkets stock them. The foam pads give each card a drop shadow, and means they stand in relief from the back of the frame. I love the extra interest this creates. 

If you are just wanting to place your cards flush(!) against the backing then you could use a normal frame instead, as the extra space a box frame gives you would not be necessary.

When your cards are fixed on and your box frame paint is dry, reassemble the frame and voila! Your playing card artwork is complete.

I felt a bit sorry for the Ace card being left out and so made him a frame of his own! I painted the backboard to this small frame the same colour as the box frame to tie in the colours.

must. buy. a. good. camera.

Now I just need to hang it along with a few other pieces!