DIY Credit Card Crafts

The bane of many a broke-ass – myself included – is credit cards. Most of you are probably carrying some credit card debt – statistically, the average consumer carries four credit cards, with the amount of debt per person at roughly $7,800. Those tiny plastic demons plague me, so I’ve recently declared a moratorium on the malignant fiends. In celebration, here are seven crafts to use to refashion those vile plastic squares into a clever reminder not to dance with the devil again.

Image courtesy holykaw.alltop.com

Guitar pick: This one’s a little cheaty since the example uses a punch, but if you’ve got a steady hand you could probably trace and cut the shapes you need as well. Once you’ve got the pick-shapes, you can also turn them into guitar pick earrings pretty easily. If the pick shape isn’t doing it for you, check out these alternatives.

Image courtesy readymade.com

ID Necklace: This is actually one of my favorites, just cut out the portion of the card with your name on it and attach to a necklace using two jump rings.
Bracelet: Again, cut shapes and attach with jump rings.

Image courtesy instructables.com

Stencil: This one is straightforward but dangerous. You’ll draw or write your image or text onto the card then poke holes around it using a push pin (and something solid underneath the card), then you can use an exacto blade to finish the job.

Image courtesy intstructables.com

Flower Box Fridge Magnet: you’ll need to draw a grid on the back of the card with a sharpie, then cut out the corners and fold up the flaps. Tape them in place and decorate as needed. (Pro tip: if you want to color or draw, cover the sides with masking tape). Attach a magnet with more tape, add compost or soil and your flowers or herbs.
They can also be effortlessly repurposed into a variety of other things like an SD holder, a cell phone stand, a dough scraper (I’m told they’re also good for scraping ice and snow off of car windshields), a grappling hook (Nope. Not joking.) and, of course, cut up and used for mosaic. Now see, isn’t that a smarter way to use your credit cards?