The Versatile Playing Card

Of all the products offered in the Heritage Makers line, none has been used quite as creatively as our playing card deck. From personalized Valentines to bridal thank you’s, and from play date cards to lunch box notes, our imaginative customers have found ways to use this smaller-size product for a vast array of occasions and recipients. The cards are on sale for an additional 10% off during February, so it’s a good time to look at the many ways playing cards are being put to use.

The Standard Photo Deck
Let’s start with a standard photo deck. If you want to put a photo of your dad’s boyhood home, your mom’s favorite flowers or a your daughter and her boyfriend on the back of a regulation set of playing cards, Lynda Angelastro’s “Your Photo Card Deck,” template 51251 is the deck to start with. Replace the one back photo and your deck is done. It’s a basic template so anyone can make one.



Trading Cards
If your family is into sports, another very popular use of our playing card decks is for sports trading cards. Make a set for one child to give away to family and sporting friends or make a few decks with each member of the team featured and let them trade among themselves or with competing teams. While “HM Hockey Trading Cards” by Roxanne Buchholz, template 37873 is shown here, put “sport” in the search engine while playing cards are selected as the product, and you’ll find many different sports accounted for including, football, soccer, tennis, basketball, swimming, volleyball, baseball and more.



Memory Prompts
For a more unusual use of playing cards, check out Mandy Horne’s “Scripture Memory Verse Cards 2.” It’s the second in a series. This one’s template 51793 and each card face is designed to go with the scripture it displays. Mini works of art, this would be a wonderful gift for family members or Sunday School students and could be easily adapted to fit any set of memory prompts, from learning a foreign language to Boy Scouts knots!



Holiday Décor
Happy Easter gets spelled out when you join Sandra Dovre’s cards together with ribbon or punch only top holes and tie them together to form a banner. “Happy Easter Décor,” template 56768 is similar to sets spelling out “Be Thankful” (39747 or 39760), ”Merry Christmas” (46003 or 38735), “Peace & Joy” (48511)“or “Happy Valentine’s Day” (78906 or 78251). Instructions for assembly come inside all these templates and they are truly a bright spot in any home at holiday time.



L
ove Notes
You’ll find several love notes, kindness notes and other expressions of love and support in the Template Gallery. We’re showing Heidi Jackson’s “Lovebox Lunch Notes” template 59839. Change the messages to fit you and your child’s relationship and pack a positive affirmation with your child’s lunch each day.



Play Date Cards
One cute innovation in playing card use is for young children’s “play date” cards. Carry a few cards in your purse. When you meet up with the parents of a classmate, pass one along with the contact information needed to get the kids together. Shown here is a super fun set by Kristen Melnyk called “Space Playdate Cards,” template 59101. Find many in the Template Gallery for boys and girls or make one “back” side and customize fronts for two or three children in the family.




Teacher Tools
Teach school? Know someone who does? Make a “Welcome Back” banner, design personalized hall passes and more inside Sandra Dovre’s template 65387, “Welcome Class.” It’s a delightful way to get the school year started and requires just a few text changes to customize.



Family Time
“Family Table Talk Cards” by Kari Pieratt, template 78253, are a wonderful way to get the talk going at your dinner table. Leave one under each plate and have each family member take a turn, put only one under a plate and let everyone have a turn across the week or use as a game on a plane ride or anytime you want to get a conversation going.



Wedding Ideas
Thank you notes, change of address cards, wedding favors and save the date cards are all wedding items you’ll find offered by creative designers in the Template Gallery. Shown here are “Blessed Wedding Thank You Cards” by Darcie Toom, template 55513 and part of an incredibly beautiful wedding set that includes storybooks, invitations, canvases—and even matching address labels.




Popular for Valentine’s Day
Put “Valentine” in the Template Gallery’s search engine and you’ll see that one of the most popular ways of using playing cards is for personalized Valentines. Shown here is a “Bee Mine Valentine Cards & Treat Topper” by Joelle Paleologou. It’s template 50265 and if you haven’t ordered Valentine’s for your kids yet, do check out our offering in the Template Gallery.

A Hundred Other Uses
If you’re moving, just had a baby, handing out recipe or business cards, want to play family games, commemorate a family reunion, learn family history, teach sight words to your daughter, craft cute calendar gifts for friends or make gingerbread houses; there’s a playing card template for you. Check out this affordable way to have 54 custom cards for any purpose, today. And remember, this month you get an even bigger price break because playing cards are 10% off your already low Club prices.

Go to my web site at http://www.OurPhotoStories.com or contact me via e-mail at Rebecca@OurPhotoStories.com to learn more about playing cards and other Heritage Makers products.