Have you ever thought about the life of a playing card? I began thinking about it long before I moved to Las Vegas. Playing cards get shuffled, tossed, and bent… until they show any sign of wear and tear. Then, they are “useless” to most card players. The home poker games I attended threw out a lot of luxury playing cards.

It made me sad to watch them toss out all those beautiful decks after they helped us create new fun memories. I always felt that they deserved something more than just a spot on the shelf but, at first, I felt guilty about cutting up beautiful playing card designs. Upcycling felt disrespectful somehow. Once I realized that I was giving them a second life by creating items designed to evoke fond memories, I vowed to find a way to use all the playing cards in my collection. So far, I make playing card art (with acrylic on canvas), poker chip necklaces, playing card rings, and poker chip keychains. I have plans to make poker chip magnets next. Leave your requests and suggestions in the comments section below! Click here to shop my site.