Make Your Own Trading Cards : 6 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables

Introduction: Make Your Own Trading Cards

By ArianaSLabusArt by Ariana on InstagramFollow More by the author: About: I am a conceptual artist, and my DIY projects are mostly inspired by pop culture (movies, music, sports, TV). I mostly specialize in painting, graphic design, drawing, digital photography, performance art, and… More About ArianaSLabus »

Whether it's celebrities, favorite TV shows, or superheros, you will love cherishing this fun memories with this homemade batch of trading cards!

Step 1: Materials

For this batch of trading cards, you will need to pick up the following items:

• thin cardboard
• your favorite images (from a magazine or computer print-out)
• clear contact paper
• scissors
• glue or Mod Podge
• pencil
• ruler

Step 2: Prep Images

First, select your images that you want to use for your cards. In this tutorial, I am using Timmy the Tooth Character Cards.

Step 3: Glue Them On

Once you have those images ready, cut them out and glue them to a piece of thin cardboard. I'm using thin cardboard from an empty cereal box. If you're using that kind of cardboard, make sure to lay it out with the design facing up. That way, you'll get to see the black side of the cardboard, after the project is done.

Step 4: Add Contact Paper

After the glue has dried, measure and cut out a piece of clear contact paper, peel it off and lay the sticky side facing up. Then, place the cardboard with the images face-down, on top of the contact paper, and seal the sides in place. I find it best to cut out the corners so it will be more easier to fold in. You can also use a laminating machine if that sounds easier for you.

Step 5: Cut Away

Now, once everything is complete, you can cut the cards away from the laminated cardboard, and you are done!

Step 6: Homemade Goodness!

You can make your own trading cards using whatever images you want. Besides using the Timmy the Tooth character cards, I also made another batch using images of celebrities from an issue of QuizFest magazine!

These trading cards make great gifts and are also excellent to share with friends!

Note: This idea came from while I was showing my mom some of the Timmy the Tooth character cards that I wanted to try getting on eBay. However, she sort of declined it, because she felt that it would be useless, especially from those empty cereal boxes. So, instead of feeling down about it, I started looking them up online, and with that Google image search, it turned out to be the same cards that I found on eBay. From there, I decided to use my imagination, and create my own cards, and, here they are!