DIY Card Organizer - Mulch & Paint

Hello friends!

I am sharing another Dollar Tree craft today! I’ve named it a Card Organizer but it is a versatile project that you can vary the size and fabric to customize for your own home.

I was at Walmart yesterday buying a buggy full of clear storage boxes. I like to be organized but my best method is to just buy clear boxes and fill them with like things. As much as I would like to say that I am organized, I still have a long way to go.

I made this little craft in hopes of organizing some of the paperwork that overtakes me on a daily basis.

This craft could be used for organization or make a sweet display for any room.

I started with a simple Dollar Tree framed art piece, fabric and HeatnBond UltraHold. I bought a half of a yard of striped fabric at Hobby Lobby for under $2.50. I thought that by using striped fabric I could cheat and use the stripes as guides for cutting the fabric. The HeatnBond UltraHold also came from Hobby Lobby.

I started by taking the frame, cardboard back and glass apart. I then ironed the piece of fabric to get all of the wrinkles out. I laid the glass from the frame on top of the fabric and made a fold where I wanted my pocket to be. I went ahead and ironed the fabric at the fold.

At this point, I went ahead and trimmed the excess fabric by cutting about 2-4 inches larger than the glass on each side. For this frame, my fabric was 16 1/2 inches by 19 inches.

I also cut a piece of UltraHold the length of the glass and the height of the pocket doubled. The UltraHold is used to strengthen the fabric. By ironing on the UltraHold on both the top and bottom fabric used in the pocket, you will be able to hold more items and use clips.

Using the UltraHold directions, I laid one side down on the fabric and ironed it on without steam to the paper side.

After ironing on the UltraHold, I peeled back the paper layer. Give the UltraHold time to cool before handling the fabric. Once cooled, it will stick to itself…kind-of like working with strong velcro. Fold the pocket over and press the fabric with the UltraHold together to make a tight bond. (It sticks almost instantly but if you fold wrong, you can carefully pull it back apart and try again.) After I had the pocket like I wanted it, I went over it again with a dry iron.

Laying the front side of the fabric down, I placed the glass on top and positioned it how I wanted the front to look. Using a hot glue gun, I ran beads of glue down one side of the glass at a time and folded over the excess fabric. I started by gluing the top, then the bottom and finishing with each side.

I folded the sides like a present and glued them tightly.

To finish, I hot glued the cardboard back to the back of the glass. This not only makes the back look cleaner but also gives more security to fabric.

After I assembled the frame, I decided against the original gold and black frame color. To make a quick color adjustment, I dipped a paper towel in white chalk paint and lightly coated the frame. If you want to paint your frame, I would suggest painting it before putting the fabric and glass inside for easier access. My decision to paint was an afterthought so I just rolled with it.

For my Valentine’s themed frame, I added Dollar Tree glittered hearts attached using small clothespins.

For an everyday look, I clipped on stamps and made and In and Out sign for incoming and outgoing mail.

My daughter-in-law, Kaytlen, said this would make a good coupon organizer. I think that’s a great idea!

The total cost for the organizer was around $5 without accessories. I had enough fabric left to make a second organizer or use on another project. There was also plenty of UltraHold left for future crafting. The small clothespins came from Dollar Tree in the crafting section.

That’s all for today! I hope you have a wonderful day and THANK YOU SO MUCH for stopping by and visiting with me at Mulch and Paint!