How to Make a Wooden Business Card Case/Holder

Recently, I've been trying to go to as many Maker Faires as possible. If you've ever been to one, I'm sure you will agree that there's an incredible feeling of creativity, open sharing, and innovation. The few that I've been to so far have been a lot of fun, the best part being having the opportunity to meet other makers. (Check out my thoughts on my extra-special White House Maker Faire adventure HERE!)

I made up some business cards a while back to take with me to Maker Faires so that anyone I meet is able to easily find my projects if they're interested in checking them out. Taking out my wallet repeatedly was annoying, and I couldn't comfortably fit more than a few in my wallet at a time. Leaving them to wander about my pockets unprotected would only lead to bent corners and a consequently lackluster presentation. All these factors led me to make a business card case to keep them safe while attending a Maker Faire!

(The second picture is a GIF! If it doesn't play correctly, click HERE!)

*This Instructables makes use of two different types of glue! It has been entered in the Glue Contest, don't be afraid to vote for this Instructable if you enjoyed reading it!

Contents:

Video!
Tools and Materials
Top and Bottom Panels
Sides and Cover
Hinge
Finish
Conclusion

Step 1: Video!

Step 2: Tools and Materials

To complete this project, you will need the following:

Materials:

Popsicle Sticks
Super Glue
White All-Purpose Glue
Acrylic Paint
Water

Tools:

Scissors
Pencil
Paint Brush
Rotary Tool/Sandpaper
Straight Edge (optional)

Step 3: Top and Bottom Panels

Line up your business card with some popsicle sticks to determine how many are needed to cover your card. Based on the width of my popsicle sticks, that was six for me.

Mark lines on each side of all of the popsicle sticks where they will need to be cut with scissors. The lines should be marked a little more than the width of the card to allow sides to be glued on later.

This will give us two pieces of six popsicle sticks glued together side-by-side. One for the top of the case and one for the bottom.

Step 4: Sides and Cover

Three more popsicle sticks will need to be marked, cut, and glued in place to be the sides and back of the case. The top and bottom half can now be glued together, and shaped/sanded to a better finish using a Dremel rotary tool and sand paper.

Two more popsicle sticks are marked and cut to be slightly wider than the total width of the case, so that they can be glued together at a right angle to form the cover that will fold over the case. Small square pieces were also cut and glued to the sides of this cover, and then shaped into triangles used a Dremel rotary tool.

Step 5: Hinge

The hinge of this case was made from a piece of faux leather cut from a phone holder that was purchased at the dollar store.

The piece should be cut, and one side glued to the bottom six-stick side, and the other to the back of the cover. Two popsicle sticks should be cut to length, and glued on top of the piece of leather, both on the bottom side, and on the cover. Sanding and shaping should be done with this step as well.

The cover should theoretically stay in place because of friction, if it does not however, don't fret. Super glue and baking soda can be used to all small layers of filler to the inside corners of the cover to form a more solid fit. Additionally, if you chose to finish your business card case using the same method as I did, some swelling of the wood can be expected from the water-based finish, making a tighter fit.

Step 6: Finish

Let's make our case look nice and professional! My goal for this project was to make a case out of popsicle sticks, and by the time I was finished, not have people recognize that it was made out of popsicle sticks. Popsicle sticks are convenient and cheap, but not terribly professional.

The finish I made for this project is made up of cheap brown acrylic paint, white glue from the dollar store, and a little bit of water. All-purpose white glue can make a nice semi-gloss finish for all sorts of craft projects when diluted slightly with water. I like to use about a one-to-one ratio of glue-to-water, but you can use whatever feels right. I've seen some online sources say that a 1:3 glue-water ratio should be used. The acrylic paint is water-based and therefore soluble with the glue. It's purpose is to make our case a little darker, for a stained look. For a clear finish the paint can be omitted.