How to make a hand fan out of an oversized playing card

It's hot hot hot, even here in the Pacific Northwest. We can't complain (since we do that for the other 9 months of drizzle), but my friends in NY and Chicago are entitled to whine. 

In their honor, I present a simple, low-tech personal cooling device. It's durable, able to withstand power outages, and not bad to look at.


All you need is a couple of oversized playing cards. The ones in my stash measure 5" (13 cm) x 7" (18 cm). In a pinch you could even use an old photo or part of a cardboard cereal box. Coated cards are a bit more durable.

1.Start by cutting a slit in one of the card's short sides, about 1/4 of the way up.

2. Take the second card and fold it in half. Then fold each half in the opposite way, like a fan. 

3. Refold the card so that the 2 halves are facing each other. Cut a slit down the middle, about 1/4 the way down the card.

4. Unfold the card and then create a T shape by folding the 2 sections of the card closest to the midline in half, toward the middle. From the top, it looks like this:

From the front, it looks like this:

5. Slide the folded handle card into the flat card, matching them at the slits. Tape the front flaps to the front of the flat card.

6. Tape the cards together on the back as well. And if you want to make the handle a little slimmer (and easier to hold), pinch the 2 edges together and tape them into a cylindrical shape.

Ta-da! You're done! 

Is there a better way? My husband helped me improve the design of this version. If you can improve it even more, let me know!