My mom died last year and when my dad downsized, I inherited their 63 scrapbooks. yes, 63. I too have old greeting cards among the collection. Cards for all the holidays going back to 1950. You are right, those old Valentines are so sweet.
The scrapbooks need to be taken apart and sorted, since they are so musty. And do I really need the receipts for the train my parents took to NY in 1963? But I have saved all the cards, waiting for the right project. I like the idea here of the laminated placemats. Scanning the cards for a quilt sounds interesting, too.
Here is something I had found in doing a search online. Do you remember those little baskets people made years ago out of cards? It's a bit old-fashioned but in keeping with the age of the cards.
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christm...d-basket.shtml
I realize the names of the sender won't show, but have learned as I go through the monumental task of sorting my parents' accumulation, that I can't keep everything. And the fact is, what matters to me won't mean a whole lot to my grandchildren.