What Are the Different Uses for Craft Foam?

The different uses of craft foam include home as well as school or education-based projects. Depending on the colors used, craft foam can also be great for making seasonal and theme decorations. Those who do rubber stamping projects use the foam either to create stamps or press in the images of their stamps into the foam's surface to make an imprint. Mosaics, bookmarks, key chains, signs, mouse pads, greeting card add-ons and costume accessories are other uses for colorful, thin crafting foam.

Since the type of flattened foam used for crafting is fairly thin, yet pliable, it's quite easy to cut then shape into costume features such as animal ears, whiskers and hats. For instance, with a hole-punch and some string or a leather necklace strand, a piece of black craft foam can be transformed into a pirate's eye patch for a costume. A star-shaped piece of yellow or pink foam could be glued onto the end of a wooden dowel or stick to make it into a wand for a fairy princess costume.

Craft foam shapes are sold pre-cut and assorted in packages or they may be cut from sheets of the material. The shapes may be used on the front and/or inside of greeting cards to add interest through pattern, color and another layer of texture. For example, a heart cut from pink or red crafting foam could be glued onto or into a Valentine's Day card.

Mouse pads to use at a computer may be created by cutting the foam into large shapes. Smaller foam pieces may be glued onto the corners or as a border around the large shape to embellish it. Alternatively, permanent markers can be used on the craft foam to create a message and/or images. Markers may also be used on larger foam pieces to make signs.

A similar technique of either gluing smaller shapes onto a large piece of foam or writing or drawing on it with markers, or both, can be used to create other craft items such as key chains and bookmarks. Instead of markers to add printed designs, rubber or craft foam stamps and inks can be used. Sheets of colorful foam are especially popular for using as party decorations to create a seasonal or other theme. For example, pastel foam may be cut into Easter egg shapes, or brightly colored shapes of palm trees and suns could be used for a Hawaiian themed party.

Straight-edged foam pieces can be placed together to form patterns or pictures in a mosaic project. This craft foam technique may be used for wall art or glued onto another surface such as a flower pot. Cutting craft foam into different shapes is also done for school projects such as those displayed on a folded upright board. For instance, if the project is about dolphins, the student could cut out the shapes of these animals from gray foam to use along with written information on the topic. Parents of small children can cut alphabet letters from crafting foam or do crafts with kids such as having them glue different shapes onto a piece of cardboard for a picture.