Turn Trader Joe's Greeting Cards Into Stylish Kitchen Decor In One Step

Walk into Trader Joe's and you'll find a display that's far more useful than most shoppers realize. The 99-cent greeting cards –tucked near the flowers and easy to miss on a quick grocery run — have become an unexpected design resource. One Reddit post hinted at the unexpected potential of these cards when, instead of tucking it in a drawer, someone slipped a card into a dollar-store frame, stuck it up with a Command strip, and transformed a spare corner into something noticeably more polished than its price would suggest.

Trader Joe's works with a tiny producer and relies on its in-house artists for designs, which is why the designs feel so unusually curated. Some are bright and graphic, others look like they belong in a stationery shop with a two-digit price tag, and all rotate frequently enough that you can swap your "artwork" whenever the mood changes. Holiday themes, seasonal illustrations, and one-off designs make it easy to refresh a corner of your kitchen without committing to a full décor plan.

Yet the rack is still one of the most overlooked spots in the store. Skipping it means you're making a huge mistake while shopping at Trader Joe's, especially when those cards can do far more than deliver birthday wishes. In the right context, they start to look less like stationery and more like affordable artwork hiding in plain sight.

A simple frame goes a long way. When you keep it neutral and clean, the illustration does all the work, and even the cheapest frame looks intentional when the artwork inside already has personality. The idea is to let the card stay the focus — something that fits well, doesn't fight the colors, and doesn't swallow the design. And if the card actually means something to you — a handwritten note on the back, a doodle you don't want to lose — a double-sided frame can keep both sides visible without taking anything away from how it looks on the wall. When the viewer steps back, the card starts to read like a small piece of art you can tuck on a cabinet door or near the sink. 

There are also easy ways to use the cards without any frame at all. One Reddit user created a full collage just by arranging the cards in a tight grid and sticking them straight onto the wall with peel-off strips. It works especially well in smaller kitchens where even a thin frame can feel like unnecessary visual clutter. Because the cards all come in the same size, the layout falls into place cleanly and naturally. 

These displays also make it incredibly easy to switch things up throughout the year. It's the sort of item most people didn't know they could buy at Trader Joe's, which is part of the fun: A single card can shift the whole mood of a space without much effort. And because it's one of the best Trader Joe's finds under $5, swapping them out never feels like a commitment.