Teen's art project goes viral after being turned away from State Fair of Texas competition

DALLAS — The State Fair of Texas is just weeks away and one of the most beloved traditions of the fair is the Arts and Crafts contest.

Judging is already underway to select the winners of the 2024 competition; however, one teen competitor got some disappointing news before the competition even started.

Sixteen-year-old Kaylee Rodgers made a dress completely out of poker cards, with plans to enter it in this year's arts and crafts competition at the fair. However, days before the competition started, the judges told her the dress was too big for the category she was competing in, and she was disqualified.

"I was at work, and I got the phone call that it needed to be picked up a bit early and I was definitely very disappointed," Kaylee told CBS News Texas.

Kaylee said she has always had a passion for creating art using unique and recycled items.

She said her mom, who works at 5 Loves Food Pantry in Sachse, brought home some used decks of cards one day. Kaylee got the idea to make a dress out of them and enter it into the State Fair of Texas Arts and Crafts contest.

She said this was the first time she has ever done this type of project. The dress took more than 60 hours to make using more than 2,000 cards (which is more than 40 decks).

Kaylee said she did make the dress bigger than she initially intended and said the Fair did warn that her dress could get rejected if it did not meet the size requirements for the chosen category. Therefore, the judges did end up disqualifying her.

Kaylee said she isn't upset with the Fair but was still disappointed she could not show off her art. So, her mom posted her story to social media, and the picture of her dress has been shared thousands of times with people across North Texas and around the world.

This week, Kaylee got a call from organizers of the famous Go Texan Pavilion, who offered to showcase her dress during the entire state fair.

"[This experience] really showed me that, if you put yourself out there and you know you present yourself with what you have, it can actually open up doors. The Saturday that my mom made the post, I was not having a good day. I was so frustrated that morning, and it turned into like one of the best days of my life," Kaylee said.

Kaylee said some casinos and art exhibits have even offered to talk to her about showing off her dress.

She said the support she's received is better than any award.

"I think I did get lots more than just a first, a second, or 3rd place ribbon for sure. I'm a little overwhelmed, but in a good way," Kaylee admits.

Kaylee also said she is currently in the process of making another dress for Day of the Dead, also made entirely out of recycled cards.