DIY Valentine Cards
Ah, February- when the weather is dark and dreary (and very wet if you live in Portland). What better way to cheer up the gloom than crafting at home with a cup of tea or even better with chocolate and a good friend? These handmade valentines were a blast to make and very easy.
Supplies:
• Evermine Valentine’s Day labels, of your favorite styles and shapes with valentine words. I used Bible verses, but lines from poems (“Red is the Rose”, “Shall I compare Thee…”, “Roses are Red…”) or classic valentine sayings (“Be Mine”, “Valentine’s Greetings”, “U R Gr8T!” etc.) work just as well.
• Scrap-booking paper to match the color of the labels. I found a few sheets in different patterns that appealed to me.
• A nice cardstock of a solid background that matches the labels. (Mine is red here)
• Decorative tissue paper (optional)
• Envelope paper & template or envelopes (optional)
• Scissors, glue, ruler.
I knew that I wanted to make a uniquely shaped valentine card so I decided to make my own custom envelopes to match. After carefully studying the USPS guidelines on acceptable envelope sizes I made my envelopes 6 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall (or 6 inches tall and 3.5 inches wide depending on how you orient the valentine). To this end I drew up my own envelope template, which you can download here.
To make my Valentine cards, I first cut the red cardstock to the size that I wished the final valentines to be (just a tad under 6″x3.5″ for them to easily slide into the envelopes I made). I cut the patterned scrap-booking paper into smaller, rectangular shapes.
Next I applied an Evermine Valentine’s Day label to a piece of kraft paper (the same paper I used to make my envelopes) and cut around the label- leaving a kraft paper border. I arranged each element to my liking and glued them to the red cardstock. To create a unique layered look, I wrapped each finished valentine in a fun tissue paper and secured it with an oval label.
As a very simple gift to be sent along with my valentines I made a small bookmark, flat enclosure card with a text label. I chose a meaningful quote and attached the text label to a piece of patterned scrap-booking paper. Very simple, very pretty.
To make the envelopes simply download my template to use as your guide. Fold in the long flaps first (the 6″ ones). They will overlap in the middle. Secure the overlap together with glue. Then fold in the shorter flaps (the ones on the end). Glue one (be careful you don’t glue both!!) end closed and set aside to dry. Once the envelope glue is dry, place your finished Valentine card and the small enclosure card inside and either glue the other end shut or even easier, use a heart-shaped label as an envelope seal.
Of course this is only one way of assembling these things and there are countless other ways as well as other fun materials you can use to craft your valentines, such as ribbon, twine, doilies and glitter. So enjoy your February and have fun crafting!
Helpful Links
More Valentine’s Day ideas…
Shop Our Valentine’s Day Collection
• Valentine’s Day Labels
• Valentine’s Day Favor Tags
• Valentine’s Day CD/DVD Labels
• Valentine’s Day Coasters
• Entire Valentine’s Day Collection
Anna was born in Idaho and raised in Oregon. She has traveled the world and lived and studied in far away and exotic places like Illinois, Florida, and Hamburg, Germany. Portland, however, is her favorite place to be. She works for My Own Labels as a data wrangler. In her spare time she likes to write letters, craft, folk dance and read.