|DICASTIO|

Valentine's day is a great opportunity to show someone that you care. While you can always buy a card from the store, a handmade card will be more personal and unique. Best of all, you can cater the card to the recipient's likes, hobbies, and personality. If you don't want to make a typical card, then you can make an unusual card instead, such as a sugar cookie!

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Making Simple Cards

Write a message in white pencil, then paint over it with watercolor. Get a sheet of white cardstock or watercolor paper. Write a simple message using a white crayon or white grease pencil. Paint over the entire paper using watercolor. The message will show through the paint!^[1]
- Instead of painting the entire page, paint a heart shape instead. Make sure that the heart is big enough to cover the entire message.
- For a fancier card, draw heart shapes around the message using a white crayon or white grease pencil.
- The paper must be white or the watercolor won't show up.
Paint watercolor hearts, then write messages in them with black marker. Fold a sheet of cardstock or watercolor paper in half to make a card. Paint a heart using watercolor, then let it dry. Use a black felt-tipped pen to write a message inside the heart.^[2]
- Use more than 1 color of paint to create am ombre or tie dye design.
- Feel free to outline the heart with the marker, or draw additional details, such as spirals, zigzags, or mini hearts.
- Write a simple message, such as "I <3 U" or "Be Mine".
Use heart-shaped cookie cutters and paint to stamp designs. Fold a sheet of cardstock or watercolor paper in half to make a card. Paint a rectangle with watercolor on the front, leaving a 1/2-inch (1.3-cm) border all around. Let the paint dry, then dip a heart-shaped cookie cutter into acrylic paint. Press the cookie cutter against the card to create a heart-shaped outline.^[3]
- Use Valentine's day colors for the watercolor and acrylic paint, such as red, white, pink, or purple. Use contrasting colors for the acrylic paint to help the heart stand out.
- You can create as many hearts as you want. You can even use large, medium, and small cookie cutters. Overlap the hearts for a more interesting design.
Use glitter and glue to create a sparkly card. Fold a sheet of cardstock in half to make a card. Draw a heart with white school glue, then shake red or pink glitter onto it. Tap the excess glitter off and let it write. Write a message with white school glue, then add more glitter. Shake the excess glitter off and let it dry as well.
- Keep the message simple, such as "I love you."
- For a less-sparkly card, write the message using a gold or silver marker.
- Decorate the card with rhinestones or sequins for a fancier effect.
Cut a sponge into a heart, then use it as a stamp. Get a flat sponge (not a sea sponge) and cut it into a large heart. Dip it into acrylic craft paint, poster paint, or tempera paint. Lightly tape the sponge against a sheet of cardstock, then remove the sponge and let the paint dry. Write your message on the paper or on the heart itself.
- Choose a Valentine's day color for the paint, such as red, pink, or purple. If your cardstock is colored, then you can use white paint.
- Sprinkle some glitter onto the paint before it dries for a sparkly effect.
- Write the message with a marker. You can also use more paint and a thin, pointed paintbrush.

[Edit]Making Fancy Cards

Create a themed card with a matching pun or message. Think about what sort of message you want for your card, such as "Would you be mine" or "You light up my life." Write the message on the card, then an item that is related to that message to your card. For example:^[4]
- Draw a mini maze on the card, then write "You are a-MAZE-ing."
- Hot glue a wooden heart to a card, then write "Wood U be mine?"
- Hot glue some pink birthday candles to the front of a card, then write "You light up my life."
- Draw a cute bee on a card, or make one out of yellow and black pompoms. Write "BEE mine" on the card.
Draw a heart, then glue buttons inside it for a rustic-chic card. Use a pencil to lightly draw a heart on the front of a blank card. Hot glue flat red, pink, or purple buttons inside the heart. Use different sizes and layer the buttons for a more interesting effect.^[5]
- Write the letter "I" above the heart, and the letter "U" below it to spell out "I <3 U."
- For a fancier card, use a sewing machine to sew 2 rows of stitching around the heart.
- Use a white or brown blank card. If you can't find one, fold a sheet of 8 1/2 by 11-inch (22 by 28-cm) scrapbooking paper in half, and use that instead.
Glue folded paper hearts to the front of a blank card to make a bouquet. Cut 1-inch (2.5-cm) heart shapes out of red, pink, and purple paper. Doodle designs on them with a black or white pen, then fold them in half to create creases. Hot glue the hearts along the creases to a blank white card. Use a green marker to draw stems coming out of the bottom of each heart.^[6]
- Angle the stems together towards the bottom of the card to make it look more like a bouquet.
- Hot glue pieces of green yard over the stems for a rustic-chic touch.
- if you can't find a blank card, fold an 8 1/2 by 11-inch (22 by 28-cm) sheet of white cardstock, and use that instead.
Add a mini garland to the inside of a card. Fold a sheet of cardstock to make a card, then open the card. Cut a piece of baker's twine to the width of the open card. Tape the ends of the twine to the side edges of the card with washi tape. Cut 1-inch (2.5-cm) hearts out of scrapbooking paper and clip them to the twine with mini clothespins.^[7]
- Make sure that the washi tape extends the entire length of the card from top-to-bottom. Alternatively, glue 1/4-inch (0.64-cm) strips of paper over the edges of the card.
- You can find mini clothespins in the scrapbooking section and wood crafts section of a craft store. They are less than tall.
Sew a mini felt heart bunting to the front of a blank card. Cut 1-inch (2.5-cm) hearts out of red and pink felt. Thread a needle, then weave the needle up and down through the top of the hearts to make a bunting. Glue the bunting across the top edge of a blank card, then write your message under it.^[8]
- If you can't find a blank card, fold a sheet of cardstock in half and use that instead. White or kraft/brown will look the best.
- Glue the bunting so that it makes a slight, downward curve, just like a real bunting.
- Glue the beginning of the thread under the first heart, and the end of the thread under the last heart.

[Edit]Making Edible Cards

Write your message on paper, then wrap it around a chocolate bar. Cut patterned scrapbooking paper into a rectangle that's long enough to wrap around your chocolate bar. Write a message on the back of the paper, when wrap it around the chocolate so that the message is on the inside. Secure the ends of the paper with tape.
- Make the label a little bit narrower than the candy bar so that you can see the sides of the candy bar.
- Use Valentine's day themed scrapbooking paper, or paper with lots of pink, red, or purple in it.
- Decorate the front of the candy bar with Valentine's day stickers for a cute touch.
Cover flat lollipops with a folded mini card. Cut a rectangle from paper and fold it in half widthwise. Punch a hole in the middle of the crease, then slide the lollipop through the hole, sandwiching it inside the folded paper. Tape the paper shut along the top edge. Write your message on the front of the folded paper.^[9]
- The rectangle should be the same width as the candy part of the lollipop and twice the height.
- Valentine's day-themed scrapbooking paper and red, pink, or purple cardstock are all great choices.
- For a nicer touch, use a heart-shaped sticker instead of tape.
- For a twist, write your message inside the folded paper, then decorate the outside with Valentine's day stickers.
Cut a butterfly shape out of paper, then stick a round lollipop through it. Fold a sheet of red, pink, or purple paper in half. Cut a 4-inch (10-cm) tall half-butterfly shape out of it. Cut 2 slits into the crease, about apart. Unfold the butterfly, then slide a round lollipop through the slit. Decorate the butterfly's wings as desired.^[10]
- Write a message on the back of the butterfly, or around the edges of the wings.
- Decorate the wings with Valentine's day stickers or paint them with acrylic craft paint.
- Round lollipops, such as tootsie pops or dumdums will work the best.
- Glue some tiny googly eyes to the lollipop and tie a short piece of pipe cleaner around the neck to make antenna.
Glue candy bars to the front of the card if your Valentine loves sweets. Fold a 6 by 12-inch (15 by 30-cm) piece of red, pink, or purple cardstock in half. Cut a 5 1⁄2-inch (14-cm) square from white cardstock and glue it to the front of your card. Wrap 4 mini chocolate bars with Valentine's day scrapbooking paper, then glue them to the front of the card.
- Decorate the front of the card with Valentine's day stamps or stickers.
- Tie baker's twine around each chocolate like a present before you glue it down for a cute touch.
- Add another sheet of 5 1⁄2-inch (14-cm) paper to the inside of the card. Write a longer message on this sheet.
Decorate sugar cookies with royal icing and decorating pens. Bake some large, heart-shaped sugar cookies, then frost them with royal icing. Let the frosting dry, then using a food decorating pen to write a message on it.^[11]
- Outline the cookies with thick-consistency icing first, then fill them in with tin-consistency icing.
- Food decorating pens look like felt-tip pens, except that they are filled with food coloring. You can find them in the baking section of a craft store.
- You can also bake large rectangular or square cookies to make them look like cards.
Use edible decorating paper and pens to make an edible card. Cut sheet of red edible decorating paper in half. Cut a large heart out of white edible decorating paper, and "glue" it on top with frosting. Write a message in the heart with a decorating pen. Use frosting to glue candy hearts to the card. Outline the heart with frosting or red licorice.^[12]
- Edible decorating paper is sometimes referred to as a "sugar sheet." You can find it in the baking section of a craft store.
- Decorating pens look like felt-tipped markers, but they are filled with food coloring instead. You can find them in the baking section of a craft store as well.
- Do not bend or fold this edible paper. It will break in half.
Sew an envelope out of felt, then fill it with treats. Cut 2 rectangles out of white felt. Sew them together along 1 of the long edges and both of the narrow edges with embroidery floss and a running stitch. Cut and glue pieces of felt to the front of the envelope to make it look like a mailing envelope. Fill the envelope with Valentine's day candy.^[13]
- Sew the envelopes by hand using embroidery floss and a running stitch.
- Use felt letters to write "To:" followed by the recipient's name. Add additional shapes to make a mailing stamp and additional heart designs.
- Keep the candy wrapped so that the felt doesn't stick to it.

[Edit]Making Unique Cards

Fold a strip if paper into a mini photo album. Cut a 3 by 12-inch (7.6 by 30.5-cm) strip from cardstock. Fold the paper back and forth to create a 3 by 3-inch (7.6 by 7.6-cm) square. Print out 2 by 2-inch (5.1 by 5.1-cm) photos of yourself and the recipient, then glue them to each panel. Write messages under each photo or on the back of each panel.^[14]
- For a nicer touch, don't add a photo to the first panel. Decorate the panel with Valentine's day stickers and illustrations instead.
- Red, pink, or purple cardstock will work the best. You may have to tape 2 sheets together to make it long enough.
- Don't use original photos. Scan them into your computer, then resize and crop them as needed.
Fold paper into a paper airplane, then write message on the wings. Get some printer paper and fold it into a paper airplane. Write a Valentine's day message on the wings using a red, pink, or purple marker. Decorate the wings and body with Valentine's day stickers for a nicer touch.^[15]
- For a more colorful airplane, cut a sheet of Valentine's day patterned scrapbooking paper into an 8 1/2 by 11-inch (22 by 28-cm) rectangle, and use that instead.
- Alternatively, write your message on the back of the paper before you fold it into an airplane. The recipient will have to open it in order to read it.
Decorate mini notebooks with scrapbooking paper and stickers. Trace your notebook onto cardstock or scrapbooking paper. Cut the shape out, then glue it to the front of your notebook. Decorate the cover with Valentine's day stickers or illustrations. Open the notebook and write a message on the first page.^[16]
- The notebook should be small, about .
- Red, pink, or purple cardstock are great choices. You can also use Valentine's day patterned scrapbooking paper instead.
- If you don't have paper, cover the front of the notebook with strips of patterned washi tape.
Make an embroidered felt card. Cut 2 identical heart shapes out of red, white, pink, or purple felt. Use embroidery thread in a contrasting color to write your message on 1 heart. Place the hearts together with the message on the front. Sew around the edges of the heart using a blanket stitch and more embroidery thread.
- Choose a Valentine's day color for the thread. White would look great on a red or purple heart, while red or purple would look nice on a pink heart.
- You can use the same color for the words and blanket stitch, or you can use different colors.
Paint a stone with a unique Valentine's day message. Choose a smooth river stone large enough to fit in your palm. Paint it red, white, pink, or purple with acrylic craft paint. Let the paint dry, then add a second color. Use a paint pen or a thin brush to write your message. Let the message dry, then seal the stone with clear, acrylic sealer.
- Clean the stone with soap and water to help the paint stick better.
- You can paint the back of the stone too, but wait until the front dries.
- Add some simple Valentine's day illustrations, such as hearts, to the stone next to the words.
Write a message on a slip of paper, then wrap it around a wooden spool. Cut a strip of paper wide enough to fit on a wooden spool. Write your message on the back of the paper, then wrap it around the spool. Tie a piece of yarn, embroidery floss, or twine around the spool in a bow to hold the paper in place.^[17]
- Use paper with thin stripes to mimic thread. Make sure that the stripes are running the length of the paper, not the width.
- If you are using patterned paper, write your message on the blank/white side.
Create a miniature message-in-a-bottle. Write your message on a 1-inch (2.5-cm) wide strip of paper and roll it up. Tie a piece of embroidery floss around the tube, then pull the floss through the bottom of the tube and out the top. Hot glue the floss to the bottle's cork. Put the message into the bottle, then pop the cork on.^[18]
- Use a miniature bottle that is between tall. You can find them in the scrapbooking embellishments section of a craft store.
- For a nicer finish, thread a chain to the embroidery floss, then tie the floss around the paper. Secure the chain to the cork with a U-shaped piece of wire.

[Edit]Tips

Use camelhair watercolor brushes for watercolor paints. Use synthetic "taklon" brushes for acrylic craft paint.
Use Valentine's day colors such as red, white, pink, or purple.
Embellish your cards with rhinestones or glitter.