Craft Your Valentine

Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity to let your loved ones know how special they are to you.  Whether you’ve been married for 20 years, dating for 2 months, or single and loving it, you can express your creativity on Valentine’s Day by reaching out to everyone in your heart.  If you don’t have the traditional Valentine, you can let your friends and family know how much you mean to them by creating your own crafts and Valentine treats.

The best way to approach any holiday is to ignore the commercial side and focus on the feelings behind it.   Creating quality homemade cards for your loved ones is an ideal way to express your creative side, while also showing your appreciation for those who are closest to you.

There are endless options for Valentine’s cards, which is exactly what can make them a little overwhelming.  If you have trouble figuring out what to make, don’t be afraid to cheat a little.  Check out some craft books or browse your local card shop for inspiration.  Once you’ve decided on a template all you need to do is buy any materials you need to get going.

To get you started, we’ll share some of our favourite crafty Valentine’s greetings for different people in your life.

The Loving Hippy

For the ultimate Beatles fan, or someone who just loves love, create a card with their eternal lyrics, “Love is all you need”.  You can design the colour scheme and layout to suit your taste, but be sure to use quality card stock and take your time on it.  The idea isn’t to skimp out on your homemade card, but to create it with love and affection for your partner or friend.

This card is incredibly simple and it’s all about the details you choose to add.  You will need: glue, beads or sparkles, card stock in 3 different colours of your choice, ribbon, a metallic marker in your preferred colour, and some thread and a needle (optional).

First, choose the backing colour that will work as your frame.  Next, either glue or sew on your next sheet, pasting it about an inch inside of the first layer.  Then cut out a large heart shape and glue it onto the 2nd layer.  Adorn the outline of the heart with beads or glitter.  If you choose a dark colour, it would be nice to use a gold or silver metallic marker to write Love Is All You Need inside the heart.  Finally, add a little tail of ribbon to the bottom corner and paste a bead on top of it.  This delightful message is sure to warm the heart of its recipient.

Overseas Love

Missing someone?  How about sending this person a loving Valentine’s greeting!  For this card, you will need: glue, a map of their location, cut out hearts (either felt, stickers, or foam based), ribbon, and thick card stock.

Fold your card stock in half to make it a traditional card shape.  On the cover, paste a map of your loved one’s location.  Next, glue a heart above their city and draw an arrow pointing down to its name on the map.  Inside the card, write “No matter where I go, my heart is with you”.  You can decorate the inside of the card as you wish; adding lines of multicoloured ribbon help to frame the card’s message.  Alternatively, you can create a “string” of hearts and glue them inside the card.  This loving message will surely brighten the day of your distanced lover!

Flowery Friends

Valentine’s Day is for lovers, yes, but who says you can’t tell your friends how much you love them too?   Rather than sending flowers, create your own with this fun greeting.

You will need: different coloured felt, twine or pipe cleaners in brown, card stock, hearts, old magazines, ribbon, and glitter pens or markers.

Choose your backing card colour and make sure it will be large enough to hold a bouquet of flowers.  Cut out flower shapes with the felt and glue them onto the card stock.  Next, glue either twine or brown pipe cleaners to the card for the flowers’ stems.  Then make a bow with your ribbon and glue it on.  Underneath or beside the flowers write “I love you” and to mix it up, cut out letters to form the word “bunches” and paste them underneath.  This card is cute and fun, so your friends are sure to love it!

Sending Love

Any holiday is a great excuse to get crafty, so help make this one special for you and your loved ones with personalized greetings!