Valentine's Day is right around the corner and we crafters are usually the first on board! We're already working on our love letters, handmade valentines, and heartwarming home decor here at Scrapbook.com and wanted to pass on a little bit of inspiration to you, including some tips and tricks to create your best homemade Valentine's Day Card ever.
1. Beautiful Blended Backgrounds
What's not to love about beautiful, vibrant color splashes and swirls across your card with a few simple tools and steps? Start your V-Day themed card out right by selecting a color of ink (or a few complementing colors!) that will make your background pop no matter how much you layer over it! A few careful blending swirls will result in a brilliant backdrop for your artwork! There's no way your Valentine will have the blues looking at this unconventional, deep blue card background created with Scrapbook.com's exclusive craft daubers!
Get the Look!
Recreate this card with these supplies:
Concord and 9th Hello Lovely Clear Photopolymer Stamps
Scrapbook.com Exclusive Craft Daubers
Ranger Ink Distress Ink in Blueprint Sketch
2. Layers, Layers, Layers
When creating your Valentine's Day cards, it's sometimes difficult to walk the fine line between "not enough" and "ahhhh what did I do?!" An easy way to keep your fun from getting over-done is to use your favorite ephemera packs and start playing! The more layers, the more fun! And so what if your lovely layers don't exactly fit in an envelope! Your card will become a treasure trove of surprises, textures, and colors that your lucky card recipient will love looking at.
Tip: With this repositionable dot tape, you can position your ephemera, adhere them, and if you don't like the pattern of layers you've created, you can easily take them apart and reposition to your heart's content!
Get the Look!
Recreate these cards with these supplies:
Pre-scored blank cards with matching envelopes
28 Lilac Lane Sequins and Embellishments
Your favorite Valentine's Day collection
3. Make Your Own Heart Outline by Stamping
Hearts and Valentine's Day go together like Four-Leaf Clovers and St. Patrick's Day. We love this creative way to fashion a huge heart with subtlety! Ashe used smaller stamps and cleverly positioned them to create a collective heart shape out of coffee cups, hearts, beans, and spoons!
How to Stamp in a Heart Shape
- Choose a piece of "scrap" cardstock. This will be either tucked away for later use or recycled/thrown away.
- Die cut a heart shape on your piece of paper by using your die cutting machine and your desired size heart from this Nested Heart Die Set.
- Set aside the die cut heart shape (we're so sure you'll use it on another project!) and use the piece of paper with the heart cut out of it.
- Temporarily adhere the "empty heart shape" where you'd like the heart to be positioned on the face of the card. We recommend Washi tape to hold the piece of paper down so it doesn't slide out of place.
- Place your card face and cut-out overlay in your MISTI for the best results.
- Position your stamps (face down) where you would like them within the cut out heart shape. Make sure the stamps entirely and evenly fill the heart space with shapes.
- Once you're happy with your placement, press the lid down on your stamp platform to pick up the stamps, ink them, then press back down again.
- Remove the piece of paper with the heart cut out of it to reveal your fresh design!
- If your image doesn't entirely resemble a heart, try using tiny stamps to fill in the blank spaces and create a more defined heart outline.
Get the Look!
Make your very own heart-shaped stamped card and recreate the look with these supplies:
Exclusive Scrapbook.com Premium Hybrid Ink Pad in Black
Happy Valentine's Day Cling Script Stamp
Lawn Fawn "Love You a Latte" Cling Stamp Set
Decorative Nested Die Heart Set
Bazzill Basics Aruba Cardstock
Pre-scored blank cards with matching envelopes
4. Make a Valentine's Day Goodie Bag
If the way to your loved one's heart is through their stomach, try creating these adorable goodie bags in lieu of a traditional Valentine! Decorate and fill them with little chocolates, treats, printed messages, and surprises! If you do not have treat box dies or are not a die cutter, you can quickly and easily embellish small pre-made goodie bags for quick, handmade Valentines!
Tip: Remember, it's really the thought that counts so take a little bit of time to craft an assortment of easy cards, projects, treat boxes, etc. and give your favorite teacher, cashier, mail carrier, or neighbor some friendly V-day love. They will be touched at your thoughtfulness and won't be able to stop smiling at your beautiful, handmade creation!
Get the Look!
Make your very own Valentine's Day goodie bags by recreating the look with these supplies below:
Embellishments from the Cream and Sugar Collection
American Crafts Gold Hearts Paper Clips
5. Try a New Color
Make your card stand out in your recipient's mailbox this year by using a pop of color that is sure to surprise, like Hero Art's card above that is total eye candy! It's easy to do and will give your Valentine's Day crafting an unexpected twist. Just grab a different color of paper or hue of ink and you'll be on your way to a mini masterpiece that wows.
Tip From Gale of The Darby Creek Diaries: Try using non-traditional color schemes... if you want to use pink and red, use one, but not both.
Get the Look!
Recreate your very own version of this card with these supplies below:
Hero Arts Alphabet Letter Dies
Pre-scored blank cards with matching envelopes
6. Make it Tiny!
There's something really silly (in a good way) about making and receiving teeny-tiny cards - Valentine's Day Cards included. If you don't have a ton of time on your hands or have a huge list of recipients, creating tiny cards can save the bank and save time! And it's the perfect craft for leftover scraps and tiny cut-outs!
Tip: There's something whimsical and understated about crafting and gifting tiny cards. There's no way a person can keep a straight face when holding a tiny card in their hands. It's a throwback to childhood days of pocket-sized Valentines and just altogether fun to make and share!
Get the Look!
Make your own teeny-tiny cards and recreate the look with these supplies:
Mini-Snips Scissors from Tim Holtz
7. Special Valentine's Day Album
If you are looking to create something unforgettable for one particularly special sweetheart this season, composing a mini-album in place of a card is a wonderful way to not only show you care, but to document your love and life in a creative way that will last for years to come! A mini album and a Valentine? Two birds, one stone.
Tip: Clear Scraps creates a wide variety of chipboard and acrylic albums that are super small and perfect for your "quick" albums, such as these!
Get the Look!
8. Paper Flowers: Endless Beauty
We all know that a bouquet of flowers is the go-to gift on February 14th. Vivweinman has reinvented this classic token of affection by building a timeless bouquet on a Valentine's Day card! Using kraft cardstock, baker's twine, and an arrangement of flower embellishments, her little bouquet is sure to surprise, delight, and last a lifetime!
How To Make a Card with a Fabric Flower Bouquet
- Depending on your card size, choose a variety of flowers. 1 large focal flower, 2-3 medium accent flowers, and 5-7 small decorative flowers should do the trick.
- To make the "cone," grab 12 x 12 kraft (or another color of choice) and follow the directions on your We R Memory Keepers DIY Party Board. This tool makes amazing cones that are 3-Dimensional, but can also be pressed flat!
- Adhere your flattened cone to the front of your card face - our Exclusive Adhesive Roller is an excellent, affordable option.
- Arrange the flowers to your liking, then adhere them to the top of your cone. We recommend a liquid adhesive.
- Once your flowers are arranged, add a little adhesive to the inside of the cone, directly below the flowers to make sure your cone stays nice and flat.
Get the Look!
Get everything you need to make your own version of this card below!
Pre-scored blank cards with matching envelopes
9. Unique Valentine's Day Card
Some of us card makers prefer mass producing the same cards for holidays and occasions and some of us want to make each one a little different and special. A wonderful way to make your Valentine's Day cards the best ever this year is to personalize each one to your recipient. If that kind of project seems a bit much, just choose 3 - 5 of your favorite people for unique cards and mass-produce for the rest (we won't tell anybody)!
Unique Valentine's Day Card Ideas
- Use a sticker or ephemera piece that reflects the recipient's personal passion - such as a bike for a bicycle enthusiast or a paint palette for an artist!
- Choose an embellishment or accent that will remind your recipient of a special time or inside joke you two shared.
- Pick out your recipient's favorite colors to use in the card.
- Create a Valentine's Day card with a map, photo, or location reference to their hometown or where you two met!
- Treat the card front as a layout and design around a photo of the two of you together (a card that doubles as a layout!)
Get the Look!
Recreate this lovely bicycle card with the supplies below:
Pre-scored blank cards with matching envelopes
No matter the kind of handmade craft you create for your sweetheart this year, be it a card, album, or just a super cute gift tag, we know it's going to put a smile on your Valentine's face! Valentine's Day is a special day that really comes down to us showing each other how much we care and gives us card makers and crafters another opportunity to create and give to our loved ones.
A Valentine's Day Card Making Tip from Keren Tamir: Celebrating love is not only about love between lovers, as not everyone fits into that category. Love can be celebrated between parent and child, between friends, cousins, or any relationship. Love is international and has no limits or boundaries. As long as someone is loved, they will feel that they belong.
Want to Read More?
