It is true about lots of things – but it is especially true about greeting cards. You can make your own very easily and as always – I recommend involving your children or grandchildren to do this. You may not be thinking about it now, but believe me, you will be creating precious memories. I have cards that I saved for the last – well, almost 30 years – cards that my boys made in grade school-  and looking at them always puts a smile on my face. Those scribbled messages came from their hearts and more time passes, the more they meaningful these message become.. So – don’t miss the opportunity to make cards every chance you get – and since we are talking about Valentines day here, we are talking about love and friendship and all the good things that go with it – perfect chance to let the creativity fly!

Here are a few cards I like – they are very easy to make and I hope you will enjoy the task!

Thumbprint Card

What You Will Need:

• ½ sheet of pink construction paper
• Red acrylic paint
• White paint pen, white paint, or tiny wiggle eyes
• Black fine point marker

Directions:

1. Fold the half sheet of construction paper in half and crease to create your card.
2. Dip thumb in red paint and press onto card at a slight angle to the right. Repeat on the left, lining up the bottom of your thumb with the bottom of the first thumb print. This should create a heart shape. Let the thumbprint dry.
3. Use a black marker to write a Valentine greeting on the front of the card.
4. Add arms and legs with the black marker. Use a white paint pen to dot on two eyes. 
5. When white is dry, add two black dots to the two whites with black marker.
6. Write a message inside the card.

Tips:

1. If you don’t have a white paint pen, you can dot on white paint with a toothpick or the handle end of a small paint brush. 
2. Instead of construction paper, you can use colourful card stock for this project.
3. Construction paper provides hours of fun and stimulates your child’s imagination!

Lots of Hugs

What You Will Need:

• Green cardstock cut to 5 ½” x 8 1/2”
• Patterned paper cut to 5” x 4”
• Pale purple cardstock
• Adhesive, such as double-sided sticky tape, glue stick, liquid glue or mini glue dots
• Scissors
• Several pieces of pink and purple cardstock, about 3” x 4”
• Heart stamps and ink, or stickers
• Spiral paperclip

Directions:

1. Fold green cardstock in half.
2. Glue patterned paper to green cardstock.
3. Stamp, write or print “(((hugs)))”on the pale purple cardstock. Cut out and glue to the patterned paper.
4. Write your Valentine message inside the card.
5. Write personalized “hug IOUs” on the 3” x 4” pieces of cardstock. Decorate with stamps or stickers. Use the paperclip to hold them inside the card.

Tips:

• Have some fun with other emoticons, such as (kiss, kiss) or :-{} (blowing a kiss). Or, put the recipient’s name inside the hug brackets.
• Use some of the patterned paper from the outside of the card on the IOUs.
• Spiral paperclips add a special touch and are available in a variety of colors at craft stores in packages of 20 or 50.
• If you don’t want to use a paperclip, glue a piece of paper inside the card to act as a pocket.

Love You Lollipop

What You Will Need:

• Pink coloured glitter glue
• White cardstock
• 1 wooden skewer
• Coloured strips of ribbon (2) 1/4″ and (1) 1/8″ wide
• Large plastic clear crystals
• Pencil
• Glue gun
• Heart-shaped polystyrene/craft foam
• White glue
• Scissors

Directions:

Card Template

1. Fold white cardstock in half.
2. Trace polystyrene heart onto cardstock.
3. Cut out heart leaving a fold line at top of card. Make sure the card heart shape is small enough to fit nicely on the front of the polystyrene heart.

Step 2:  Making the Heart

1. Glue heart card to front of heart-shaped polystyrene using white glue.
2. Cover the front and sides of heart shaped styrofoam with pink glitter glue.
3. Dip styrofoam heart in a bowl of plastic clear crystals. Let it dry.
4. Cover back of card with pink glitter glue.
5. Dip again in clear plastic crystals. Let it dry.

Step 3: Lollipop Stick

1. Twist and glue one piece of 1/4″x10″ coloured ribbon around stick.
2. Twist and glue a second piece of 1/8″x10″ coloured ribbon around stick.
3. Trim off excess ribbon.
4. Pierce tip of skewer into bottom end of polystyrene heart.
5. Glue a piece of 1/4″x 7″ribbon end to inside front bottom card.
6. Glue a piece 1/8″ x 7″ ribbon end to the back inside bottom card.
7. Tie both ribbons together.
8. Cut a piece of 1/4″x 15″ ribbon.
9. Tie a bow around the base of heart. 

Scroll Surprise

What You Will Need:

• 3/8″ x 7′’wooden dowel
• Two 3/8″ wooden caps
• 1/4″x 40″ ribbon
• 3-D fabric paint
• Green paper
• Two medium-sized beads
• Two small-sized pearl beads
• Design paper
• Wood glue
• Scissors
• Glue gun
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Heart-shaped paper hole puncher
• Watered-down glue

Directions:

Step 1: Cutouts

1. Cut out 6″ x 11″ rectangle with design paper.
2. Cut the ¼” sized ribbon in half–making two pieces of 20″ ribbon.
3. Cut out 16 hearts using heart paper hole puncher or cut by hand.
4. Cut a 7″ dowel.

Step 2 : Scroll/Ribbon

1. Place a small amount of glue in the hole of each cap.
2. Place a cap on each ends of dowel.
3. Glue one ribbon end to each end of the dowel.
4. Glue one 6″ side of the 6″x 11″ rectangle along dowel. Wait until glue sets.
5. Wrap paper around dowel. Use a little glue to keep paper in place. Wrap the loose ribbons around the covered dowel and tie the ribbons together with a bow in the middle.

Step 3: Designing Caps

1. Glue medium-sized beads on each end of scroll.
2. Glue small-sized pearls on top of medium beads (let it dry).
3. Apply small dots around end caps using 3-D fabric paint (let it dry).
4. Glue green heart cutouts on caps using watered down glue.

Key To My Heart

What You Will Need:

• Design cardstock
• 1/4″ x 20″ cream-colored ribbon
• Antique key
• Medium-sized pearl
• 6 small rhinestones
• Gold thread
• Glue gun
• Hole puncher
• Velvet fabric
• Fabric filler
• Cardboard
• Watered down glue
• Small paint brush

Directions:

Step 1:   Card Template

1. Cut out two  5″ x 7″ rectangles with design cardstock.
2. Cut out a 2 ½” heart from cardboard.
3. Cut out 3 ½” heart from fabric.

Step 2:  Heart pillow

1. Wrap heart-shaped fabric around cardboard heart.
2. Glue fabric to back of cardboard heart with glue gun.
3. Leave 1 ½” on one side of heart unglued.
4. Stuff heart with small amount of fabric filler.
5. Glue open seam on back of heart closed.
6. Tie a small bow with 1/4″ ribbon.
7. Glue bow to top of heart with glue gun.
8. Glue medium sized pearl below the center of the bow with glue gun.

Step 3:  Key

1. Tie gold thread to the key. Cut thread.
2. Glue the free end of the gold thread on the backside of the padded heart.

Step 4:  Card

1. Place the 5″ x 7″ rectangles of cardstock together to make the card. Make sure the design side is visable on both sides. 
2. Punch (7) even-spaced holes along left edge of card with hole puncher.
3. Lace 1/4″ ribbon through each hole from top to bottom and back to top
4. Glue ribbon ends on inside of card at top.
5. Glue padded heart on front center at 1 ½” from top of card with glue gun.
6. Glue rhinestones to the front of card with watered down glue

Butterfly Kisses

What You Will Need:

• White cardstock cut to 5 ½” x 8 1/2”
• Scraps of patterned pink paper
• Scrap of patterned brown paper
• Pink cardstock
• Black or brown fine-tip marker
• Adhesive such as double-sided sticky tape, glue stick, liquid glue or mini glue dots
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Fold white cardstock in half.
2. Use your scissors to freehand cut two teardrop-shaped pieces, about 2 inches long, from the pink patterned paper. These are the top wings of the butterfly.
3. Use your scissors to freehand cut two more teardrop-shaped pieces, about 1.5 inches long, from the pink patterned paper. These are the bottom wings of the butterfly.
4. Use your scissors to freehand cut a strip of brown patterned paper, about 2 ¼ inches long. Round one end and make the other end pointed. This is the body of your butterfly.
5. Glue the teardrop pieces to the white cardstock, pointy side to the middle. Glue the body over top of the wings.
6. Use the fine-tip marker to draw curly antennae.
7. Stamp, write or print off “Sending you butterfly kisses on Valentine’s Day!” on the pink cardstock. Cut out and glue to the white cardstock on an angle.

Tips:

• Chose white cardstock with a bit of fleck pattern to it—it’s more interesting than plain white cardstock.
• Keep an eye out for different sources of paper and cardstock. For example, the patterned paper of the butterfly is actually from a magazine ad (printed on a card like a magazine subscription card) that shows the new tweed patterns of a widely available pair of canvas tennis shoes.
• Thinner cardstock (which is also less expensive) tends to work better in home printers. Look for it at office supply stores.
• To give the feeling of a fluttering butterfly, choose a font that has the letters following a wave pattern, rather than a straight line.

I hope you have lots of fun making these cards and please send in your comments. suggestions and experiences – your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated