How to Make a Valentine's Day Card

Making your own Valentine's Day card is one of the most simple crafts you can make. But it need not look simple. And because Valentine's Day is well-known for being a holiday when people exchange cards, it is certainly a useful craft. By following these tips and suggestions, you will be able to make your own Valentine's Day cards to exchange with loved ones.

The first step is to decide what type of Valentine's Day card you want to make. Several things must factor into this decision, including who it is from, who it is for, and the overall appearance. For example, if it is being sent from a child, the style will be different than if it is being sent from an adult. Also, when choosing the style for the card, keep in mind what you want to accomplish. A card that says "I love you" will be very different in style from one that says "You are my best friend." Once you know what style you wish to use, pick colors and materials that fit within this theme. Also, feel free to skip over any of the suggestions or steps below that do not work with the style of your card.

First, choose papers that you think will work well for your style Valentine's Day card. Vellum is a transparent type of paper that can have flowers or confetti embedded into it. The ones that do not have flowers in the paper are often used in very high quality cards. It is considered an extremely fine quality paper to use. There are also handmade papers. These often use the imperfections of the paper as part of its beauty. There are certain handmade papers that you can buy that contain seeds. If you decide to use one of these, you can tell the recipient that they can plant the note to grow wildflowers. Other papers are standard weight, but they have a design on one side. All of these papers can be purchased at a paper specialty store, or a local craft store. For a nicely finished card, you should layer the papers. Have the outside made from a handmade paper or one with a print. The inside, where the message on the card will appear, should be made from Vellum. Or you can change this to have the Vellum on the outside and the heavier paper on the inside. One other idea is to use a paper that has a printed side. Fold this in half, and then in half again, so that the printed design appears on the inside and the outside of the card.

Once you have chosen your paper, you will need to fold it. Cut it to an appropriate size, so that when you fold it, it will make a normal size Valentine's Day card. If you are using one paper inside another, you may decide to make one a different size than the other. Fold them both in half and make sure that one fits inside of the other.

Now it is time to find things to decorate it. One idea is to use specialty scissors, which will cut a unique design along the edge. Another way to do something similar, but a little bit different, is to use a special hole punch that cuts a design. Use a small one all along the edge of the card on the side that will open. You can also emboss the card. You can do this by putting an ink stamp on the card, and then sprinkling embossing powder on it before the ink dries. Heat it with a hair dryer on its hottest setting, and the powder will cause that part of the design to rise. You may want to experiment before doing this on the final version of your card. Embossing works best on thinner papers. You should also feel free to decorate your card with glitter, rhinestones, or other things you can find at a craft store.

If you have used several papers to make this card, you will need to bind them. There are two ways to do this that are very similar. First, use a hole punch to make several holes and tie ribbons through the hole. Second, use your decorative hole punch to make a line of holes along the folded edge, that have a little space between them. Thread a ribbon through the holes and leave enough space to bring them back to the middle, and tie them in a knot.

These tips are merely suggestions, and there are many ways to expand on each of these ideas. No matter which ones you use, this is a simple Valentine's Day craft that you can make in a very short amount of time. And finally, there are three easy ways to finish your Valentine's Day card. Search at a craft store for romantic sayings printed on vellum, find a romantic poem and print it out on pretty paper, or handprint a poem directly on the paper. Make sure not to place the poem or writing too close to the folded edge, because the words will be difficult to read. These will provide a professional, finished look to complete your Valentine's Day card.