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7 Tips and Tricks to Making a Successful Handmade Valentine’s Day Card

by viralbandit February 3, 2020, 9:50 pm 1.1k Views

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Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, which for some means it’s time to find the perfect chocolates, flowers, and gift for that special someone. And for others, it means it’s time to doll out the art supplies and begin crafting a heartfelt card for their sweetheart.

With the vast selection of unique and whimsical cards available to buy, it may seem intimidating to try making your own. However, you could create something extra meaningful by making it with your own hands. Certainly, recipients will notice the tender effort that go into making a handmade card. So, for those who haven’t made a card before, or who need a bit of a refresher, we have compiled a short guide of tips and tricks to making a successful Valentine’s Day card.

These 7 tips will help you make your own handmade Valentine’s Day card.

Stock Photos from Duet PandG/Shutterstock

Find your inspiration

Before you start shopping for art supplies, it’s best to have at least a general idea of what you’re making. Good places to look are Pinterest, Instagram, and local stationary stores. Consider writing down things you like about favorite cards—including color, caption, design–that you would like to emulate in your own style.

Pick out a variety of cardstock

Stock Photos from Kamira/Shutterstock

Shades of pink and red are the classic go-to colors for making a Valentine’s Day card. However, since you’re already shopping for new paper, consider purchasing specialty paper as well. Placing printed patterns like stars, flowers, and yes, hearts on the inside of your card will pleasantly surprise your sweetheart.

Cut a perfect heart

There are many ways to achieving a “perfect” heart for your card. Here are a few:

Sketch a freehand heart design on the reverse side of your chosen cardstock. Then, cut out with a precision knife or scissors.
Fold the paper in half and draw half of the heart towards the folded edge of the paper. Then, cut with a precision knife or scissors along the pencil line. Simply unfold the paper to reveal an even heart.
Trace over a printed heart design using natural light or a lightbox.
Use a heart-shaped stencil to transfer the design on paper and cut out.
Use a heart-shaped hole punch

Stock Photos from cosma/Shutterstock

Include a funny pun

Although you can never go wrong with classic Valentine’s phrases like “Be Mine,” thinking of a punny caption is a fun way to bring a little whimsy into your card. To do this, you can brainstorm inside jokes you share with the recipient or find outside inspiration on the internet. A good pun will also help you decide on the design of your card.

Use specialty craft scissors

Stock Photos from Africa Studio/Shutterstock

To easily incorporate detail into your paper cutting you can use special craft scissors. These creative tools are available in a range of designs like wave, zig-zag, cloud, Victorian, and more. You can use these designs to add unique decorative borders to your card.

Layer your card

Layering can quickly amplify a simple design card. To do this, simply choose a variety of paper—for instance, red, pink, and cream—and find ways to place them together. An example can be cutting one heart on red paper and cutting a larger heart on pink paper and an even larger heart on cream. Then, glue them down on the card together, making for a more elaborate motif.

Add drawn images

If you don’t feel so confident with scissors, then consider decorating a card with some hand-drawn images. Sketches of flower bouquets or pretty songbirds can add extra romance to your card without the mess of glue sticks.

Stock Photos from Syda Productions/Shutterstock

Round the corners of your card

An easy way to make any handmade card look more polished is to round the corners of the card. To do this, simply find a quarter (or other coin) and place your folded card onto a cutting mat. Put the quarter in the corner of the card and carefully cut around it using a precision knife. Then do the same in the other corner.