Valentine's Day Card DIYs for the Design Inclined

Unique ideas to make for people you love for the cheesiest holiday out there

Guys, I have a real soft spot for Valentine’s Day if you can’t tell. It’s not something I actually celebrate at all but the whole theme of the ordeal is fun to me, and I do love a good Valentines day card. I’m making my husband a tunnel card, which I shared some inspiration from in my last post. But as always I have a lot of other thoughts bouncing around in my head that I want to share with you all. So, please enjoy. And if you make any, I (always) want to see pictures!

Victorian Cobwebs

For lack of a better word, enchanting. I think these are so delicate and lovely, and although these historical references are highly intricate, creating the technique doesn’t look quite so bad (or at least can be simplified). I haven’t found any downloadable templates, but I did find this tutorial which I found to be helpful for the technique, although the imagery itself isn’t all that refined. I’d scour The Public Image Archive for some cool imagery if I was attempting this myself.

1840. Courtesty of the Met

The Huntington Library Collection

Marked E. Green, 17 April 1817

Paper Cut (Scherenschnitte)

I’ve been obsessed with these part snowflake, part folk art decorations for a few months now and they’re absolutely perfect for Valentines. I love this antique reference with a poem inscribed for any of our writers out there. The actual german name for this form of artistic paper cutting is Scherenschnitte - there are plenty of great free patterns if you search using that term (although fun to draw yourself, too)

Blanche L Turner

Laura Graham

Adrienne Slane

Back Street Designs

Spicy Cyanotype

Maybe this is more of a gift, because to make it valentine card sized you’d have to scan it, shrink it, and print it. But that is also perfectly achievable. I desperately want a bride to do this in place of a boudoir photo shoot to surprise their partner to be the morning of their wedding - a beautiful way to memorialize the expensive lingerie that may never be worn again. I’ve seen a handful of tutorials on these - here’s one by the Denver Art Museum and a clever one from one of my favorite creators, Justin Miller. Pick up this set and you’ll be able to make plenty of different prints.

Unkown

Modern collage

I’m simply a sucker for a good collage and I think it’s a surefire way to elevate a sentimental photo that maybe isn’t quite the “look” you’re going for. black and white, cut out, hidden love letter on the inside, maybe it peeks out a little? So many photos to chop up, so little time.

Chantal Jahchan

Dan Estabrook

Unkown

Mackenzie Reynolds

Unkown

Heart in Hand

Fokly, victorian… I’m becoming predictable, I’ll admit. Here’s more. These are great, so playful and an easy way to use up random paper scraps you might have lying around if you’re literally anything like me at all.

Antique

Last Chance Textiles

A Swan Box

I’ve seen so many iterations of Ann Wood’s delightful articulated horses, specifically Rachel Spencer’s horse tree over christmas really caught my eye. Which got me wondering about any of Ann’s other patterns and I think that this swan ornament is absolutely perfect for this occasion, I love her.

Ann Wood Handmade

Or, a Card Box

Stamp Owl

Not a card in the traditional sense, but you could put a little chocolate in there or a love note or something and call it a day. I say it stands! Here are some video tutorials, too. The little a frames are particularly sweet.

Knock, knock.

Your front door! But miniature! Particularly good if you and your love have moved into a new place together recently-ish. This would be easy to create in cardstock, or the below tutorial by model maker and CSM lecturer David Neat uses stencil card, of which I know nothing but he seems trustworthy. Paste to the front of a card or turn it into a little book. Sweet and sentimental and great to display as a special memento.

Unkown!

David Neat

For Your Littlest Valentine

The mom in me needs to throw in something for our littles, so here’s my suggestion of the year. I can’t get over how adorable these painted animals are - I might have to save this one for later (as my little one is still in the everything goes in his mouth stage, so paint is not our friend) but I think this would brighten anyones day, little or big.

Handmade Charlotte

I’ll close out with the card that I made Cam last year, which I still think is quite cute (and you should also totally copy if you’re so inclined)

Happy making and wishing you a season of loooooovvvveeeee

xNaomi