Simple DIY Valentine’s Day Cards For Your Loved Ones

If you want to learn how to make simple DIY Valentine’s Day cards for your loved ones, then I have the perfect project for you.  Today, I will show you how to make homemade Valentines using basic supplies. 

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Back Story

I love receiving a handmade card!  The only thing better than receiving a handmade card is creating them.   Handmade Valentine cards convey true thought and care when given to your loved ones.  They are also a fun way to celebrate the holiday with your best friends and/or girl friends – since you can hand out “Galentine cards”.   In this Valentine’s day craft, we are making homemade cards using a very simple technique.  These simple DIY Valentines can be created in about an hour and can be kept for years to come. They are the perfect way to celebrate this time of year. 

Simple DIY Valentines

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​Supplies

The first thing we need to do is gather our supplies.  Most of these supplies can be purchased at your local big box craft store.  However, where possible, I have provided links to online sources. Below is a list of supplies needed for this project. 

• 4 x 6 inch watercolor paper white cardstock- note it’s important to specifically use watercolor paper.
• Acrylic craft paints in colors of your choice
• Cardboard tube from a paper towel roll or a toilet paper roll
• Craft paint brushes 
• Hole punch
• Ribbon 
• Glass with water for your paint brush
• Paper towels

Once you have gathered your supplies, cover your work surface to protect it from paint. 

​Create Heart Shape

Using the cardboard tube, bend it into the shape of a heart.  It might take a few minutes to get the cardboard into the shape you want so take your time.  This heart shaped cardboard tube will act as your “stamp”. A quick TIP – I made 3 heart stamps from cardboard tubes so if I didn’t like the shape of one there were others I could use.
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​Create Valentine Cards

Squeeze a quarter size amount of each paint color onto a flat plate.  (I used butter pats but a small plate would work just as well) You can use any array of colors you choose.  For this project, I used a variety of pink colors.  Dip the end of your cardboard heart into some paint.  Then stamp the design onto the watercolor paper.   The watercolor paper acts as a blank card for these simple DIY Valentines.  

​Here is a TIP – if your heart absorbs too much paint, simply press it onto a paper towel.  This will help to remove the excess paint before you apply the heart stamp to your watercolor paper. 

Dip your paint brush into some water and then pull the color from the edge of the heart into the center of the heart.  Gently fill in your hearts using this technique.  The photo below shows this technique.  No additional paint was used to fill in the hearts.  I only used the existing paint from the edge of the heart stamped onto the watercolor cardstock. Repeat this process for each stamped heart.  

Here is another quick TIP – I found it was best to use 3 to 4 different colors of paint.  Occasionally, I would dip the heart into one color of paint dab it on a paper towel to remove exccess paint and then dip it into another color of paint.  This created an almost ombre effect when the heart was painted. 

Create as many of these simple DIY Valentines as your desire.  It took me an hour to make 6 cards.

Hole Punch and Ribbon

The final step is to punch a hole, either at the top or on a corner, and add some ribbon.   Use the back of the card to write your sentiments. The watercolor paper linked above has a “To and From” printed on the back. I wish I had known about the pre-printed watercolor paper before making these cards, I would have used it.

Here are some additional ideas to embellish your cards:

• Add a little glitter to the painted hearts
• Adorn your cards with buttons 
• Apply heart stickers to the back of the cards
• Use a gold or silver paint pen to further adorn your hearts

Below are some photos of the final product.  These sweet little cards a fun to give to a family member, a loved one, and friends.  When giving these cards to people, you could include a small bag of traditional conversation hearts or other small gift. 

Other Easy Valentine Ideas

​Here are some other ideas for Valentine’s Day.  

• These DIY paper hearts were turned into a garland.  With some double-sided tape, they could be attached to white cardstock and then used as a Valentines card.
• These Cupid Arrows are easy to make and a fun way to adorn a gift.
• 3-Dimensional paper hearts are easy to create if you have a hot glue gun. You can also make these hearts with pink paper and/or red paper.
• This easy Valentine’s day wreath was something I made last year.

In Closing

Thank you for stopping by the blog today.  I had so much fun making these sweet little cards and I hope you do too.  Handmade Valentine cards are a meaningful and yet simple way to show you care for someone.  There is no better way to say Happy Valentines Day!