Vintage Valentine Cards
Remember Valentine’s Day of old? Rounding up all of your doilies, paper and glue to spend a winter afternoon making Valentine’s Day cards and then choosing the perfect ones for each person before enclosing them in their own tiny envelopes. All those fun, pretty Valentine’s with various flips and folds.
It was these memories that inspired me to design some little Valentine cards of my own which I will tuck in letters and cards this winter season.
They are a breeze to make and a great way to use up those leftover strips from 12×12 sheets. I made mine the size of my tag punch, 2.5″ wide and various lengths. You don’t need a tag punch, just cut an arrow shape or other tag shape at one end to enable tucking in to your slit. Card stock is not necessary and it folds better if your paper is not as thick as you would choose for making a tag for inside a journal.
I glued papers back to back carefully choosing a design for each side and ensuring that my text was readable. These can be made in dozens of ways; a triple gate fold, horizontal or vertical. You can also put pockets or glue little envelopes on the inside for a secret Valentine message or surprise.
After I folded my tag, I made two little dots on the inside corner of each of the sides of my rounded edge tag end and this is where made my slit by cutting from dot to dot with an exacto knife using a steel ruler to keep my cut straight. This was my guide to ensure I had enough paper for tucking one edge inside the slit to keep the card closed.
After assembly I just embellished each card by edging with a gold gel pen and choosing text, lace, flowers and jewels. I also used decorative scissors to cut the other edge of the card.
These designs inspired me to think of new ways to use my tag punch and all of that leftover paper that quickly gathers.
I hope you’ll enjoy this nostalgic little paper project and that it will make your winter days pass quickly as we await the new spring.
Do something beautiful.
