Letters by Lydia: Valentine’s Day <3

Hey y’all! Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I thought it’d be fun to give some ideas for anyone looking to make valentines for their loved ones.  I know a lot of people don’t like Valentine’s day because it can be really tough when you’re single, but I’ve always loved it because I have so much fun making cute little valentine’s for all my friends!  It’s like a crafter’s dream holiday, getting to sit down with washi tape, fun paper, stickers, pens, and make cards for the people you love.

Anyway, here are some different styles for lettering I thought fit the Valentine’s aesthetic:

A fun ribbon font always looks good, and you can’t go wrong with doing conversation hearts! For the last one, I just thought it’d be cute to do something a little more structured but still fun and with lots of red and pink.  I’m always happy to do tutorials on different types of lettering like this too, if anyone is ever interested 🙂

As for general guidelines for making Valentine’s cards, I honestly feel like you can never overdo it.  I love to go all out with glitter, lace, bright colors, stickers, etc.  Even if you don’t want to go that route, basics like pastels, hearts, red and pink, and all that cute stuff never fails.  I also love doing puns (Love you a waffle lot, olive you, etc etc), cute little drawings, and inside jokes because that makes the cards more personal and heartfelt.  As for little drawings and extra things to add, you can always do candy, hearts, bows, flowers, roses, and literally anything you think the recipient would like 🙂 Here’s a few little doodles I came up with:

I hope this made you excited to make some cards for your loved ones if you’re so inclined! Either way, have a great week and enjoy your Valentine’s Day next week! <3

Art Biz with Liz: Valentine’s Day Cards

Hello, Arts, Ink. readers! Last week, my blog post featured step-by-step instructions for making paper hearts. With just a few days left before Valentine’s Day, this week’s post will continue with the heart theme.

With its increasingly high expectations and commercialized pressures, Valentine’s Day sometimes gets a bad rap; however, the tradition of writing “valentines” as a means of showing/encouraging love is a (mostly) untainted practice that I’m fond off. Card making, the craft of hand-making greeting cards, is also a pastime I enjoy. Birthday cards, “thinking of you” cards, you name it. Below are various paper hearts and cards that I’ve made this past week for my housemates, friends, and family members.

While these were made for Valentine’s Day, expressions of love are not reserved for holidays. If you have enough time, consider making your own card for a loved one. I don’t have an extensive collection of art supplies with me here in Ann Arbor, but it’s possible to make remarkable creations with just construction paper and stick glue. Some tips? Feel free to reuse leftover paper scraps and various shapes, which are great for playing around with different designs!