My Own Valentine Tradition

St. Valentine's Day is now a day for sweethearts. It is the day that you show your friend or loved one that you care. You can send candy to someone you think is special. Or you can send roses, the flower of love. Most people send 'Valentines", a greeting card named after the notes that St. Valentine wrote from jail. Valentines can be sentimental, romantic and heartfelt. They can be funny and friendly. If the sender is shy, valentines can be anonymous. Americans of all ages love to send and receive valentines. Handmade valentines are created by cutting hearts out of coloured paper. Valentines can be heart-shaped, or have hearts, the symbol of love, on them. In elementary schools, children make valentines for their classmates and put them in a large decorated box, similar to a mailbox.On February 14, the teachers open the box and distribute the valentines to each student. After the students read their valentines, they have a small party with refreshments.

My Oun Valentine Tradition is special, home-made Valentine's Day cards. You can get spectacular results using easy techniques. The easiest way to make a Valentine's Day card is to fold a sheet of paper in half and decorate it. Sound boring? Well, it doesn't have to be. There are several fun options for decorating Valentine's Day cards:
One of the simplest ways is to cut a variety of heart shapes out of paper and glue them to the front of the card. Make different designs, animals, people, etc.
1.Take the heart idea one step further! Instead of cutting heart shapes out of paper, cut them out of fabric, wallpaper samples, tissue paper, wrapping paper, or anything else you can think of. Outline your hearts using paint!
2.Recycle last year's cards! Cut around the shape on the card. Glue it to a piece of construction paper, and trim around the picture. Outline your hearts with a paint!
3.Use collage techniques. Cut pictures out of magazines and glue them to your card. Try to find a collection of pictures that will tell a story! Cut words out of magazines to use - great for a secret admirer!
4.Use stamping/printing techniques. You can get a wide variety of rubber stamps on the market today, along with custom ink pads.
5.Cut small squares and/or triangles out of different colored paper, wallpaper samples, fabric, etc. Glue them onto the front of your card to form a mosaic/quilt like picture.
6.Use stencils, either store-bought or home-made, to make nice pictures on the from of the card.
7.Use a coloring book page on the front of your card! You can cut one put of a coloring book you have, or choose from several online coloring pages to print.
Paint a design on your card! Use fingerpaint to make a personalized design. You can also use tempera or acrylic paint. While the paint is still wait, you might want to sprinkle a little bit of glitter on your card to add a special finishing touch.
Use your imagination to create fancy St. Valentine's Day cards for everyone you know.