Making Homemade Vintage Valentines

Giving valentines has become a February tradition for school children. What started as romantic letters between couples has become a trip to the store to pick out printed cards with cartoon character themes. Signing and addressing pre-made valentines for fellow students has less significance than the heart-shaped cookies at the class valentine party.

You can make homemade, hand crafted valentines just like great-great-grandma used to get that will be a fun craft project for the whole family.

Why Do We Send Valentines?

Valentine’s Day has its roots in vague stories and legends from Ancient Roman times, when it is said that a Christian priest named Valentine defied a Roman decreed ban on marriage so that young men could serve in the Roman army. Valentine was arrested for performing secret wedding ceremonies and while imprisoned became friends with his jailer’s daughter. His letters to her ended, “From Your Valentine,” a phrase still used in valentines today.

February 14th was declared Valentine’s Day in the 5th century and became a time to celebrate courtship, matchmaking and marriage. The holiday was often marked by lovers exchanging notes and letters pledging their devotion.

By the 1700s, Americans began exchanging hand-made valentines and in the 1840s the first mass produced valentines were available.

To Make Vintage Valentines

Valentines from the past were ornate, feminine, and lavish, often with detailed drawings of cupid, roses, doves, and lace in subdued shades of red and pink.

To make your own vintage valentines, choose quality supplies. Use good quality craft paper and a good paper craft glue, like rubber cement or Zip Dry.

Some Supplies to Buy

• Solid color paper and card stock in shades of red, pink, burgundy, white, cream, and lavender, with accent colors in whatever you wish.
• Patterned paper sheets, found in the scrapbooking department. Look for paper with old-fashioned patterns and designed, with an “aged” look.
• Lace, from the fabric and sewing department.
• Rickrack and other trim from the fabric and sewing department.
• Paper doilies.
• Adhesive letters.
• Rubber stamps, die cut shapes, clip art, and illustrations of your choosing.

Accordion Style Folded Valentine

Fold a sheet of red paper 17-by-5½ inches into fourths, accordion style. You’ll have a cover and four inside pages to your valentine. Decorate the cover to your choosing and write a message that starts on the first inside page and continues to the last.

You may also want to make heart-shaped holes, using a heart die-cutter, in all but the last sheet. On the last sheet attach a heart shaped button or other three-dimensional decoration that can be seen through the front. Decorate the inside heart pages as you wish.　

Cupid Valentine

Cut into quarters an 8½-by-11-inch sheet of pink card stock, leaving four rectangles, 4½-by-5½ inches each. Punch two holes at the top and thread a piece of ribbon, tying a bow in the front. Glue a die-cut or clip art drawing of cupid in the center and decorate the edges to your choosing, using lace, contrasting ribbon or other trim. Sign the back.　

Other Ideas for Decorating Vintage Valentines

• If you’re using lace trim, glue a tiny white pearl bead in the center of some of the holes in the lace. Follow the pattern of the lace and place the bead in a repeating pattern for a uniform look.
• Burn the edges of off-white paper by carefully holding the paper edge over a candle flame and blowing out the flame as soon as it catches the paper. Mount the burned-edge paper onto the front of a card stock rectangle, leaving an edge to frame it.