Valentines Day Cards

Valentine's Day cards and greetings are not a product of Hallmark and the other card companies. The tradition of sending Valentines stretches far back into the 1400s. In fact, the oldest Valentine known to exist is located in the British Museum and dates back to that time period.

The paper Valentine's Day card as it is known today began its popularity in the 1800s when they were assembled in factories and sold in to consumers. These cards started out black and white and were hand painted by the workers in the factories. When paper lace was introduces around 1850 cards became more elaborate with lace, ribbon, and other embellishments. Most of the work was still done by hand. It was during this time period that Esther Howland, an American artist and print-maker, began to sell Valentines in the United States.

During the late 1800s machinery was more available and by the turn of the century   Valentines were made entirely by machines and became more affordable and therefore more popular.

Some Examples of Antique and Vintage Valentine's Day Cards

Mechanical Embossed Card from early 20^th Century

German made Card from late 1800s 

Vintage Valentines 

Vintage Valentine Museum 

3-D Valentines http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/exhibits/valentine/3dcards/

Some of the most memorable and beautiful cards are those that were lovingly handmade for their recipients. Made with paper doilies, construction paper, glitter, and glue these cards are unique. If you wish to make your own card you have a plethora of choices available to you. Some of the possibilities are:

• Printable
• Stamping
• Construction paper and embellishments
• Stickers and decals
• Combinations of the above
• Design a card with a computer program

You can but cardstock in most office supply and hobby stores to use as a base for your card. Find a romantic quote or poem and use a calligraphy font to print the sentiment on the card. Here are some sites with romantic quotes to give you a head start.

Romantic Lyrics

Quote Garden 

Best Quotes 

There are many ideas for crafting homemade cards on the Internet. Choose one that appeals to you and is commensurate with your experience. For best results read through the instructions a couple of times to make sure that you understand them completely.

Make a list of the supplies you will need and purchase them. Double check to make sure that you have everything required to complete the card before you begin your project.

Some sites with cute, homemade card ideas are:

Valentine's Day Countdown Calendar 

Martha Stewart 

Homemade Kids Cards

Homemade Valentines 

Activity Village

Choosing from one of the millions of commercially available cards on Valentine's Day can be a bit like trying to decide which chocolate to have at a candy shop.

Should you choose something funny? Romantic? Sexy? Sweet? The choice is entirely up to you but you should keep the recipient in mind when choosing. For example, if you really care about someone but they are still in the "Let's just be friends" stage you may want to send something terribly romantic when the better choice might be something light and comic.

If you are in a relationship, especially a long term one and you and your partner have begun to take each other for granted then a comic card might be the final nail in the coffin. Better, in that case to try to reignite the flames of passion with something unexpectedly romantic or sexy.

There are also a variety of children's Valentines with illustrations of super-heroes, dinosaurs, and cartoons of interest to children. These often come in a box of 25 or more and are intended for school parties.

Most cards will be available at your local store but you should plan on buying it early. If you wait until a few days before the big day the cards will all be picked over and the selection will not be very good. Alternately you can find unique Valentine's Day cards on the Internet. Here are some possible sites:

Etsy has a great selection of unique, handcrafted cards.

Greeting Card Universe

Invitiation Box

Have Fun and Remember the Reason

Valentine's Day gifts and cards are a fun way to show someone that they are special to you. Don’t let it stop on Valentine's Day, however. Remember that life is short, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. Tell people how you feel as often as you can.