Ideas for Rubber-Stamped Valentine's Cards

Handmade valentines add a touch of thoughtfulness to the holiday.

Create your own custom-made valentines by using rubber stamps, which can be found in arts and crafts stores. Stamps are made in a variety of patterns, symbols and drawings, so you're sure to find many valentine-themes, such as hearts, decorative scrolls, word stamps, lace and cupids. There are also a number of different types of ink to choose from to personalize the stamps even more.

Lace Valentine

Select one piece of white or cream-colored card stock. Use a lace-designed rubber stamp coated in pink, red or purple ink to create a lace pattern on the borders of the card. Wait until the ink has dried. Then place self-stick rhinestones within the lace border in a color that complements the hue you selected for the ink. Write a love note or poem in the center of the card.

Big Heart Valentine

Place a large heart-shaped rubber stamp coated in pink, red or purple ink in the center of a white or cream-colored card. Once the ink has dried, use a fine-tip red gel pen to draw tiny dots around the border of the heart to create a sense of depth. Write a note on the inside of the card to express your valentine sentiments.

Watercolor Valentine

Stamp a variety of valentine-themed images in black ink across the entire face of a white or cream-colored card. For example, make a full row of heart stamps, followed by a full row of cupid stamps, followed by a full row of "love" stamps. After the ink has dried, use watercolor paints to fill in the stamps to create a beautiful valentine-themed montage. Don't worry if some of the watercolor bleeds through the lines; when dry, the piece will have a soft, romantic look. Write a personal note inside the card.

Embossed Valentine

Use a large "love" stamp with an embossing ink to create a raised image on a light-colored card. When the ink has dried, use acrylic paints to create abstract wavy lines in red, pink and purple on the entire card, except for the embossed love stamp, which will remain white and outlined in the raised embossing ink. Add your personal valentine wishes inside the card.

References

• Paper Source: Rubber Stamps
• Clearly Rubber Stamping: Valentine's Themes