Handmade Valentine's Day Cards

This homemade card gets creative with scratch-off date ideas for Valentine's Day. Get the card template, available below, and type in your date-night choices. Find out how to make your own scratch-off material in a few simple steps, too.

Your love will stand out with this valentine. Simply punch hearts from patterned scrapbook paper and arrange the hearts on a folded piece of pink cardstock. Cut the letters from teal cardstock and adhere them with adhesive foam.

Find a love quote that your valentine will appreciate and add it to your card for a quick do-it-yourself greeting. Using a word-processing program, fill a text box with color and type your quote, varying the size and color of the type. Print the quote on cardstock and accent the quote with a punched heart.

Tell your valentine that you have the hots for them with this clever candy card. Attach a square of notebook paper to the middle of a square card. Cut the words "you're" and "hot" from a magazine or newspaper page and glue to a circle punched from white paper; attach to the notebook paper. Place eight or nine hot cinnamon candy pieces on the notebook paper square and lay a thin plastic sheet over the top, using red embroidery thread to attach it to the card and hold in the candy.

A clear pocket makes your love easy to display in this Valentine's Day card. To make, cut a plastic slide holder into pieces and attach a strip of pockets to the front of a card. Fill the pockets with punched hearts and stickers, and add a clever title (we used "It's clear to see how much I love you.") that plays off the transparent look.

Using a circle cutter, cut colorful mod shapes from patterned paper and adhere to a blank vertical card. Punch a circle shape from a separate color and add letter stickers to spell out "Be Mine." Add letter stickers to spell out "will you?" at the bottom corner of the card.

To create a round card, fold a piece of cardstock in half and partially cut a circle. Emboss a large heart to add texture, then layer two cute birds on top. For the banner, simply stamp letters onto a scrap of white cardstock. The grass is trimmed patterned paper.

Create this grid pattern using strips of card stock adhered to the front of pink card stock. Apply rub-on letters in seven squares and a message tag to the corner square to finish.

A stamped bike serves as the centerpiece of this card -- fun punches and doodles add pizzazz. Print out a fitting note to go along with the image and send along to your valentine.

Attach a handwritten library card inside a library-card pocket (both supplies available at scrapbooking stores) atop patterned paper to get your flirty point across in an unexpected way. Adorn with stickers and ribbon. Stamp hearts on cardstock rectangles, then mount to the side.

Stamp a green and a red heart; trim. Use adhesive foam to attach the hearts to a layered card. Slip ribbon under the green heart, tie into a bow, and add a short message stamped onto a tag.

Cut and score a white card-stock base as shown in the downloadable pattern. Then embellish the heart with your favorite decorative papers. A lovely ribbon ties it all together.

A tiny stamped phrase and cute-as-can-be punched hearts make quick work of Valentine's cards. Make a matching envelope with a quick stitched heart and some decorative trim.

The inside of this card reveals a clothesline holding patterned-paper hearts, a perfect way to drop a line to someone you love. To make it simple, purchase a 1- or 2-inch heart-shape punch from a crafts store along with miniature clothespins, string, and patterned paper. Punch a small hole near the edges of the card and weave the string through. Secure the string at the back with a heart-shape sticker.

A few alternating layers of coordinating fabric and patterned paper adhered to the front of a folded card-stock valentine create depth and texture in a few quick steps. A ribbon-and-charm centerpiece makes the perfect focal point.

Use patterned paper to wrap a fun-size candy bar. Finish off your robot by adding a head, arms, and legs with cardstock. Use buttons, punches, and googly eyes to make the robot yours.

Print a sweet message on metal-rim tags. Connect the tags to the banner by stringing baker's twine through buttons and adhering the buttons to the tags. Attach to a layered card.

This sweet card is all about the heart. Layer shapes onto the front of your card, cutting a heart from one of them. Back the heart cutout with patterned paper. Add script paper and a bow to finish the design.

Start crafting this intricate card by attaching patterned paper and vellum to the card's front with mini brads. Wrap ribbon around the front panel, then secure matted letters with adhesive dots. Paper flowers finish the look. Cover the ribbon ends on the inside of the card with pink card stock.

Die-cut a heart base from polka-dot paper, then add a sparkly heart shape to the center. Attach a message cut from a sticker and a tag stamped with a love note hung from a button.

Celebrate true love by making a beautiful blue card for your valentine. Ribbon and a heart charm make the card extra special.

Add strips of black to a folded card-stock base, then attach flower-shape tags with decorative brads and ribbon. Tack on a metal sentiment charm for an extra-special message.

Tack a small embellished tag to the bottom of a card covered in patterned green paper. Strips of coordinating prints line the bottom and sides.

Hand-cut a heart-shape window in the front of your card, using a die cut or wingbat font template if you prefer. Back it with printed transparency (handmade or store-bought) and frame with card-stock strips and nail heads.

Cut out interesting shapes and elements from patterned paper and machine-stitch them to your card, as shown in this spiral text graphic. At the center is a cardstock heart mounted on adhesive foam. The heart is finished with a sticker coated in transparent acrylic lacquer.

Craft a sophisticated card using chipboard letters and a leather-finish paper heart. Stamp coated chipboard letters with ink and add rub-on flourishes as borders.

Layer different sizes and shapes of felt pieces and tack in the center to make stunningly simple and darling flowers. This card emphasizes a down-home feel by using a predistressed journaling card and twine-tied sentiment.

Cut a heart from fringed fabric and adhere to cardstock. Ink the cardstock edges and zigzag-stitch to the front of the card. Personalize with a stamped message and heart tags; attach as shown.