Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to show the love! We’ve been obsessively stitching, stamping, and needle-felting our very own handmade Valentine cards. And while we were at it, we gathered up a few of our favorites from other makers out there. We hope you heart them too.
1. Cross-Stitch Valentine’s Kit: Cross-stitch our hearts and hope you’ll be ours after we give you this handmade Valentine! (We’re poets and you didn’t even know it ;) Our Cross-Stitch Valentine’s Brit Kit has everything you need to make 10 of your very own cross-stitch cards. (via Brit + Co)
2. Handmade Card with Seed Beads: Got nice handwriting? Write out something sweet like “love” or “honey” in pencil on the cover of a blank card, then trace over it in glue. Before the glue dries, pour tiny beads (or glitter!) over the glue. Let dry, then shake off the excess. (via Katrin Shine)
3. Love Letters: If you don’t have the handwriting of an accomplished calligrapher, try designing your card in word-processing software or your favorite Adobe program. Print it out on heavyweight white paper, and if it needs a little more DIY, add cutout hearts or glitter. (via Gatherings Magazine)
4. Wood Veneer: For a slightly more masculine Valentine, we like the idea of using wood veneer or a manly patterned paper. Simply cut in the shape of a heart and glued on white paper… you know, in case your guy feels a little self-conscious displaying your glittery Valentine at the office. (via Sprinkled With Glitter)
5. Origami Hearts: If you haven’t quite mastered the art of the paper crane, breathe easy: Origami hearts are much, much easier. Put a sweet message inside them, or use them to adorn a handmade card. (via Omiyage Blogs)
6. Origami Bows: Speaking of which, origami paper comes in all sorts of pretty colors and patterns that you can incorporate into your Valentines without even folding it. How cute are those bows? (via The Pink Doormat)
7. DIY Valentine’s Cards: Excited about the prospect of Valentine’s Day, Alex over at North Story pulled out all of her craft supplies and created four unique designs. We especially love the ones made with ribbon and twine. (via North Story)
8. DIY Tags: Got a few blank tags leftover from Christmas? Turn them into Valentine tags with lace, ribbon, and tissue paper! (via Michaela Noelle Designs)
9. Hole Punch Confetti: We love confetti so much, we had to share two different confetti Valentine tutorials. Amy of Design Improvised made her confetti with a heart hole punch, but it would look just as cute with a regular hole punch. (via Design Improvised)
10. Heart Window Confetti Valentine: Okay, this one is a little bit more challenging. It involves an X-acto knife and sewing skills, but it’s so worth it for the little heart window. You can even turn a favorite love poem or classic romantic novel into sweet little bits of confetti. (via The Creative Place)
11. Washi Tape Card: This one is so easy to make. You could make dozens of them for every occasion! (And it’s a good excuse to buy more washi tape, too ;) (via One Artsy Mama)
12. Rainbow Heart Iris Folding Card: Doesn’t this remind you of a beautiful stained-glass window? Yana used colorful ribbon in this tutorial, but you could also use paper or — you got it, washi tape! (via My Wine Country Life)
13. Needle Felted Heart Handmade Valentine: Remember when we learned how to needle felt? Well, now we want to needle felt everything, including our Valentine cards, so we felt we should share this with you ;) (via Petals to Picots)
14. Stamp Valentine’s Day Card: (st)Amp your plain white stationery! Make a big heart out of smaller hearts or x-and-o-shaped stamps! For a truly DIY experience, you can even make your own stamps from a potato or cork. (via Go Make Me)
Do you make your own Valentines? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to feel motivated to take the next step for your business? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you'll find the tools to reach new customers with confidence.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.