Valentine’s Day is almost here. I’m sure you’ve been seeing the commercials enticing you to buy everything from flowers to pjs for your sweetheart; the displays of candy and cards in the stores; the kids planning for school parties; and the fancy restaurants offering romantic meals for 2.
My favorite Valentine cards are handmade ones-the simpler the better. The Deer Hunter gave me my all time favorite Valentine back when we were first married. He drew a heart on a piece of notebook paper, cut it out, and wrote I love you on it. When I went out to leave for work that morning he had stuck it under my windshield wiper.
With today’s technology-homemade Valentines are super easy to make. I made the ones you see throughout this post with pictures I had on my computer-I added the words and the hearts and there you go. (if you’d like to use my homemade Valentines-just right click over the photo, save it to your computer, and print it out)
You can find tons of Valentines online-free for the taking. A few of my favorites can be found below (click on the words in orange to visit the site where the card is).
- A cool arrow Valentine that allows you to place a pencil in the card-sort of like those you buy in a store with a sucker stuck through a hole in the card.
- A card that needs color added to it by using markers or crayons-great for kids and adults.
- This site has a boy and girl version-the cards are cute enough to hang on your wall-and the site even has directions on how to make the envelope.
- Several cards in this post-all with clear neat graphics.
- Six cards that will for sure remind you of elementary school here.
- I’ll Love You Always & Ever card here.
Looking through public domain images for old Valentines is another great place to find your own unique card. The vintage cards above and below are from Miss Cindy’s Grandmother Dollie’s collection.
Whatever card you use I wish you and your sweetheart a lovely Valentines Day!
Tipper
I’ll never forget our second Valentine’s day together, Hubby(1 year after we were married), bought me my paint mare(horse), though she didn’t come home till April, due to the weather here. But she has been an amazing addition to the herd, and is one of my most favored and trusted horses. I’ll never forget it, and he gave me a card later too. He’s such a sweet heart. It’s an old family tradition(my side) to get a horse as a gift. I wish i could post a photo of her to show her to you. 🙂
For the last two years now, my Valentine’s day gift is getting to go to the PA Horse World Expo together. Still something i love along with him.
My precious husband and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day. We dated in the 80’s and met again in 1999 and married. God meant for us to grow old together. He is definitely my valentine.
Well, I was almost my Mom’s Valentine…I was born on the 12th so she was still in Oak Ridge Hospital on Valentines Day and my Dad gave her a beautiful card and I still have it. Our home was filled with lots of love and I am so very thankful. I like the homemade ones also!
My post is late today, but I want to join in spreading a little love around. Valentine’s Day has a sad remembrance for me. On that day when I was 14 years of age, my dear mother died. Each Valentine’s Day I remember her with love, but wish I had known her longer. Then when I was in college, I met a nice, nice guy. His first Valentine’s gift to me after we’d been dating about a month was a bud vase with one American beauty rose and one rose in bud. The arrangement had baby’s breath and the vase had a beautiful red satin ribbon. Every Valentine’s Day after that this “nice, nice guy” who married me gave me roses! It became such a tradition that when he became disabled and could not remember to do so, our children (or grandchildren) sent me flowers with the love tag from their father (or Papaw) to me! Since his death, the Valentine flowers have arrived each year on this special day. So even if sadness permeates the day for me, I know that I was truly (and am still) loved! As we look forward to Valentine’s Day, lets make a special point of spreading around some true love to those dear to us!
I enjoyed all the comments on Valentine Day
Tipper, I love Valentine hearts day.
My first Valentin Sweetheart God let me keep him 31 years and called him home. He left on a Sunday never to return on a Monday.He would always get me the biggest Red box of Candy on Valentine day, we dated 2 years and I had 33 boxes I kept. Then five years later God gave me another Valentine Sweetheart, he always gets one single rose and one Valentine Day he forgot, but I have received 16 single roses out of 17 glorious years together.
I Just Love my Man(Sweetheart)
I love my man, my Valentine
His faults are numerable like mine
but his faults area portion of him.
Who am I to cock myself on one elbow and judge this man.
I am not always wise or faithful to my maker.
Mt Valentine is ready to give or lend
Sterns looks he can send
He’s never unkind or unruly
He has always been honest with your truly
Who am I to draw a diagram to analyze or pen his soul.
Forgive me Lord, Heaven only know,
I just love him, My sweet Valentine
-Mary Lou McKillip
May the creative juices flow;
and Loving Hearts spill over all.
Way back when I was a student at Young Harris Elementary School, we would decorate a big box with crepe paper, cut-out hearts, etc. We put valentines in it for our classmates. Sears-Roebuck, back them, offered packages that would contain enough valentines to give everybody in class one. There would always be a bigger one for the teacher and a similar one for your sweetheart at the moment. Mrs. Louise always gave each student a valentine that she had painted herself. I wish I still had those cards today.
Tipper–What you don’t offer is a solution or outlet from the wayward spouse, such as yours truly, who will be in Nashville at the National Wild Turkey Federation’s annual convention while his long-suffering missus sits at home alone, all forlorn and without any chance of a frolic.
Seems like I have a habit of being on the road not only on Valentine’s but also all too frequently on Ms. Ann’s birthday and our anniversary. Any suggestions? (I would note that she now has a beach retreat which I indicated should be good for a lifetime of spousal slip-ups and absences on things like fishing and hunting trips, but somehow I doubt that’s going to gain me grace for very long).
In other words, it’s time for you to help out all us hapless males and become the Dear Abby of Brasstown.
Dear Tipper, Dear Tipper (check out the old John Prine song, “Dear Abby,” to take thangs from there).
Jim Casada
http://www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com
Tipper,
In the first picture, Cora Lee Mease
brought back nice memories of the best
story I’ve ever read on the Blind Pig.
What a Hollywood Caption!
Valentine’s Day holds a Special place
for me, especially my two daughters.
And I remember getting a 16″ Snow on
Valentine’s Day also…Ken
I agree with you Tipper, the best Valentine’s cards are the simple ones.
This is a wonderful collection of valentine information. I have played making my own using the graphics from an old purchased program of Print Shop. I use it for several occasions, especially when I can’t find a card that says what I want it to say. I am looking forward to more info from you. I think ‘love is in the air’ at the Blind Pig site.
Tipper,
Do you remember this?
When is “Valentimmes Day” or We are having a Balentimes Party tomorrow. I need 32 cards, 20 boys and 20 girls! LOL
I think “Valentine” was a hard word for those little ones in kindergarden and first graders to get exactly right!
Making Valentine’s Day and Christmas cards was one of my favorite cards to make. You just don’t see the old fashioned doilies, very fancy, like you used to could buy at the 5 and 10 cent store. Our art class the beginning of February was usually themed around Valentine’s Day..Lots of red and white paper, doilies, and ribbon. We could go ahead and address them to whomever we wanted and put in the Valentine’s Day box. The box had been made by us and the teacher, decorated with twisted red and white crepe paper, red hearts and doilies..With the words Happy Valentine’s Day on the sides. It had a big slot on top to drop in the Valentines. We were allowed to have a party, with Kool-aid or punch, cupcakes or and cookies. Lots of candy hearts in a big bowl brought by the teacher for us to have during the party. We were to read our candy hearts if we could. Everyone got at least one Valentine, the teacher saw to that..because she gave everyone of her students one. Those were the good ole days.
We actually spent the last hour or two of the school day with our exchanging Valentines and eating cupcakes and Koolaid. Not any more, I hear, from daughter-in-laws. You have to go thru the third degree just to bring cupcakes for the childrens schoolroom on a special holiday.
Guess, I’ll dig out the doilies and red paper.
Did you frame your sweet Valentine? Put it on red paper, with a white matte…hang it where it will be a reminder to point to, when you ask him a favor…LOL
Love your Valentines…
Thanks Tipper,
PS…The fellow with the four chairs…I’m thinking that he just might be in a heap of trouble, if four ladies sit and he asked them all to be his Valentine! HA
Beautiful cards and as usual, a great set of pictures.
How blessed we are to be surrounded by so much love. So many kinds of love.
God, Country, Family, NASCAR (ha ha).
Hope everyone finds love this Valentine’s Day and each day
thereafter.
I have always believed group hugs are wonderful because you never know when
someone in the group did not get a hug that day.
I don’t eat chocolate or wear jewelry so a hug is the best Valentine I could
receive.
I also try to call someone I love just to remind them. Sometimes we forget just how
much love is around us.
I helped Mother pick out Valentines just last night. She was lamenting the lack of old fashioned ones among the bad jokey ones, so I found her several very old style ones to choose among. She took them all! Love your story about the Deer Hunter! You are blessed to have such a Valentine.
I love that picture of Bill. It looks just like him, he’s the sweetest dog ever.
I love your story of your all time ever favorite valentine. There is such a sweetness in the Deer Hunter, it’s hard to believe he is also a bigh strong man.
Your cards are great, I love the idea of using a photograph.