In recent years I stopped buying Valentine cards, not only because I wanted to save a tree, but because I find them somewhat odd; you go to the store, pick out someone else’s words, someone else’s artwork and proceed to sign your name to a sheet of paper you just spent $4 (or more) on, while chances are it will be skimmed once and tossed aside tomorrow. Not feelin' the love? Neither am I. Store cards are a waste of creativity, money and meaning. Whereas, a handcrafted card stands a better chance of being cherished by more than the already spoiled trash.
This Valentine’s Day, whatever you do, please don’t buy a card! Make your lover (or the one you like) a sweet little Valentine, with supplies you already have at home.
Johnathan and I didn’t get to spend our first Valentine’s Day together, but I still wanted him to know he's damn fine. So I baked him a huge brownie cake, and then I bravely struggled to make Valentine art... for a professional artist, mind you. I drew about six versions of the caterpillar from Labyrinth, and my first attempt looked more like an alien slug from a low budget sci-fi film. My drawing skills had definitely gone rusty, but I had the determination of infatuation on my side, and the end result turned out just as I had hoped.
My lil "Ello!" caterpillar is recognizable, don’t ya think?
The caterpillar card also started a tradition: I will always make my love his Valentine, because I know it means all that it is meant to.
Last year’s Valentine was a bit more simplistic, Gary from Spongebob was super easy to draw. Like the Labyrinth caterpillar, there was inside meaning between the two of us-- which is another Valentine rule worth following: The card should refer to something from your time together; it adds to the valuable “us” feeling of Valentine’s Day.
This postcard Valentine was made out of leftover cardboard from a soda can box and recycled paper (I simply doodled my art on the backside of a used sheet of paper and wrapped it around the cardboard).
I already know what 2011’s Valentine is, but I can’t share that yet. It would ruin the surprise!
I promise you’ll get to see it…as long as it doesn’t go all sci-fi on me. ;)
“Tell me that you want the kind of things that money just can’t buy”
Make it to your Valentine’s frig hall of fame!
(Ha! Yes Man was even our first movie date...how suiting)
If you make a Valentine, please be sure to comment & share a link/ photo with me! :) Love it!
