(Maid Brigade welcomes Chelsea Avery, of The New Wifestyle, a new contributor to our blog. More info on her can be found at the end of this post. Enjoy!)
as i am sure you have noticed if you have stepped foot in any type of store, valentine’s day is just around the corner! i mean, it’s hard to miss the child-sized stuff animals and the loads of chocolate, just waiting to go on sale come February 15.
i always find myself with mixed feelings during this holiday. part of me gets annoyed with how commercialized it all is and the expectations that aren’t always shared with our spouse so for some people, the day ends in disappointment. the other part of me loves any excuse to celebrate the love i have for my husband. oh, and to eat all the chocolate.
my husband and i have been married for over five years and together for almost nine years. throughout this time, we have talked a lot about those expectations, especially when it comes to gift giving. we rarely do gifts on specific holidays as we love to surprise each other with fun, unexpected things throughout the year. that being said, my love language is ‘words of affirmation’ and i feel most loved and acknowledged when i receive cards.
if there is something that makes you feel extra loved or you want your spouse to do a certain thing (like make a dinner reservation or buy you flowers) tell your spouse this! unfortunately, most of us aren’t mind readers so simply thinking they should “know” what you want on valentine’s day or really any day, isn’t going to make either of you happy.
my balance of valentine’s day emotions is to compromise by making a card for my husband then buying chocolates the day afterwards! turns out as much i as love receiving cards, i also like giving them.
here are some DIY valentine’s day cards to share with your special someone! i love homemade cards because they have the heart felt touch of something handmade and they say exactly what you want to say (because you write it).
what made making these cards even more fun was that i spent an hour at a craft store with my bestie, while we gathered our supplies. we went back to her house, popped in a romantic comedy (if you haven’t seen “10 things i hate about you” in a while, it’s worth another watch) and shared the best DIY crafternoon together!
1) love roadmap
supplies needed
- a map of where you have traveled together (or a generic map)
- cardstock of your choosing
- glue stick
- scissors
- pen
i am pretty proud of this idea! i was cleaning our out home office and was just about to recycle the map of buenos aires, argetina – where we traveled (and got lost) in november together. then i figured i could do something fun with it and keep a part of it in a meaningful way.
take a map of somewhere you have been together or any map will do. cut it to fit your card and then cut an extra strip of paper to do the writing. ideas of what to write
- “i’d get lost anywhere with you”
- “as long as we are headed in the same direction, i don’t care where we go”
- “let’s explore places we can’t pronounce”
2) first dance lyrics
supplies needed
- printed out of lyrics from your first dance (could also handwrite)
- pretty paper to cut out a heart
- cardstock color of your choosing
- glue stick
- scissors
this is a romantic option that will make you both reminisce about that special day and special dance together! our first dance was by bright eyes “first day of my life” and i chose the verse i like the best.
i would recommend gently folding your paper in half and tracing half of the heart (on the back of the paper) so both sides are even when you cut! i opted to glue the lyrics on the heart and then glue both on the card.
you could also make DIY cards for “GALentine’s day” to share with your girlfriends! this is what my friend chose to do for all of her best girlfriends with her adorable valentine below!
3) i love you a latte
supplies needed
- white cardstock (amount depending on how many you are making)
- black cardstock
- textured brown cardstock that resembles a coffee sleeve
- red paper
- pencil
- glue stuck
- scissors
- pen
this one takes some more skills (and patience) but my goodness are they not the cutest?!
my friend started by googling a picture of a two-dimensional coffee cup and then she drew it herself but you could also find a traceable image online. she traced her first cut out of the cup multiple times so they were ready to go. she did the same with the black lid and then measured the “sleeve” to fit the cups.
after gluing together the lid and sleeve to the coffee cup, she cut out little black circles and little red heart shapes to fit on the sleeve. so cute!
last but not least, she has the most gorgeous handwriting so she wrote out “i love you a latte” then wrote a message on the back!
whether you want a quick and easy (yet still meaningful) card or spend more time perfecting a card, whoever is on the receiving end of your DIY valentine’s day card will be grateful! if you really want to save time, simply buy some stickers and throw them on a card and call it good!
how do you and your sweetie usually spend valentine’s day together?
– Chelsea Avery, Maid Brigade contributor.
Chelsea Avery, MSW is a speaker, writer and the founder of The New Wifestyle, an online community empowering women and our relationships. She is especially passionate about reinvigorating relationships to be a partnership between two people who are making conscious choices and not living in outdated expectations. She resides in the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado with her dreamy husband and believes a warm chocolate chip cookie can solve most problems, at least temporarily. She’s thrilled to working with Maid Brigade to help us all enhance our relationships!
