A card for your sweetheart (DIY).

I made this card a few weeks ago to give to the hubby for Valentine's day. Then I realized that I couldn't post it here before I gave it to him, d'oh! Even though I made this for Valentine's day, it would also make a great birthday or anniversary card (or an anytime card! Who says you need an occasion to give a card?).

This is a fairly simple card to make, but I love how the choice of the maps makes it entirely unique and personal for each couple. You can use any places that are meaningful in your relationship. I chose to use Los Angeles (his hometown), Ithaca, NY (my hometown), and San Diego (where we live now). Actually, I was originally going to use three places in San Diego that are special to us, but I screwed up while cutting out the hearts - oops. 

Supplies

Maps (AAA gives free maps to members)

Card stock in red & white

Heart punch (or you can cut out the hearts with scissors)

Ink pad & small alphabet stamps

Pieces ready to be assembled

Directions

1) Cut a 8.5" by 4.25" piece of red card stock, and fold it in half to make the base of the card. Cut two 3.5" by 3.5" white squares of card stock (one for the front, and one for the inside to write your message on).

2) Punch or cut out your three hearts from the maps. Cut a 3" by 0.5" strip of white card stock, and notch the ends to make a banner (I used the bottom of the heart punch to cut out the notches). Use the ink pad (or a marker) to color the edge of the strip.

3) Stamp "I love you" onto the banner (you could just write it too, but my handwriting isn't very good, so I rely on stamps).

4) Glue one white square to the front of the card, then glue the hearts and banner on. Write your message on the other white square, then glue it into the inside of the card (I do it in this order in case I make a mistake while I am writing. If I need to, I can just cut out another square and start over.).