Geeky Valentine's Day Cards

Do you have a kid who is obsessed with video games like Minecraft? Or are you with someone who misses old school Atari games? Why not make them a Valentine's Day card that'll be right up their alley! I found both of these cards on Instructables with easy step-by-step instructions but since my blog is about breaking down the how to, how much AND how hard to projects, I'll provide my own step-by-step instructions with photos and tips of what not to do!

Card #1 - The Pixelated Pop-Up Heart

Here's what you'll need:
1. Tape or glue
2. Scissors
3. Ruler
4. X-acto knife
5. Whatever colored paper you want for the card (I used red construction paper)
6. Whatever colored paper you want for the envelope (I used white card stock)
7. Something to protect your table while cutting (I used scrap cardboard)
8. A printer to print off the heart template and the envelope template


Once your templates have been printed, cut out the heart template and start cutting where the yellow lines are and scoring (i.e. - not cutting all the way through) on the gray lines. This will be the longest and the most detailed step so take your time and if you mess up, that's ok, that's what the second heart is for!



Next, you'll need to fold only parts of the paper, not the entire paper. See where the yellow lines are? That's where you'll want to fold.

Blue line = bad folding. Yellow lines = correct folding

Do NOT fold like the blue line because your heart will not pop up correctly.

Bad folding. Bad, bad folding.

Slowly start to pop out the heart (I recommend pushing from the back very gently). It pops up easier than you think. Then get another piece of paper and tape or glue it to the back.

Cut out your envelope template, fold on the dotted lines and tape it together to hold your card. Note that your card will not lie flat so don't force it!

And that's it! I gave mine to Batman... he was shocked I didn't cut myself once while making this.

TOTAL COSTS: $4.29 (still cheaper than buying a nice card from the store!)
20 cents for a piece of white card stock from Staples
$1.09 for a piece of red card stock from Staples
(though you could use printer paper and construction paper)
$3 for an x-acto knife at Blick's
Tape, scissors, cardboard, ruler, and a printer were all on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 15 minutes

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 3 out of 5
It's not difficult to score and cut the lines, it's just time-consuming and you really have to pay attention or you could accidentally cut what should have been scored and then the heart won't pop-up!


Card #2 - Retro Valentine's Day Card


Here's what you'll need:
1. Packaging tape (though any clear tape would do)
2. Scissors
3. X-acto knife
4. White card stock (I only needed 1 piece, not 2)
5. Red construction paper (though card stock works too)
6. Something to protect your table while cutting (I used scrap cardboard)
7. A printer to print off the template


First, print out the template and cut out the pink and the white cards. After they're both cut out, trace one of them onto the red paper and cut out a sheet of the same size.

Next is the hardest part - cutting out the red hearts but leaving the black lines intact. This is not easy and will take forever, but it'll be worth it in the end. Just make sure you have something protecting your table and take your time!

Once the hearts are cut out, tape the pink card to the red card along the top, bottom, and left side, so as to create a pocket.

Draw a small square on the right side and cut it out.

Then make sure your "Happy Valentine's Day" white card can fit inside the pocket you made and draw a small arrow pointing out, so the recipient can "fill" in the hearts when they pull on the tab.

And you're done! Now be careful if you're going to write a note on the white card, because it could show through the heart.

That big white space makes it tempting to write something...

But you'll see it through the hearts!

Batman liked this one so much he ate it up. Literally.

TOTAL COSTS: About $7
20 cents for a piece of white card stock from Staples
$1.09 for a piece of red card stock from Staples
$3 for an x-acto knife from Blick's
$2.99 for packaging tape from Vons
Scissors, cardboard, and printer already on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 30 minutes

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 4 out of 5
It's really difficult to cut out the hearts while leaving the black outline intact, especially around the middle point of the heart. With time and patience, though, you should be able to get it!