Want a fun project to explore or express your creative side? January is Creativity Month and we just launched our Valentines for Veterans campaign! Creative or not, this campaign is an easy one to get in on and help bring joy to veteran patients and deployed service members on Valentine’s Day. Are you a word nerd? Looking to get crafty? Either way here’s some inspiration for creating your very own Valentine’s Day Cards this year for Valentine’s for Veterans! These easy DIY Valentines Day card ideas are great for a fun team gathering or activity to do with your children.

Draw Something

If you’re the kind of person who loves to doodle and is not afraid of a blank page, get your pencils, pens, and markers out! Handdrawn cards are fun and personal and doodling is a great way to flex that creative muscle. Grab a blank piece of paper and fold it in half or purchase some blank card stock and get drawing! Here are some ideas from previous Valentines for Veterans campaigns for inspiration.

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Glitter & Glue

If you’re more of a scrapbooker who loves glue and glitter (or you want to be), this one’s for you! Head to you local craft store or grab things you have laying around and get creative! You can cut hearts or other shapes and glue them to your card, glue fun embelishments like ribbon, sequins, scrap paper with an interesting design, pom poms, lace… whatever materials you have or find fun. Here are some ideas from previous Valentines for Veterans campaigns for inspiration.

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Print and Color

If you’re more of a colorer who likes to use an already created design, printing coloring pages and coloring in is also a perfectly acceptable form of Valentine. It’s a fun and easy activity for small children or for those who just love coloring! Crayola has a ton of printable Valentines and there are also lots of other sites online who offer free printable designs.

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Oragami

This one is for more advanced crafters. Oragami is fun and can be very meditative. All it takes is paper, patience, and sometimes practice. Your oragami Valentine can be as simple as a heart (instructions here) or a more advanced crane (instructions here). It’s fun to unfold oragami creations to discover what’s written inside.

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However you choose to create your DIY Valentines Day cards, don’t forget the most important part: the message! Valentines sent to us through our Valentines For Veterans campaign will be distributed to veteran patients at the VA Hospitals we serve and also sent to deployed service members in care packages. Your messages go a long way in showing support and appreciation for veterans who have served our country as well as those far away from home currently serving. Your message can be as simple as thank you for your service or a longer, more personal message of gratitude.

Of course, if DIY Valentines Day cards are not your thing, it’s perfectly acceptable to purchase Valentines and write messages of thanks in them. Either way, when you’re ready to send, mail them to our headquarters and include $1 per card to cover shipping. Learn more about Valentines for Veterans here.

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