Make a Cut-Out Valentine Card

Getting the right message in your Valentines Day card is too important to trust to a company. If you want to show your affection your way, then you better make it yourself.

This is a guide to designing your own cut-out card that has a good look to it and can be customized any way you want.

If you want one of these, I made a few extra that are at my Etsy shop.

Step 1: Write Your Message

The most important part is to write a short and sweet message. Try to keep it to no more than 8 words or so unless you're really into using an X-acto blade for a while.

These instructions are for Adobe Illustrator, but there are other free vector programs, like Inkscape, that are worth trying as well.

So, first write your topical and romantic message in a big bold font. I chose Arial Black. Also, tighten up the kerning, the space between the letters. Overlapping is good.

Comments

[fred27]

Excellent. I used some different tools - CamBam and a laser controlled using Mach3 - but got a great result making a mother's day card for my wife. (My son is only 1 so he couldn't use the laser himself.) The only problem was that it was so good she thought it was from a shop!

[monica466]

hi im new

[maglow]

After few times at cutting works, finally I made it . would like to share with the rest
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v411/acacia_low/photo_zps2d000c48.jpg[/IMG]

[maglow]

After few times at cutting works, finally I made it . would like to share with the rest

[Mauigerbil]

I like the "Thanks for not calling the cops" one, but when would that be practical?!?ಠ▃ಠ

[Siggamonda]

I made this to give to my GF for valentines 2011, a bit late I know but I thought I'd share seeing as I just got access to the laser cutter at Uni.

[applesaucemodifier]

Great Idea! I am making one for Christmas that have "wicked" tickets inside.
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/3989/cardg.jpg

[barbq]

Thanks for your sharing! I made a birthday card to my BF. I use his name Edward to compose the sentence - Each Day With u is A Rainbow Day and put a rainbow color on it !

I believe this is the worth trying card!

btw, I use Linkscape and find this tutorial is good for newbie who wants to make heart shape. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOai_3Isgdc

[PuzzleJenn]

As a woman, I'm thinking about making some of these for my closest guy friends! "You look even sexier through my binoculars" sounds like a good one. ;)

"I'm stalking you," sounds like a good one as well. ;)

[silver_butterfly326]

I made one for my boyfriend! I just used microsoft word to print out the saying, then used an exacto knife to cut!! I used black construction paper to make a boarder (i wanted to use black ribbon but I didn't have enough).. Can't wait to give it to him!!

[gtoal]

Dude, if ever you had the perfect excuse to buy yourself a Cricut without objections from the wife, now's the time :-)

Total respect to someone who would spend that much effort cutting out fonts by hand.

G

[lostbord999]

Asum Instructable!! Love it!!

[crazichick414]

your woman must have loved you!!! :)

[yokozuna]

awsum spelling- it should be "you're". :P

[komecake]

  First thing I noticed too... and after all that work. >.<

[fungus amungus]

Wow, that's a lot of cutting. Great job!

[jace1127]

 awww! i totally want one!!! i love your messages on them =]

[fungus amungus]

Valentine's Day snuck up on me. I was going to sell some through Etsy again, but life's been busy.

[jace1127]

 you really should have. these are exactly the kind of cards I (and I'm sure a lot of other women/girls) like.. Truthful, funny, and I love love love the look of it..

too bad.. 

Next year then? =]

[ERCCRE123]

Some of these cards are quite creepy.

[lalunamel]

 Only some of them >.> 
Great instructable, I will make one and give it to my valentine!

[karma1976]

umm, DITTO

[jamowa]

What a great instructable!  I've wanted to learn how to make this type of card ever since I saw one 5 yrs ago in SF.  Merci.  I'm not experienced w/ Illustrator so I took a wack at it using MS Publisher.  Here is my beta....I'll cut it out this weekend and post the results.

[fungus amungus]

Looks like it should work. If you're cutting by hand any program should be fine. It's jut about the results.

[martymunch]

These are great, "Thanks for not calling the cops". That's hilarious.

[cornflaker]

Best one there lol

[mihaibica]

I like your post, i think it's great but next time pleace be so kind as to consider the people that never layed eyes on illustrator! I meen I spent a few hours going through how too's :D.

[fungus amungus]

You can get a similar effect with pretty much any graphics program. Being able to break it up in a vector program gives you much more control. On the plus side, learning a vector program is a good thing anyway.

[mihaibica]

No what I meen is this is my first graphic project ever! You should put the paths to the different tools needed. Get it?

[audiomind]

An exacto knife ain't gonna 'cut' it for this project, unless you want a mess. Especially if you decide to use regular paper for the print out and trace around it with construction paper underneath. Where do they have 75 watt Epilog laser cutters at?

[fungus amungus]

It can work. It will take a lot longer and won't be as clean, but it's a lot cheaper than a laser cutter. I've cut through thicker card stock than this before with one.

[audiomind]

Further, what did you print this out on? What type of paper?

[fungus amungus]

This is 80 lb. card stock

[thematthatter]

how about these: Your prettier on myspace Is your sister seeing anyone? Can I get a scrap of your hair for my collection? I didnt just "give" you chocolate on Christmas. Sorry. But can we still hang out?

[adamvan2000]

'It puts the lotion on it's skin'
'of course those pants make you look fat!'
'But we always dress up like wookies before we make out!'

~adamvan2000

[Goodhart]

If love is the answer, what was the question? :-) Although that might be a tad long....

[container_gardener]

I especially like the last one...funny!

[mg0930mg]

Haha. Great Job!

[explosivemaker]

.....I was thinking they looked laser cut.....very nice by the way.....I don't know that they would look that good with my cutting skills....

[Valche]

Is there any way some of us po' folks without editing software could get the image files for some of these? Or, even better, a legal *cough* version of a certain popular editing program?

[quakecountry]

You can use just about ANY text editing application. Just change the font to bold.

[maruawe]

I understand that "Gimp' will do vector drawings, I tried the program , it's pretty good and it's free. I believe the it's the newest version. Be prepared to work on learning the program it is not simple or easy to use at first.

[threecheersfornick]

Gimp will open vector drawings, but convert them to raster. If you want to edit in vector, I suggest Inkscape.

[maruawe]

good thinking . I use adobe almost exclusively now, I have Inkscape but don't use it often. and forget some of the perks that come with each program.. But the question was a (legal"cough"version) Both Inkscape and Gimp are free, That was my point. Check out the free software foundationsite for programs on about everything .

[threecheersfornick]

Ya... I actually went to see Stallman (president of the FSF) speak last night. Would anyone be interested in an instructable on using The GIMP? Once you know the basics it's really not hard.

[maruawe]

maybe threecheersfornick can make one for everyone ,But it would be a long one . There is a lot to the program

[threecheersfornick]

I will make one, but it would probably be best if someone collab'ed with me, because there are lots of things I still don't know. I can, however, do the basics. I'll start working on it in programming this morning.

[maruawe]

This link I believe will help valche with what he wants to do or will help you to write a tutorial " gimp help.org" I googled gimp help and came up with a listing that would be all Valche needs to work with gimp with "inkscape" do the same thing and you will be rewarded with a lot of answers..

[maruawe]

I don't know enough about Gimp to be of any help to you .Sorry But my knowledge of gimp could be put in a thimble, I understand that it works a lot like photoshop 6 so maybe there I can help Give me an email address and I will do what I can

[Valche]

I would be forever in debt to whoever were to create a GIMP instructable.

[maruawe]

Sorry that I can't do a tutorial for you The best thing is to download pdf maker and make pdf's of the help screens or you could google "gimp tutorials " good luck

[jhvh.one]

a gimp instructable may be a little redundant, as there is already extensive documentation at http://www.gimp.org
there is a user manual at http://docs.gimp.org/en/
there are about 40 something tutorials insix different categories at http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/

ditto for inkscape.
have fun with an instructable if you want, but i say why reinvent the wheel?

[maruawe]

Can' t argue with that and both are good places of reference. Beginners on either program will benefit from these site.........

[gmjhowe]

Great work Fungus, But, you seem to have forgotten to add one...

[Sandisk1duo]

It's on! ^{like donkey kong!}

mmm, my ding-ding-dong

[gmjhowe]

Haha! I did think about that one.

[fungus amungus]

Hey! He's certified!

[gmjhowe]

Certificated?

_{^{or personal experiance? :P}}

[randofo]

That's just mean.

[gmjhowe]

Awww, maybe, i just think its a hilarious prize!

[Weissensteinburg]

LMAO!

[Chicken2209]

2nd and 3rd = win!

[moseph]

This is also a great tutorial for making stencils, although depending on what you wanted you might want to think about it in reverse. Most excellent.

[fungus amungus]

It does work well indeed. I did a test spray with one of these to see the effect and it's easily readable.

[artquilter]

"I've had better."

[rickyd!]

awesome

[mdmoose29]

you need to tell us what they say on the inside! Please?! haha, these are great

[=SMART=]

Haha, Great slogans !