i know this may be surprising, especiallty because i am a chronically single bitch, but valentines day has been my favorite holiday since i was like, 21. its a holiday of pink and red, hearts, flowers, candy! WHATS NOT TO LOVE.
if valentines day is your “dying alone” holiday, well, YOURE WRONG. the “youre dying alone” holiday is definitely new years, end of discussion.
i dont subscribe to the belief that valentines are strictly romantic. a valentine can (and IMO SHOULD) be anyone you love and care about. i dont care if you tell someone you love them everyday, you cant say it (or hear it) enough.
A Tale of Two Jackies/Jacquis
a couple years ago i started making valentines cards with my girl, jacqui. jacqui and i met years and years ago on BUMBLE BFF. i was with my ex bf at the time, my other friend jackie had moved to boston, and i obviously needed to replace her. my world was feeling really small, and id heard bumble had a “friends” feature where women could meet other women for, well, friendship. jacqui and i chatted for a bit and decided to meet for a coffee date at colectivo.
now, if you live in milwaukee and know the colectivo in bay view on KK, youll be able to picture what happened real well. i got there early, grabbed a coffee and a coveted spot outside. id never sat outside at this colectivo location before, so i CONFIDENTLY stepped onto the wooden platform below the benches, and discovered when the ground shifted beneath my surefooted step, that IT WAS A GODDAMN SWING. i almost ate shit, but luckily didn’t fall or spill hot coffee all over myself. “great! my bumble bff probably saw and is gonna bail before even meeting me”.
jacqui arrived a few minutes later, i WARNED HER not to make the same mistake i did, and weve been friends ever since. (i did go on another bumble bff date with someone else, we walked around a park and never spoke again).
jackie and i met in college senior year, at lunch at the irish pub (RIP) with a mutual friend. jackie walked in carrying multiple large bags like a pack mule, throw them all down on the table/floor a and declared, “you know what i love? SUCKING DICK,” then plopped down and grabbed a menu. afterwards we smoked cigarettes outside the student union, where i fell even more in love with her. shes since lived in boston and ohio, but LUCKY FOR ME has been back where she belongs in milwaukee. i will never let her leave again.
later in our senior year, jackie and i spent our first valentines day together at the irish pub after spending the day in our respective studios drinking pink drinks.
both jacs love valentines day, both included me in their weddings (jackie as writer of honor detailing the story of how her and her husband met in the wedding program, jacqui had me officiate), jackie has a son, jacqui is currently pregnant with one.
they have yet to meet, i fear if they do they will join forces and become too powerful. whenever i talk about one to the other, i refer to whoever isn’t there as “Other Jacqui/Jackie” DONT TELL THEM they both think the other is other jackie/jacqui.
they are both amazing, talented, wonderful women i hope will put up with me for a lifetime. im grateful to be able to call both of them my valentines
VALENTINES
Supplies
red and pink paper
doilies, heart doilies if you can find them
hot glue and hot glue gun
sticky tape thing (strongly recommend any version of this for all kinds of paper crafting)
any and all heart shit you can find
all the red and pink you can find
magazines
When it comes to valentines, i start sourcing supplies AS SOON AS I CAN. dollar general always has a really good assortment of crafting goodies for v-day, and thats where i got most of my supplies. the rest i already had or i got from a trip to daiso (a japanese dollar store) my sister and i took while visiting texas.
(side note: i went a little insane at daiso. like, i must have blacked out because next thing i knew i had an overflowing basket of washi tape and other treasures, and was having to do a separate transaction at the self checkout because they only allow for 80 items per transaction. i am currently grounded from any extra spending. ANYWAY if there is one near you, highly rec checking it out)
basically i just buy all the shit i can, knowing that whatever i have leftover i can incorporate into other crafts, or use next year.
HOW TO*
(*im pretty sure i change whatever this section is called each time, and if you think its because i cant remember AND am too lazy to look back at other posts YOUD BE RIGHT
what youre gonna do is take a base, whatever strikes your fancy. (doilies are typically really thin, so recommend sticking one to a sheet of paper to make it sturdier), and then go wherever the spirit moves you! just start stickin shit to shit!
my motto when making valentines (crafting in general) is MORE IS MORE baby!
my handwriting is SO BAD. and every year i try and and find a way to work around it. sometimes i ask my sister to write shit for me in her fancy, loopy letters.
this year i took most of my inspiration from maybe the most formative periodical of my youth, cosmo magazine. which, i somehow ended up with a subscription to when i signed up for a free trial to get behind a paywall to read a personal essay. i havent ended it because i love having magazines around for collaging.
THATS IT!
you can make so many different kinds of valentines for anyone and everyone in your life.
For your single friend:
For THAT friend:
For someone who loves berries and/or puns:
Finally say the words you’ve been waiting for the right time to say:
Tell them how you REALLY feel:
Remind someone of the importance of self care:
Let someone know the work you’ve done in therapy is working:
Get a referral!
Make sure they get a lil somethin somethin:
Send a hint:
let them know YOU know:
get vulnerable:
or just idk stick a bunch of flower stickers together if you cant send flowers:
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY AND HAPPY CRAFTIN! Love you all!