When Kimi from A Printable Press told me she wanted to do a free printable Valentine for you guys, I’ll admit I was a little skeptical at first. I mean, have you seen what’s out there for Valentine’s Day? Most of it is…er…a little too squishy for my taste.
But then she sent me the mockup for these matchbook Valentines and I almost snorted to death I was laughing so hard. (I am totally, like, 100% in love with them.) So, there you go. APW for the win again.
Now, these might look kind of complicated (at least they did to me at first glance), but the beauty of this printable is that most of the real work is taken care of with the design. All you need to make it your own is a printer, some cardstock, a pair of scissors (or an X-acto knife) and a stapler. I bet you could even make them in your office while no one’s watching (shh, I’m not advocating that).
To get started, download the free customizable PDF over at A Printable Press and then open it up in Adobe Acrobat Reader (it gets wonky in other programs). Next, type your message into the allotted spaces on both the matchbooks and the matches. (Kimi has given you some great starting points, but I encourage you to get creative. Oh, and if you come up with a genius slogan for your matches, leave it in the comments! I have a feeling this crowd would be hilarious. Just sayin’.)
When it comes time to print, Kimi definitely recommends using cardstock for the matchbook covers, but you can go one of two ways for the matches themselves. If you want to turn your matches into a coupon booklet, use regular paper and print out multiple sheets. (Because, as Kimi said to me, “Really, who wants a one-time only coupon? Give them lots!”) However, if you just want the matches to contain one special message, you can print them out on cardstock as well for something a little more substantial.
Now, before you get to cutting, you’re going to want to fold your matchbook covers along the dotted lines to give them their shape (if you want a really crisp fold, run a bone folder or the back of a butter knife along the folded crease). Then once those are folded, cut both the matchbook covers and the matches using scissors or an X-acto knife, following the cropmarks as a guide. If you’re using your matches as coupons, you’ll want to cut between the matches as well. After cutting, just tuck your matches into the bottom fold of the matchbook, staple, and voila! You’ve got a wicked hot (yes I’m going to use that pun every chance I get), easy, and hilarious gift for your Valentine (or, frankly, anyone else with a good sense of humor and an eye for design).
Personally, I think I’m going to make a coupon book for myself and fill it with vouchers for naps, Annie’s Mac & Cheese, back episodes of Nashville, and maybe even one of those giant one-pound chocolate bars they sell at Trader Joe’s. It’ll be a grand romantic gesture to myself.
—Maddie
Photos by: Kimi of A Printable Press (APW Sponsor)
This post includes Sponsors, who are a key part of supporting APW. For more information, see our Directory page for A Printable Press.
Ha! That’s awesome!
And the folding BEFORE cutting is genius! Knowing me, I would’ve cut and then tried to fold and gotten frustrated that I couldn’t get it to look just right.
February 6, 2013 9:38 am
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ME TOO.
February 6, 2013 9:47 am
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ADORABLE. I’m making my matches into “I’ll go pick us up dinner” coupons. Because we’re both Liz Lemon in this house, basically.
February 6, 2013 10:20 am
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I love these! I want to print them! I need to think of what to write on the matches x.x thats the part I always suck at… at least I have a week right?
February 6, 2013 10:49 am
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Oh, Masters thesis, looks like you’ll have to be patient while I take a creative detour this afternoon. Hope you understand.
(Love these! Great idea, thank you!)
February 6, 2013 11:14 am
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I’ve found I focus better on my dissertation (especially the statistics part) if I first prime my brain with a little creativity. ;)
February 6, 2013 3:02 pm
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Come on baby, light my fire! With sexy coupons inside. Hot.
February 7, 2013 9:00 am
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I’d love to hear what people come up with, no matter how risqué! I should have put “nooky” in there somewhere… ;)
February 7, 2013 1:32 pm
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THANK YOU, Kimi and APW! I just made these for my husband; I’m not particularly crafty, but they were a cinch — literally took less than a half-hour, and turned out absolutely perfect. You totally saved me — I was stumped as to what to do for him this year, and these are not only adorable, but meaningful — he will love the handmade, custom aspect. I’ve been reading APW for years and have never commented before, but just had to express my appreciation for sharing this with us, for free no less! This spirit of generosity is part of what keeps me coming back to APW long after my wedding day has passed.
February 10, 2013 8:23 am
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Leigh, that is just the most wonderful thing to hear, like ever. As an infrequent blog commenter myself know how rare it is to be compelled to come out of the reader closet and give a shout-out! It is an incredible compliment to myself and APW (whom I love, site and writers and community and all). Thank you thank you for telling us this.
February 11, 2013 6:21 am
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