Computer-made Valentines

By Michelle Hainer

Clara Wallace of Murrieta, Calif., loves to make personalized projects on her computer. And now she's gotten her two daughters, ages 13 and four, in on the act. Instead of buying standard Valentines' cards to give to their friends and family each year, Wallace and her girls make their own using their computer. For instance, one favorite computer-made card dubbed, "5 Reasons I Love You," lets their loved ones know just how special they are.

"It's a fun thing to do every year," says Wallace. "And using the computer helps the little one learn her letters and it's fun for her to see something she's designed come out on the printer."

While Wallace has a lot of graphic design experience -- she owns a digital scrapbooking business called MasterOfScrap -- it doesn't take much skill to use the computer to create Valentines with your kids. With a few simple tools, a free afternoon, and willing participants, you can easily make homemade cards without breaking the bank. Just follow these three easy steps to get ready, set and creative:

1. Take stock of the tools you have If you have fancy computer programs like Adobe Photoshop, by all means, use them. But you don't need to spend a ton of money to make quality cards. "If you're just getting started, use the graphics program your printer came with," says Tami Peterson Lewiski, author of Digital Decorating. She points out that each program comes with its own library of clip art, which you can add to your existing collection. Wallace, for one, downloads many free images from the Microsoft site. You can also create cards using plain old Microsoft Word, which allows you to import clip art, for example. (The program's wizard can help with this.) Wallace also offers this tip: Use one of the larger "mailing label" templates to design your cards, which you can find under Tools > Labels from Word's main menu. "When they print out, they'll already be nicely spaced and all you'll need to do is trim them with scissors," she says.

2. Use the proper paper "That's by far the most important tip," says Peterson Lewiski. "I've seen people make really nice cards that would've looked great if they'd only used nice paper." She recommends using a high gloss, photo-quality paper, that's glossy on both sides. Wallace is a fan of Kodak Matte Paper Heavyweight. When you're ready to print, make sure that the highest print quality setting is on. Then, when you're finished printing your cards, remember to switch back to a lower setting to preserve ink.

3. Think outside the card You don't have to stick to standard sized cards when making Valentines. For her son's classmates, Peterson Lewiski made Valentine bookmarks one year and magnets the next -- both of which are great for boys and girls. Craft stores often sell sheets of printable magnets that will scroll safely through your printer. "Plus, it's inexpensive, it's different, and they'll use the magnet or bookmark all year long," she says.

For some great Valentine templates, including Wallace's "5 Reasons I Love You" card, you can also log onto MasterOfScrap. Or check out Dafont and FamilyFun which have simple printable cards you can customize and download. For Wallace, making Valentines is not only a great way to bond with her kids, but she believes it's also teaching them valuable skills. "Being able to use the computer is important in this day and age of technology," she says. "My 13-year-old knows how to use an image-editing program to create digital art and design projects. That's going to come in handy someday."