Share Our Love of Paper

February 14^th is always a special day where you can show someone just how much you love and feel for them. Having had a few uncertain years, this year will certainly feel a lot different this year as we celebrate Valentine’s Day slowly emerging into a post-pandemic world. However you plan to celebrate this year, you can always let your significant other know just how much you care by giving them a Valentine’s Day card handmade by you.

But why go to the effort of making your own Valentine’s Day card? According to a study from the Journal of Marketing, machine-made products are often of good quality and are relatively cheap, but they are missing a very key ingredient: love.

In this study, participants were instructed to imagine that they were looking for a gift to give to somebody they loved. They were shown images of a variety of machine-made products such as ceramic mugs, soaps, and stationery, as well as their handmade equivalents. The handmade products commonly had “made with love” labels on them or handmade heart-shaped graphics. The participants of this study favoured the handmade items significantly more when they had to choose a gift for somebody they loved. Many of the participants believed that the creator’s love for the handmade product had been able to transfer into the product, meaning that more care and love had been put into it than that of the machine-made products.

Authors of the study, Christoph Fuchs, Martin Schreler and Stijn M.J Van Osselaer, write that, “handmade products might be perceived to contain and transmit the artisan’s “essence” in the form of his or her love for the product in a way that machine-made products cannot. The customer then perceives the handmade product itself to be literally imbued with love.” ¹

The findings of this study highlight that making your own Valentine’s Day card this year could be one of the best ways to really show your significant other that you care and that you have put your all into this gift.

Unlike choosing from a handful of unoriginal Valentine’s Day cards at the supermarket, making your own special card offers the opportunity to be as creative as you’d like. What once was a simple pink sheet of card could turn into a pop-up, glittery masterpiece. The possibilities are limitless as you can make the card as fun, humorous, loving, and as personal as you’d like.

However, getting creative with your card can be tricky, especially if you’re not very artistically inclined. Luckily, that ability to jump out of your comfort zone and try something completely new, such as making a D.I.Y Valentine’s Day card, can be very appealing to a partner as it shows the time and effort you’ve put in to create something just for them. In other words, you’ll probably get an appreciation simply for trying your best.

If you’re still not too sure where to start, Love Paper Creations have a variety of template options that can help you decide on the look of your card. Use the templates as inspiration or print one off and colour it in for an added personal touch. If you’re feeling extra creative, you could even try making some origami hearts by using our helpful step-by-step guide.

For most of us, Valentine’s Day 2022 will be met with higher expectations, as most of us can now see our significant other, as opposed to previous year’s of living in lockdown. This is why it’s more important than ever to make an extra special effort to show your love and appreciation for your partner this year, and you can do this easily with just a piece of paper and a little creativity.

Sources:

1. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1509/jm.14.0018