How to Make a Scratch-off Valentine

I saw this here (http://www.oopseydaisyblog.com/2012/02/scratch-off-card-easy-peasy-valentine.html) on Pintrest.  Yes, this was the Valentine I was looking for. When My Hubby and I got married, money was tight (worse than it is now), we came to an agreement that we would only make and give cards for Valentines, Anniversaries, etc.  My Hubby will love it and it would take him all day to work through it (he works 10 hour days), so his Valentine would last all day.  And since I have learned to make an Instructable of everything I create, you get to enjoy the process I went through to create it. So here we go.

Supplies:
White card stock (will be cut down to 5”x7”)
Computer with desk top program
Red card stock (5 ½” x 7 ½”, choose your own color or design of paper)
Blue card stock (6”x8” choose your own color or design of paper)
Adhesive (I used my ATG 714- double stick adhesive, if you have glue use glue)
Heart shaped corner punch (I already had it so I used it)
Clear contact paper (really clear vinyl, just a small piece)
Silver or Gold metallic paint
Dishwashing soap (whatever you have)
Paint brush
Scissors
Pen or pencil

First go to your computer and with the Desk Top program you are most familiar with, create the basis of your Valentine.  I use Print Shop 22.  I first, using a text box, created the Title: 10 Things I Love About You.  Using another text box, I wrote out the instructions, using fonts and colors as my little heart desired.  I created them as postcards with 2 to a page. Then using the art section and the shape subsection, I made a red hollow heart.  When I got it the size and shape I wanted. I copy and pasted 9 more so that I would have 10 evenly spaced hearts.

Next you need to think of 10 things you love about the person this card is for.  You can print the things into center of each heart, using more text boxes, or you could write them by hand. Print off your card on to the white card stock (I printed off two for demo purposes).

Cut off a small piece of the clear vinyl.  I placed the vinyl, paper side up, over the hearts on the card.  I found that you could see the hearts through the paper. 

I then traced the hearts onto the paper back of the vinyl.

Next I turned it vinyl side up.  On a foam plate I mixed 1 part dish washer liquid to 2 parts metallic paint (just eyeball it).  Mix it together with the paint brush and then

paint a coat of the new paint over the clear vinyl.  Let it dry for at least one hour. 

Paint a second coat.  Let it completely dry.

While the paint was drying, I took out my heart corner punch and punched each of the four corners of the red cardstock.  (Now don’t go running out to get a punch like this.  I literally used stuff I had tucked in my craft cupboard.  If you don’t have a corner punch and you don’t have anyone to borrow one from, skip this part, you loved one won’t even know it is missing.) 

I tucked the card into the corners (or you can just glue it on to this 5 ½” x 7 ½” paper) with a ¼ inch boarder all the way around the white card.

I then added adhesive to the back of the red

and glued it to the front of the blue paper.  Again I had a ¼ inch blue boarder all the way around the red.

Once the paint is dry on the vinyl, cut out the hearts,

and peel off the paper backing.  Stick the sticky side over the writing in the center of the heart. 

It is better to cut a little bit on the outside of the hearts you drew.  It helps fill the hearts better.

I did two cards so that I can show you that you can use a coin, and scratch the paint off the heart revealing what it says underneath.  It works.  Way COOL! 

On Monday night, once my Hubby is in bed, I will go and put the other card on the steering wheel of his truck.  I will have steak and potatoes ready from him when he comes home from work.  Yes, this will work.