Valentine Scratcher Ticket

I never really liked the store-bought valentines when I was in school. Sure, they have the famous characters, but they never really impressed me. They were usually made out of thin paper and were really small. Often they didn’t do anything special or say exactly what you wanted to that best friend or, gasp, that special person sitting in the front row.

So maybe I like paper-crafting now because of this – who knows? One thing I do know – with CutCardStock papers, the choices are unlimited when it comes to making your own valentines. This project is easy enough for you to to do with your kids! It’s a DIY scratcher ticket. And, it involves some special surprise fun too – a scratch off panel!

I started with an Amaranth Pink paper, thinking I’d create a couple scratcher tickets for some gal pals. Well, I ended up creating a couple more in more of a masculine-friendly color too for my boys. So, I also am using Pop Tone Wild Cherry Red.

These were printed on with my Cricut machine in black pen because I don’t like the look of my handwriting. However, with kids – give them a straight line at the top and have them practice writing their messages, if you like! The Amaranth Pink and Wild Cherry Red panels are cut at 3″ by 4″.

With these panels, I cut off the corners with a standard hole punch. This makes it look like a ticket! I drew a white line around the edges with a white gel pen, then glued them on to a 3.25″ by 4.25″ piece of Pop Tone Black Licorice.

I didn’t have a die cut that said “Valentine” so back I went to my Cricut machine, and cut out the word Valentine in Pop Tone Black Licorice. I added an offset shadow in Classic Crest Solar White. Then I glued these sentiments together.

The back strip underneath the sentiment is a sheet of leftover Valentine paper I had in my scrap bin, along with a .25″ strip of Mirrisparkle Silver Glitter. These were glued across the ticket, then I used pop dots to adhere the sentiment on top.

For the back, I’ve cut a 3″ heart shape in Amaranth Pink and Wild Cherry Red and turned them into pockets. Simply slice a small edge off the heart and line it up to the side, gluing down only the side and a little of the bottom edge.

Now for the fun part! The scratcher piece is a sticker I purchased at the dollar store, and you can also get them online for a reasonable price. But, if you want to make your own – you can!

You will mix 2 parts of acrylic paint with 1 part of dish soap. Then, you’ll take a piece of Classic Crest Solar White, write your secret message on it and put packing tape over it. Cut this out with a heart shape die cut. Then paint (or apply the pre-made sticker) over it, and attach it to your scratcher ticket. The paint will need about 3 coats, FYI.

Let me give you permission to make Valentines this year for your friends and family. This is not just a kid project! I will tuck a gift card or even an actual scratcher ticket in the pocket on the back and add a special message. How will you decorate yours? Let me know in the comments, and see you next time!