The Science of Lovely Cards

When I was a boy in elementary school, there was nothing I loved more in February than making my own Valentine's Day cards or going with my mother to buy those big packs of Valentines they sell for kids in stores. Whether I made them or bought them was entirely dependent on my mood and creative inspiration. Regardless, all of the Valentine's went to the cutest boys in my class!

These days I am still occasionally drawn to the prospect of making my own cards. But, again, I have to be in the mood for creative pursuits like these. My fondness for letterpress and fine stationery often gets the better of me anyway. I love the intricate designs and textured patterns on letterpress. (Letterpress printing is a term for the relief printing of text and image using a press with a "type-high bed", in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of paper to obtain a positive right-reading image.)

Letterpress cards whisper of crisp quality and I frequently have a hard time letting go of the cards I buy for other people. Designers are forever coming up with innovative and unique designs to showcase. The two examples below are my Valentine's Day cards this year. They are Etsy purchases and were designed by seller armatodesign, one of my favourites.

My days of fluffy little teddybears and cute bunnies on my Valentine cards have long since passed, although they are still endearing on reflection. As an adult, I like something a bit more striking and quirky. My cards this year take a whimsical, scientific approach to love...

The inscription reads, "You give me butterflies." The image is a scientific rendering of a stomach with butterflies fluttering about it. A bit strange, yes. Very me.

Another scientific image of a heart with the various parts labeled with their amorous functions: "desire enters," "love is released," "beats faster when you're near," "longs for you when you're gone..."