Store-purchased valentine cards are nice, but they have one big drawback: the recipient reads them once and puts them on a shelf for display. Then they're forgotten until that shelf is cleaned! To be truly memorable, a greeting card needs to involve the recipient. It should encourage the reader to interact with the card and the giver. With its emphasis on imaginative gift giving, Valentine's Day is the perfect time to create and give an interactive greeting card. As the ideas below show, it's not necessary to limit yourself to the traditional paper card with the poetic greeting!

The secret message.
Cut out different sized and shaped letters from magazines, and paste them "ransom note style" on red construction paper. Give your note a mysterious aura with a message like "Someone wants to be your sweetheart!"

A rebus valentine.
"Rebus" is note or verse that uses tiny pictures instead of words. For example, your message might include a heart symbol instead of the word love, or a picture of an eye instead of the word "I."

A surprise in a box.
Purchase a heart-shaped balloon filled with helium and tie a romantic note to it. Carefully place the balloon in a box. Wrap the box with heart-themed paper. Then watch your sweetheart's surprised face, when he opens the box and is greeted by a heart shaped balloon!

Fan-tastic valentine.
Fold a piece of pink paper into a fan. On each fold of the fan, write a line from a romantic or silly poem that expresses your relationship.

Find me--Find You.
Create a "word find" for your sweetheart. On a piece of red paper, print words that describe your feelings for your loved one. Fill in the extra spaces with random letters. Include an answer key listing the words hidden inside the word puzzle, and give it to your sweetheart to solve.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. So put on your imagination cap and think creatively!

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