January 30, 2016

So, let’s talk Valentine’s Day. Not a huge fan. I am all for celebrating love, but really, it’s just a made up holiday that pressures people into spending way too much money and an excuse for people to flood Facebook and Instagram with mushy pictures and posts. I still show my love for my honey on February 14th (and every other day of the year), but we try to stick to the “no-buy” rule – anything we give on Valentine’s Day has to be handmade (except for chocolate covered strawberries…he’s allowed to buy me those anytime…heck, anyone can).

If you’re like me then you’ll want to give them something from the heart and something that won’t just end up on a shelf or at the bottom of their closet. These love coups are the perfect gift. They’re not [too] cheesy and they’re for goods and services that your sweetie actually want and use.

Best part is I’ve already done the grunt work for you. All you have to do is print and cut. And lucky for you, if you enter “LOVEKEPT25” at checkout, you’ll get 25% off until February 13, 2016!

Here’s how to get your love coupons:

1. Visit the HeyNnena shop on Etsy
2. Upon checkout enter the coupon code (if applicable)
3. After completing the purchase, you will be able to download the file
4. Open the file
5. Follow the instructions on page 4 to print, full size on card stock
6. Cut along the edges of each coupon
7. If you are going to bind the coupons together, use a hole punch to punch two holes into the binding tab and fasten with ribbon
   -OR-
   follow the instructions below, on how to assemble a coupon book.
8. If you are not going to bind the coupons, you can cut off the binding tabs and put the coupons in a nice envelope, stack them and put a bow around them, or find a small, shallow box to put them in (necklace gift boxes work well for this)

Tip: To perforate my coupons, I held the coupons together with several binder clips, then used a sewing machine (with no thread) to manually drop the needle through, across the binding line. Do this before creating the coupon book. You don’t have to perforate them, but it’s a nice added touch!

To make the coupon book:

Step 1: Cut the paper

Take an 8.5×11 piece of card stock or thin cardboard (I like to use the back of a notepad for this) and cut a strip slightly wider than your coupons – about 3 inches.

Step 2: Fold the paper

From the left, measure 1/2 inch in and draw a faint line. From that first line, measure 1/4 inch in and draw another faint line. Then, lay one of your coupons just to the right of the second line. Now draw another faint line about 1/8 inch to the right of the edge of the coupon and another line 1/4 inch from that third line. You should have 4 lines – 2 on either end of the coupon.

Now fold inward at each line you drew. You may need to score the other side of your cardboard or fold both inward and outward to get clean folds.

Step 3: Staple the binding edge

Stack all of your coupons, making sure they are in a nice, even pile and no edges are sticking out (you can use a binder clip to keep them in one place). Fold the cardboard over the binding (left) edge and put a staple in the middle, through the cardboard and the coupons. If it’s too thick to staple, use a needle and thread to keep the coupons in place.

Step 4: Tuck

Now fold over the non-binding (right) edge over the coupons and tuck it under the flap with the staple. If done correctly, you should have something that functions similar to a matchbook.

Step 5: Decorate

If you’d like, you can decorate the front of your coupon book. Use markers, stickers, glitter, etc. and go ham on customizing the book to fit who you’re giving it to.

*This post originally appeared on my former blog, Kept. While that blog has since retired, all the content transferred is up-to-date and my own.