Ordering page for personalised
Saint Valentine's Day cards

You are about to purchase a 'Saint Valentine's Day card / watercolour of white lilies and purple butterfly / 18' as card illustrated below. Each fully personalised card is still only £2.85 including envelope and you can write your own message on the cover and inside. The watercolour of the white lilies is by Peter Kitchin.

There are two ways of ordering your personalised Saint Valentine's Day card: 1. Click on any "Buy Now" button below and pay by Credit Card or by Paypal (you will be asked how many cards you wish to order). 2. Just e-mail Peter or Rebecca and discuss your requirements with them and pay by cheque. If you need more information just click 'About Buying'.

The watercolour of the white lilies is by Peter Kitchin and your card will be handmade and personalised by either Peter or Rebecca.
 

How the Saint Valentine's Day card developed

Saint Valentine's Day is always celebrated on the 14th February every year for lovers to express their love to their partners. It is traditional for lovers to exchange cards, flowers or, more recently, chocolates. The word Valentine came from Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. To add to the historic confusion, there were numerous early Christian martyrs who were named Valentine and until 1969, the Catholic Church formally recognized eleven Valentine's Days. The origins of the real Valentine is still a mystery but one story suggests that he was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. At that time Emperor Claudius II decreed that single men made more valiant soldiers than those with the trappings of wives and families. He refused marriage for all young men and potential soldiers. Valentine continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret and defied Claudius. Valentine was put to death when Claudius discovered his actions. Another legend suggests that Valentine was a prisoner who sent the very first Valentine himself to the jailor's daughter who he had fell in love with. The story further suggests that he wrote the girl a letter before he died and signed it 'From your Valentine', which is an expression still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is unsubstantiated, they are seeped with heroism and romanticism and Valentine was one of the best known saints in England and France.
Later, in the High Middle Ages romantic love flourished in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer. Saint Valentine's Day cards gained popularity in the 19th century with the development of romantic images like hearts, doves and the winged Cupid. In Worcester, Massachusetts, Esther Howland established a flourishing business copied in the main from British designs. From this meagre beginning the U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that about one billion Saint Valentines cards are sent every year. This makes the sending of Saint Valentine's Day cards second only to the sending of Christmas cards every year worldwide. Apparently over 85% of all Saint Valentine's Day cards are sent by women.

If you need to discuss specific design, typographic or illustration requirements, especially if it is a challenge, please do do hesitate to contact Peter or Rebecca at enquiry@celtic-1.co.uk