The Christmas decorations have been tucked away, and we are entering the season of cold and quiet. I find it kind of shocking when we exit the holiday season (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s) – everything feels a bit less magical. And even though pink and red glittered hearts declare that Valentine’s has indeed entered the chat, it still feels a bit bland.
Speaking of Valentine’s Day – it is my least favorite holiday, but for 2026 I’ve decided that I’m embracing the season – in my own spooky way. Last year, we made some creepy-cute, vintage-inspired valentines, but this year I’m leaning into a more eerie vibe based on one of my favorite things – books! Specifically, classic horror tales and their authors.
My Gothic DIY valentines feature the ghostly apparitions of authors of the macabre encased in a gloomy color palette of paper hearts, each bearing a ribbon touting a love letter inspired by their bizarre works.
If your love language includes hand-crafting a horror story valentine for your beloved, then you’re in the right place.
For this project, we will need:
Cardstock in white, ivory, or light grey
Color printer
Scissors or a cutting machine, I’m using the Cricut Maker
Adhesive – I’m using Elmer’s Craft Bond Extra Strength glue stick
Awl or hole punch
Fasteners
Glitter or mica powder (optional)
We will also need the Horror Novel Valentine Collection from the Haunted Library. Select the PDF if cutting by hand or the PTC (Print Then Cut) for machine cutting.
If cutting by hand, open the PDF file in your favorite reader (FoxIt, Adobe, etc.) and print out the scalloped and author hearts, and the ribbon sentiments. Then cut out each piece.
Upload the Horror Novel Valentine cut file to your favorite design software, such as Cricut Design Space, and size as desired.
The table below lists the precise dimensions I used to craft my valentines. (Cricut Design Space likes to resize high-quality images upon upload, so resizing may be necessary.)
For each valentine, cut the author heart along with the corresponding scalloped hearts, and the ribbon sentiment.
If desired, brush the edges of your hearts with white glue, then coat them with fine glitter or mica. Allow to dry completely.
Arrange the paper ribbon sentiment across the author heart as desired and glue it into place.
Write a personal message on the light-colored scalloped heart, then glue it in the center of the dark heart.
Next, center the author heart on the coordinating scalloped heart (covering your personal message) and, using an awl, make a small hole through both hearts.
Slip a brad fastener through the hole and secure it in the back.
All that’s left to do is slip this into the hands of your beloved and wait for them to reveal your eerie inscription.
These five are among my most beloved classic horror stories. Which is your favorite?
Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. The short yet dramatic, tension-filled tale of murder and madness inspired this Gothic valentine.
Mary Shelley’s The Modern Prometheus, or Frankenstein, is a haunting story of creation, abandonment, vengeance, and tragedy – and it is my favorite horror novel.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a lesson in human duality and how good and evil exist in everyone. (This is my second favorite horror classic.)
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is another tale of good versus evil and explores the boundary between life and death (or the undead).
Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray paints a story of the corruption of the soul in the pursuit of eternal youth. Hmmm – this might be fitting for our time?
These Gothic DIY Valentines make my haunted heart skip a beat, but I’ve got another trick to turn these into holiday decor, so I’ll see you back here next week.
Until then – stay spooky.