Sending Valentine's Day cards has become a growing tradition. The first man to send a Valentine note was Charles, Duke of Orleans, who was imprisoned for 25 years in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The 60 love poems he wrote to his wife are claimed as the first formal "valentines". In the 1840s, a young American woman, Esther Howland received an English Valentine and decided to introduce the tradition to the United States. The cards fell out of fashion in Britain by the 1890s but have subsequently regained favour. More than a century later a billion cards are sent each year worldwide! You can create your own unique, personalized cards easily with Xara Photo & Graphic Designer or Designer Pro. If you don’t already own Photo & Graphic Designer or Designer Pro simply download a free trial version and download the free Valentine's clipart here. Once downloaded you need to unzip the clipart by right clicking on the zip file and selecting 'extract all'. I'm going to show you how to create 3 variations of a Valentine's card with a repeating design of 12 heart shapes filled with different patterns and textures, all color editable. Of course, you could use this method for any type of card. So, now let’s start the tutorial! © Xara Group Limited