Here’s a collection of thumb-buggy fingerprint love bug card ideas, and other fun fingerprint lovebug crafts and keepsake DIY projects perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Day, a wedding anniversary, and several other special occasions and events!
Here’s a list of fingerprint love bug cards, and other fun “Thumb-buggy” love bug craft ideas, that kids (toddlers and preschoolers to teens) and adults can make for someone special. Or hand out DIY fingerprint love bug cards to the whole classroom for Valentine’s Day. Simply cut sheets of cardstock paper into smaller squares and decorate them with fingerprint love bugs with a thumbprint heart head using the step-by-step instructions below.
These fingerprint love bugs are so cute, that kids and adults of all ages will squeal with joy and appreciation when they receive a card with one on it along with a special personalized message just for them. For more keepsake gift ideas, look at this list of Valentine’s Day crafts kids can make.
Best of all, using thumbprint hearts and fingerprint art to make fingerprint love bugs is not just for kids. Young and old alike are sure to enjoy making these cute little love bugs. Make love bug art for someone special with this easy love bug craft idea! Look at this list of love bug craft ideas for even more fun craft ideas for Valentine’s Day or any day of the year!
Thumb-Buggy Fingerprint Love Bug Cards and Craft Ideas
The step-by-step fingerprint love bug card instructions below also include several different “Thumb-Buggy” fingerprint love bug card titles, slogans, short phrases, sayings, and messages you can use on your homemade fingerprint art cards for other holidays and events besides Valentine’s Day. You might also enjoy this list of thumbprint heart crafts and gift ideas kids can make.
First published on January 26, 2019; this post about making fingerprint love bug crafts is updated and republished regularly to improve the content. Scroll down to see the fun love bug card message ideas for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, miss you cards, thank you cards, and more! You might also enjoy making fingerprint glass magnets crafts to give someone special along with homemade “Thum-buggy Loves You” cards.
How to Make Thumb-Buggy Fingerprint Love Bug Crafts for Cards and other DIY Projects
Invite toddlers, preschoolers, and kids and adults of all ages to use their fingers and thumbs to make any of these homemade fingerprint love bug crafts. Thumbprint heart love bug cards are a fun craft idea for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Day, and several other holidays, important events, and special occasions such as a wedding anniversary. For even more fingerprint craft ideas, look at this list of fingerprint art ideas for kids.
First, read through the step-by-step directions to make fingerprint love bug art on a blank greeting card so you know the steps involved and what to expect before getting started. Or use the detailed fingerprint art instructions to make other types of keepsake fingerprint love bug crafts. Several other suggestions are provided below.
After choosing your art materials, gather each of the supplies you need to make thumbprint heart fingerprint love bug crafts at your local hobby or craft store, or the Amazon Affiliate links provided for your convenience below. (Rhythms of Play will earn a small commission from purchases at no cost to the consumer.)
If you choose to make fingerprint love bug cards, finish by adding the “Thumb-buggy” title, short slogan, phrase, saying, or message you like best. For example, if you’re not comfortable giving someone a card that reads, “Thumb-Buggy loves you.” Write “Thumb-Buggy thinks you’re sweet” instead.
Or, try the other creative “Thumb-buggy” card message ideas for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and more, below!! Scroll down to find the materials list, instructions, and all of the “Thumb-Buggy” love bug card message ideas you can use to make handmade fingerprint art cards for various occasions. You might also enjoy making pom-pom love bug crafts.
Related: Fingerprint Snowman Cards
Fingerprint Love Bug Art Supplies for Cards and Crafts
As you can see, there are several different art supplies you can use to make fingerprint love bug crafts on the list below. Read through the step-by-step love bug craft instructions in the next section, and watch the video tutorial that follows the written directions, before making fingerprint love bugs. It’s best to understand the steps involved before getting started. Knowing what to expect will help you make a more informed choice about the art supplies you would like to use, and whether you will make love bug crafts on blank greeting cards, cardstock, or another type of canvas, etc. You might also enjoy painting heart art.
- Choose at least one of the following craft materials to make fingerprint love bugs on:
- Blank greeting cards
- Cardstock
- Hang fingerprint lovebug art printed on cardstock in a frame.
- Or use a guillotine paper trimmer to cut cardstock into smaller paper squares or rectangles.
- Make homemade Valentine’s Day cards on small cardstock cards to give to friends, and relatives, or hand them out to classmates with the directions below
- Cotton art canvas
- A wooden board or canvas
- Choose at least one of the following art supplies to make fingerprint love bugs with:
- Extra fine-tip paint pens or permanent markers to decorate love bug crafts
- Googly eyes
- Alternatively, you can sketch or draw eyes on your fingerprint love bug craft.
- White glue.
- Spray varnish or sealant with a foam brush (optional for most fingerprint love bug crafts and DIY projects, but not needed for fingerprint love bug cards.)
Related: The Best Art Supplies for Kids and Why Young Artists Should Use Them
Homemade Fingerprint Love Bug Step-by-Step Directions
Learn how to make fingerprint love bug crafts (with a thumbprint heart head) for “Thumb-buggy” cards and other arts, crafts, and DIY projects with the detailed step-by-step instructions below:
Update 2024: We’ve seen too many people and companies steal our original ideas over the years without proper attribution or compensation. Unfortunately, our fingerprint “Thumb-Buggy” crafts with the cute little thumbprint heart head are no exception. Please do not make “Thumb-Buggy” card printables or other crafts and DIY projects to sell. Instead use our step-by-step instructions (and message ideas) to make them to give to your friends, family, co-workers, and loved ones for FREE. Because it’s the right thing to do, and we don’t want to get lawyers involved. Thank you, happy love bug crafting!
1. Gather art supplies and prepare workspace:
- Gather the art supplies you would like to use to make fingerprint love bugs and place them on a table, counter, or other workspace.
- Use tempera paint, acrylic paint, or fingerprint ink pads to make fingerprint love bugs:
- Tempera paints are recommended if you are working with toddlers, preschoolers, or kindergarteners because it is non-toxic and washable.
- Fingerprint ink pads are also a good choice for young children such as toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners because they are easy to wipe off little fingers and hands with a wipe or wet washcloth.
- Acrylic paint is recommended if you are making fingerprint love bugs on an art canvas, wood, and most other DIY projects.
- Use tempera paint, acrylic paint, or fingerprint ink pads to make fingerprint love bugs:
- You may also want to cover your workspace with a roll of kraft paper, or a large piece of poster board to protect it (if needed).
- Tempura paint is washable, while acrylic is not.
- Fingerprint ink is easy to clean off fingers, but once it dries onto a table, desk, or counter it can be a bit harder to remove depending on the surface.
2. mix red and white paint to make pink (optional):
- Mix red with white tempera or acrylic paint to create at least one shade of pink (if needed or desired).
- Skip this step if you do not want to use pink, or if the paint or ink pad set that you are using includes pink.
- Make a lighter and darker shade of pink for even more fun!
How to make pink paint:
- Mix a bit of white paint with an equal amount of red paint to make pink:
- Add more white than red to make a lighter shade of pink.
- Or, add more red paint than white to make a darker shade of pink for your fingerprint love bug art.
- Another option is to buy tempera paint, or acrylic paint with several colors (including shades of pink) pre-mixed.
- Or use fingerprint ink pads that include a shade of pink.
Related: Fingerprint Lights Christmas Tree Cards
3. Make a thumbprint heart on the front of a blank greeting card, Paper, or other Craft Material:
- Start your love bug craft by making a thumbprint heart to create the head of the fingerprint love bug.
- First, use your thumb to make a thumbprint heart on the left or right side of the front of a blank greeting card, piece of cardstock, cotton canvas, wooden board, etc.
- Scroll down to learn how to make a thumbprint heart to start your thumb buggy.
- Invite children who are still learning to read and write, to create love bug art on their lovebug cards from left to right to prepare them for reading and writing.
- In Montessori education, children complete all actions from left to right to create the habit of going from left to right to make learning to read and write a little easier. This is why Montessori learning activities for young children are typically completed from left to right and top to bottom.
How to make a thumbprint heart:
- Press your thumb into tempura or acrylic paint, (or onto a fingerprint ink pad) as shown in the step-by-step fingerprint love bug video tutorial below.
- Tilt your thumb at a slight angle, and gently press the paint or ink onto paper, cardstock, a blank greeting card, or an art canvas.
- Dip your thumb into the paint or ink to reapply if needed.
- Tilt your thumb so it is at a slight diagonal to the first thumbprint, and press it down to make the opposite lobe and complete the thumbprint heart art.
- You might also enjoy making Thumbprint Heart Magnets. They make a great homemade gift to complement Love Bug cards.
4. Use fingertips to dot a love bug following the thumbprint heart head:
- Next, dip your fingers into the red and pink paint (or ink) to make the fingerprint love bug card as shown in the photographs and video tutorial. Or, use any other colors you would like to make fingerprint love bugs. Follow the steps below:
- Use a different fingertip for each paint or ink color.
- Feel free to alternate red with pink, or any other color, to create your fingerprint love bugs, or make them all the same color.
- Be careful not to mix up your fingers as you dot your love bug cards if you don’t want the colors to mix. However, mixing and blending the colors to produce a blended or mottled effect (as shown in the photographs of the love bug with the green googly eyes) can be fun too!
- Allow the thumbprint heart love bug crafts to dry completely before moving on to the next step.
5. Decorate love bug fingerprint crafts with eyes and legs for each thumb buggy card or Craft:
- First, attach googly eyes with white glue, or use self-adhesive googly eyes.
- Alternatively, you can use a paint pen or a permanent marker to draw or sketch a pair of eyes onto the lovebug craft.
- Next, use fine-tip paint pens or permanent markers to decorate your love bug fingerprint art.
- We used a black paint pen to make antennae and legs to decorate the love bug crafts shown in the photographs, but you can use whatever color you like.
- For example, white looks great on a wooden canvas that is stained with gel or liquid watercolor paint before making a fingerprint love bug on it.)
- Click the link to see how to paint watercolor paints on a wooden canvas to stain them before using them to make keepsake handprint crafts.
- For example, white looks great on a wooden canvas that is stained with gel or liquid watercolor paint before making a fingerprint love bug on it.)
- Draw a smiling face and cute little feet on your love bugs to bring them to life.
- Children love to make love bug art!
6. Seal and protect Thumb-Buggy love bug art (optional).
- Skip this step if you are making fingerprint love bug cards.
- Paint or brush-on sealant with a foam brush, or use a spray varnish, to protect the “Thumb-Buggy” fingerprint love bug art with a thumbprint heart.
- This step is recommended if you are making fingerprint love bugs on a wooden canvas and other DIY projects but is optional for most other crafts.
7. Write a thumb-buggy card message on each love bug card or Craft (optional).
- Skip this step if you are making a fingerprint love bug craft or DIY project that does not require a written message with it.
- Thumb-Buggy fingerprint cards are perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Day, and several other occasions.
- Scroll down to see the fingerprint card messages and phrases we have come up with written below the fingerprint love bug video tutorial.
- You might also enjoy this list of Valentine’s Day crafts and gifts kids can make.
Fingerprint Love Bug Craft Step-by-Step Video Tutorial
Related: Thumbprint Heart Crafts and Gift Ideas
Personalize Homemade Love Bug Cards with Fingerprint Love Bug Card Titles, Slogans, Short Phrases, and Message Ideas
There are so many fun ways to make a love bug card, and several different card titles, slogans, short phrases, sayings, and message ideas that you can choose from, depending on the holiday, occasion, or event. So, we have also created several fun messages, sayings, and words to write on your love bug fingerprint cards for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, a birthday, an anniversary, and several other occasions.
Feel free to write any of our original “Thumb-Buggy” card message ideas and phrases on your love bug cards. But please note that our love bug message ideas are protected under Copyright Laws and for personal use only. In other words, please do not use the word “Thumb-Buggy,” or use our “Thumb-buggy” fingerprint art, craft, or message ideas to sell or publish.
Thumb-Buggy Loves You Fingerprint Love Bug Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or anniversary Card Crafts.
We put a fun spin on the phrase “Thumb-Body loves you.” Write “Thumb-Buggy loves you” instead! (photograph below)
Thumb-Buggy Valentine’s Day Card Titles, Phrases, and SLogans
We’ve come up with lots of different “Thumb-Buggy” titles, slogans, and short phrases or messages you can use to write on your Valentine’s Day fingerprint love bug cards. Look at all of the fun ideas below:
- Thumb-buggy wishes you a Happy Valentine’s Day!
- Thumb-buggy wants to be your Valentine!
- Thumb-Buggy says be mine, Valentine!
- Happy Valentine’s Day, love bug!
Valentine’s Day Fingerprint Love Bug Friendship Card Ideas
Is there someone that you would like to be your friend? Then give them a “Thumb-Buggy wants to be friends” Valentine’s Day card! In other words, “Thumb-buggy” friendship cards are an excellent homemade love bug Valentine’s Day handout idea for kids to make and give to classmates and friends. Try any of the card message ideas below:
- Thumb-Buggy wants to be friends!
- Thumb-Buggy wants to be your friend!
- Thumb-Buggy wants a new friend.
- Thumb-Buggy wants to make friends.
Thumb-Buggy Thinks You’re Sweet (Special, Nice, Fun, Friendly, The BEST!, etc.)
There are several ways to write this one to make anyone feel special on Valentine’s Day. Like Thumb-Buggy friendship cards, some of these ideas are also perfect for children to give to their friends or hand out at school.
- Thumb-Buggy thinks you’re sweet!
- Thumb-Buggy thinks you’re kinda cute!
- Thumb-Buggy thinks you’re something special!
- Thumb-Buggy thinks you’re nice!
- Thumb-Buggy thinks you’re fun to be around!
- Thumb-Buggy thinks you’re friendly!
- Thumb-Buggy thinks you’re the BEST!
- Thumb-Buggy thinks you’re HOT!
Thumb-Buggy Wants a KISS! Valentine’s Day Card Idea
Are you looking for a kiss from your sweetheart? Try any of the “Thumb-Buggy wants a kiss love bug card message variations below:
- Thumb-Buggy wants a kiss!
- Thumb-Buggy wants to steal a kiss!
- Thumb-Buggy wants you to give him/her a kiss!
- Thumb-Buggy wants to give you a Valentine’s Day kiss!
Related: Best Valentine’s Day Art Projects
Love Bug Miss You Card Idea: Thumb-Buggy Misses You!
If you want to send a miss you card to someone you love and miss, try writing any of the miss you love bug card message ideas below:
- Thumb-Buggy misses you!
- Thumb-Buggy is missing you.
- Thumb-buggy can’t wait to see you!
- Thumb-Buggy is dreaming of the day we meet!
- Thumb-Buggy misses their Valentine (or sweetheart.)
Related: DIY Thumbprint Heart Necklaces
Mother’s Day Fingerprint Love Bug Card Ideas
I’m sure you can come up with personalized ideas for Mom. If not, we have a few fingerprint Mother’s Day card message ideas to share with you. You might also enjoy these gift ideas for mom. We have a list of homemade gifts kids can make and gifts for moms that will put you in the GOOD Book!
- Thumb-Buggy wants to wish you a happy Mother’s Day!
- Thumb-Buggy loves his or her mommy, mummy, or momma!
- Thumb-Buggy wishes you a happy Mother’s Day!
Fingerprint Love Bug “Thank You” Card Idea
You can also use fingerprint love bug cards as thank you cards. Simply choose a lovebug thank you card title, phrase, slogan, or message idea from the list below:
- Thumb-Buggy wants to thank you!
- Thumb-Buggy wants to say thank you.
- Thumb-Buggy is thankful.
- Thumb-Buggy is full of thanks.
- Thumb-Buggy is thankful for you.
- Thumb-Buggy is grateful for…
Related: Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make
“I’m Sorry” Fingerprint Love Bug Card Ideas
If you need to apologize to someone, a Love Bug card can help! Write any of the “I’m sorry” lovebug message ideas below on your fingerprint lovebug card to turn it into an “I’m sorry” card.
- Thumb-Buggy wants to say he/she is sorry.
- Thumb-Buggy is very sorry!”
- Thumb-Buggy wants to apologize.
- Thumb-Buggy needs to say I’m sorry.
- Thumb-Buggy knows he or she messed up.
Related: Personalized Photo Keychain Charms
Fingerprint Love Bug Anniversary Cards and Gift Ideas
Lovebug cards are perfect for a wedding or an anniversary, especially the first paper anniversary. Anything made of paper is a traditional gift for the first wedding anniversary, so a fingerprint love bug card is the perfect handmade gift idea. Write “Thumb-Buggy wants to wish you a Happy Anniversary!” on a blank greeting card to make your partner or spouse fall in love all over again!
There are many more ways to write an anniversary message on your cards. Get creative and personalize it in whatever way works for you. Or make a lovebug on a piece of cardstock and hang it in a frame to give to him or her for your first wedding anniversary.
Alternatively, you can make fingerprint lovebug art on a cotton canvas for a lovely DIY second wedding anniversary gift idea. Gifts made of cotton are a traditional gift for the second wedding anniversary, so a fingerprint lovebug on a cotton art canvas is a great gift idea. Or decorate a wooden canvas with fingerprint love bugs for a gorgeous homemade fifth wedding anniversary gift idea. Anything made of wood is a traditional gift for the fifth wedding anniversary, so a fingerprint lovebug on a wooden canvas would be perfect for him or her.
Related: Gifts for Him or Her
Thumbprint Heart Love Bug Cards
Make love bug cards for Valentine’s Day, or use any of the love bug card message ideas we have provided above to create the best homemade love bug cards for different occasions and events all year!
You can see from all of the fantastic love bug card message ideas we have created (and provide for your use) how many unique ways you can use love bug cards to make someone’s day. So, gather inspiration to create personalized messages or use one of the love bug message ideas my daughter and I wrote from the “Thumb-buggy” message ideas above.
You may also enjoy making fingerprint art magnets and other fingerprint art ideas. Click either link to see several more ways to create art with your fingers and thumbs.
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
More Love Bug Arts and Crafts
- 2 Easy Ways to Make Pom-Pom Love Bug Sticker Crafts
- Heart Love Bugs
- Best Love Bug Craft Ideas for Kids
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