It’s not always easy to find the right words to put into a Valentine’s Day card.

Artist Joanna Stapff, 33, wants to help. She has released a line of specialty cards under her new brand, 1609 Design.

“I felt like the Island was lacking cards which were really simple but had good illustrations and were modern,” she said.

“I saw the typical Hallmark cards and they were a little fluffy looking. I wanted something that was more clean and had a unique message. So some of my cards say things like, ‘Wherefore art though Aceboy?’ and ‘Be my Acegirl’.”

She wanted to include catchy Bermudian phrases to pay tribute to the Island’s culture.

“Bermudians are becoming more proud of their culture,” she said. “Before we kind of made fun of how we talked, but now we are appreciating how unique the words that we use are.

“Even where I work at Alexandra Mosher’s Studio Jewellery she has a collection with phrases like ‘Boasty’ and ‘Acegirl’ on it. People love it. It’s showing off our national pride and it’s cute and funny as well.”

Her cards mostly range from fun and playful to cute; others lean more towards the raunchy side.

“My newest ones done this year include some illustrations with loquats and I have one that says, ‘I am happy you picked me’. Another one says, ‘I found you on top of a tree, the furthest to reach, but the sweetest to be’.”

Ms Stapff is well known on the local arts scene.

Since graduating from the University of Miami with a degree in studio art and graphic design, her work has been displayed in several exhibitions at Bermuda Society of the Arts.

Growing up, she was always encouraged to make her own cards.

“When I was younger my mom always felt it was important for me to put my creativity to good use,” Ms Stapff said. “For her, a card was more important than getting an actual present. I decided I wanted to share that with others as well.”

She said cards were important because they could express the words in our hearts that we were too shy or embarrassed to say.

“When you pick the right one it shows that you have taken a moment to think about that person and what they mean to you,” she said.

“It means so much to us, I know as women in particular, what our boyfriends or significant others say in a card.

“I wanted these cards to all have good messages to make it easier for the guys out there as well.”

The greeting cards take 15 or 20 minutes to create.

Ms Stapff draws some of her own illustrations, then gets them made into stamps.

She then uses typewriter font and lots of neons and pastel colours to get the right effect for each card.

She is inspired by “lyrics from songs, cheeky whispers from her boyfriend and picking loquats”. She made similar ones at Christmas, which were a big hit, and she is hoping the Valentine’s Day editions will be as popular.

“Love, in my opinion, shouldn’t just be celebrated on one day,” she said. “But what I love about Valentine’s Day is it gives people a chance to share how they are feeling.

“People are so busy with their schedules and running around that they don’t always get that chance to do that otherwise.”

Ms Stapff’s cards are available for $8 at Alexandra Mosher Studio Jewellery in the Washington Mall and from Petals on Queen Street.