The trend of Augmented Reality greeting cards is continuing to gain speed as print and mail services company Hammer Direct – based in Minneapolis, Minnesota – has released Popcards, a greeting card creation app powered by Layar.

Popcards allows users to quickly and easily create a greeting card that literally pops with a video message. Users can personalize their Popcards with pre-designed templates to quickly make a great looking card.

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Greeting cards are an excellent example of an everyday object that can become magical with a touch of Augmented Reality.

Just a few weeks ago was Valentine’s Day, and if you think you did something special for your loved one, we’re pretty sure one guy – Vashner Muhi from Sydney, Australia – has you beat. Vashner used the Layar Creator to create a personalized, interactive Valentine’s Day card for his girlfriend. And of course, she loved it.

“Being a graphic designer by occupation, I’m always trying new styles and techniques to be innovative and always grow in the field,” Vashner said. “So I got curious about Augmented Reality because I’ve never had previous experience with it.”

Vashner inserted a “SCAN ME” card into his Valentine’s Day card for his girlfriend, which accompanied her favorite flowers. By scanning the card, his girlfriend was able to watch a personalized video message from Vashner, with hints at where they would go on the special day.

“Layar was the best and did exactly what I wanted to surprise my girlfriend,” Vashner said.

Check it out yourself by scanning Vashner’s card at our Get Inspired page.

Valentine’s Day is a great time of the year to let those near and dear to us know just how much we love and appreciate them. So this year, why not go above and beyond to create a truly unique, personalized valentine that your special someone won’t soon forget?

With Augmented Reality and the Layar Creator, you can spread the love by creating an interactive valentine that comes to life with a video or audio message, a photo slideshow, a link to a Website and much more. Your imagination is the limit!

Here’s how it works. Just scan or take a picture of your card or valentine and upload the image to the Layar Creator. Then simply drag-and-drop the interactive digital elements you want to add to it. You can easily record a quick video greeting using your smartphone or webcam and upload it to the Creator to give your valentine an interactive personal touch.

Then just hit publish and you’re done! Let your special someone know they can scan your valentine with the free Layar App for iOS, Android and BlackBerry to unlock your personal message.

Get started right now for free by signing up for the Layar Creator! Or, see more about how Layar can spice up your Valentine’s Day.

In 2013, a group of developers at Dutch Rose Media created the “Smilez” app with the Layar SDK to allow anyone to create personalized Augmented Reality greeting cards.

The app is pretty simple. Using their phone, users can record a video message, pick a card design and add text. Then, Smilez sends a physical greeting card to the recipient who can scan the card with the Smilez app to watch the video message come to life.

After receiving attention both from the press and from large brands including IBM and Deloitte, this small Dutch company wants to go international. They’ve launched a Kickstarter project to help fund the production of an international version of the app with more features, as well as the other elements of the business including global printing and shipping.

“People can back us on Kickstarter with different amounts. In exchange we offer some cool rewards as a thank you,” says Dutch Rose Media founder Natasja Paulssen. “These rewards can range from Smilez cards and Smilez campaigns to Augmented Reality posters.”

The company is hoping to raise €25,000 by August 27th, so have a look at their Kickstarter page if you’re interested in donating!