ALT-1 Handmade Valentines Day Gift Ideas
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so why not give a homemade gift to those you love? Nothing says “I love you” like a gift you’ve made yourself and you don’t have to be a Picasso or a Martha Stewart to create something nice and meaningful. Here are a few ideas for homemade Valentine’s Day gifts that are fun to give and easy to make.
Food Gifts – Homemade sweets and confections aregreat ideasfor Valentine gifts and can include anything from cookies to handmade chocolates. Why not whip up a batch of heart-shaped sugar cookies, a box of truffles or a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries? Decorate the cookies with white, pink and red icing and don’t forget the edible sprinkles to send them over the top!
If you are not really a baker, cookie mixes and premade cookie dough work just fine. Truffles and chocolate-covered strawberries are easy to make. They too can be decorated with colored icing to give them that special touch. Place your offerings on a pretty tray lined with Valentine doilies, wrap them with plastic wrap or cellophane and tie it all together with colored ribbon and you’ll have an edible Valentine’s Day treat!
Another great food gift to make is a heart shaped wreath or bouquet made out of store bought candies, chocolate bars and foil wrapped chocolates. Craft stores carry decorator foam for floral arranging that comes in varies shapes and sizes. You can make an edible bouquet by taping wrapped candy bars or foil wrapped chocolate roses onto wooden picks and placing them in a foam base. Cover the base with grass type filler and pop the whole thing into a mug, basket or pretty flower pot and you’ll have a bouquet to please the eyes, nose, and taste buds!
Make a candy heart wreath by using a heart shaped base and some large size tooth picks. Tape the candies or chocolate bars onto the tooth picks and insert them into the foam in neat rows making sure to cover the entire exposed surface. Add a pretty wire ribbon bow and a ribbon hanger and you have a candy creation that is sure to please!
If you’re really crafty, try cutting out a set of lips from the foam. Add foil-wrapped chocolate kisses, skip the bow but keep the hanger. Tell your loved one that they can collect a real kiss for every chocolate kiss they eat and watch the sparks of love fly!
Bath and Body Gifts – Homemade gifts for bath and body are also another good Valentine’s Day gift choice. Lip balms, bath and massage oils, bath salts, and heart shaped soaps are alleasy to make. When packaged in special containers like heart shaped baskets or decorative jars, these love gifts are sure to please. Store-bought containers can be embellished with craft paints, stickers and colored ribbon to give your gift a personal touch that says, “I took the time to make this just for you!”
Homemade Cards and Love Coupons – Special Valentine’s gifts can be as simple as a homemade card or redeemable coupon for a special service or event. With today’s ample supplies of scrapbooking items, it’s easy tocreate a pretty cardor coupon. Use heart shape cutouts and bits of lace on precut cardstock, add three dimensional do-dads and use glitter pens to write sentimental messages inside. Coupons can be for gifts of quality time, special dinners, back rubs, or even a promise for tickets to a special event.
