Valentine’s Day, is the day of love and romance! The day to share with those close to you how much you love and appreciate them. What better way to show them, is with some gifts? If you need some ideas for quick and meaningful gifts, you’re in luck, here are four gifts, plus some extra ideas you can make to spruce up Valentine’s Day this year!
The first gift you can create is a Love Note Jar! This is a simple and easy task that anyone can do. All you need is some sticky notes or strips of paper (they can be colorful to make it more fun) and a jar. You can buy a mason jar at the dollar store for this! On each strip of paper, you will write something you love about the person you’re giving it to and then place the paper into the jar. The person receiving the jar will love how thoughtful the gift is and the little notes can be used as a “pick me up” on a bad day when they need a little reminder of how loved they are. To add to this, if you used colored pieces of paper you could even create a key so it correlates with certain times or events! Example: “Orange papers = 2023 moments” or “Pink papers = moments from 11th grade)
A second gift you could do is a candy-filled jar. There are many ways to create this one, but you only need two items; a jar and candy. You can identify the person’s favorite candy and can easily find the candy at any store. You can use loose pieces or wrapped candy, you can even mix the candy by layering different pieces on top of the other! For the exterior of the jar, you can get creative and decorate it with colors, stickers, and more to make the exterior look festive or even write a note to go along with the gift.
A third gift you could make is bracelets. There are bracelet-making kits sold in stores that you can use or you go to the store and find the materials individually. All you really need is some string or rainbow looms. There are many video tutorials you can find online to use as a guide. When using string, a lot of people tend to tie the string to the base or handle of the water bottle to start the process, and then just begin twisting it and threading the strings together! Once you get the flow of making the bracelet, it becomes second nature. If you choose to use rainbow looms, you will most likely want to buy a kit, because the kit contains all the materials needed to help ensure you will be successful. Just be sure that you have the right measurements for the bracelet size!
A fourth gift you could make is handmade bookmarks. There are a few different ways you can make a bookmark. One way is to make them heart-shaped and follow the tutorial by heyletsmakestuff.com. On Cori George’s website, you can download two heart designs, and upload them to Cricut Explore/Maker. From there, you will cut the hearts out on the Cricut Explore/Maker machine, and then glue the smaller piece behind the larger one. Then fold the paper and glue them, and your corner bookmark is done. Another way you can make bookmarks is by gathering cardstock and decorating it however you’d like to show the person you care!
It is also very important to remember why we do these things, showing the love you have for someone can really mean a lot and that’s why when a gift is handmade, it really adds in a unique factor and makes gift-giving a lot more personal. These gifts are not something you will find in a store. A handful of people answered a survey on what makes a gift special, and many people answered: that it is the thought that counts, the meaning behind the gift, low to no cost, and how much time you put into it, were all perfect responses. However you choose to spend Valentine’s Day this year, or next year and in the future, take some time to reflect and really focus on loved ones. Do not forget: it is not just a day for partners, it is a day to show love to your family and your friends as well!
