By Rachael Pace
Sweet letters, cards, and personal trinkets often rank high on people’s best gift lists for a reason – because they mean something! Sure, diamond earrings and tickets to your favorite sporting events are gifts that are guaranteed to please. But, if you think back to the best gift that you’ve ever received, we’ll bet that it was something a lot more sentimental than jewelry.
If you’re stumped for what to get your sweetheart on this day of romance, one of our biggest love tips is for you to think outside the box. Get creative and pour your heart out in your gift.
Here are five romantic Do-It-Yourself gifts that your partner is going to cherish forever:
1. Put Your Talents to Good Use
Are you an extremely talented individual? Why not let your creative side loose and give your spouse a gift that’s not only heartfelt but also completely unique!
Use your musical talents to write your spouse a song. It can be as silly, ooey-gooey, or stuffed with inside jokes as you like. If you’re not good on the guitar or can’t hold a tune, no worries. You can still write something beautiful for your partner. A poem or deep letter can have more sentimental value than any store-bought gift ever could. Another great way to put your talents to good use is to use your natural artistic abilities. Draw a stunning portrait of your partner, make an art book of things you both enjoy, or draw an adorable chibi version of yourselves doing something cute together. No matter what your talent is, you are sure to create something your spouse will love.
Related Link: Dating Advice on How to Meet Someone for Valentine’s Day
2. The “52 Reasons I Love You” Deck of Cards
This is a great DIY gift that is both sweet and fun. Start by purchasing a deck of cards at your local dollar store. Make sure the cards have enough white space on the face so that you can write on them. Next, think of 52 reasons why you love your spouse. Some ideas include:
– I love you because… You have the cutest smile
– You are incredibly kind-hearted
– You always know how to make me laugh
– You are an amazing kisser
– You aren’t afraid to face off with me in an air-guitar battle
Take your time writing down each idea on one of the cards. If you feel that your gift doesn’t feel quite done after you’ve written on all the cards you can easily embellish them with cut out photos and pictures that will make this DIY gift that much more personal. Another great option for this deck of cards idea is to put these same reasons into 52 different envelopes and fill a “treasure chest” with the letters. Then your spouse can open them whenever they need a pick-me-up.
3. Cool Shadowbox Ideas
Do you and your spouse attend a lot of events? If so, our next love tip is to make an amazing shadowbox to commemorate your good times together.
You can get a shadowbox starter from most craft stores and customize them to fit your interests. For example, if you love to travel, gather up your train, plane, and cruise tickets, along with museum tickets and other memorable vouchers that you used on your trip. Concert goers will love being able to display their favorite concert tickets on the wall. You can ever get fancy and have some small autographed memorabilia or add guitar picks into the mix to make a visually textured shadowbox of memories.
Related Link: Celebrity Style: Valentine’s Day Date Night Outfits
4. Bake Something Sweet
Are you looking for something personal that’s also under-budget? We have love tips for that! They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and we’d argue that girls are no different! One deliciously affordable gift idea is to bake your spouse something amazing. Some ideas include:
– Heart shaped brownies
– Cupcakes with pink frostings and
– Raspberry and white chocolate shortbread cookies with heart cut-outs
– Chocolate Cheesecake
– Strawberries drizzled in chocolate
– Chocolate chip cookies
– A “bouquet” of cake pops
And of course, your spouse’s favorite dessert idea works perfectly, too! Baking something is a great idea for a gift because it’s cheap to do and it is highly personal because of the effort it takes to make it. Plus, with fondant and icing pens, you can get as creative with this gift as you like!
5. Personalized Scrapbook/Memory Box
One of the sweetest love tips you can follow this day of romance is creating a personalized memory box for your sweetheart. There are two ways you can go about this. The first option is to do a linear timeline by making a scrapbook of your memories together.
Print out pictures and align them in a timeline of your relationship. Choose exciting and memorable dates and paste down pictures into the pages of the book. Next, to the photos, write down your favorite memory of that day/month/time in your relationship. Your spouse will love flipping through the pages and seeing your take on your time together.
If you love your personalized trinkets and don’t want to tape or glue them down into a booklet, fear not! You can still make a special memory box for your spouse. Take all of the photos, letters, and anything else you would have put into your scrapbook and set them into a beautiful box. This can be a personalized, carved wooden box with a lock or a simple decorated box with a lid.
Either one of these DIY gift ideas is great a choice because, for the most part, it only uses things you already have on hand. Plus, it is super romantic.
Great gifts don’t have to cost a fortune. It’s what comes from the heart that truly shows your spouse you care. Once you begin to think about all the reasons you love your partner, the rest will come naturally. Follow these love tips for a great DIY present that is sure to put a smile on your sweetheart’s face.
Rachael Pace is a relationship expert with years of experience in training and helping couples. She has helped countless individuals and organizations around the world, offering effective and efficient solutions for healthy and successful relationships. She is a featured writer for Marriage.com, a reliable resource to support healthy happy marriages.
