Thoughtful Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

The 14th of February, Valentine's day will soon be upon us. (Johnny Depp, if you are reading this please stop sending me Valentine cards. I have no where to put them all now!) Don't just head out to the shops and buy the typical mass produced gift. (Please stop ringing me Johnny) Why not try giving a really romantic gift to your loved one this year to show that you have put 100% effort into thinking about them and treating them special. (Johnny i'm considering a restraining order. It has gone too far with the flowers and chocolates) Handmade gifts are always the best, they have come from the heart and time and effort has been spent preparing them and creating them. (I LOVE YOU JOHNNY) Your partner is sure to appreciate this when they see the efforts you have gone to. Here are some romantic and handmade gift ideas to give to your partner. From home cooked meals, IOU vouchers, love poems, handmade candles, handmade cards and homemade chocolates etc are to name a few. Whatever you are doing, Have a Happy Valentine's Day <3 !!

1) A home cooked meal with a beautifully decorated table~

There are hundreds of internet sites with loads of recipes if you are stuck for ideas. Or why not check out Food Network Channel on the TV. Barefoot Contessa is a favourite, as well as Nigella Lawson. To get you started here is a link to a recipe from one of my hubs to give you some ideas.

http://ninasvoice.hubpages.com/hub/Beautiful-braised-beef-with-red-wine-and-mushrooms

It is also romantic to set the table and lay it out beautifully. Why not make your own candles and use them as a centre piece, you could carve yours and your partners initials into each candle to make them look extra special. You could get a beautiful vintage table cloth and make your own name place settings out of folded coloured card.

2) Home made chocolates inside a homemade gift box with a bow on top~

Home made is always the best. Shop bought chocolates are delicious, but everyone is buying the same ones, in the same packaging and they can be expensive. Whilst shops like Thorntons are great and their products are delicious and beautifully packed, you are paying alot of money for this pleasure. Why not give making your own handmade chocolates a try. You could even make your own fancy packaging and make a bow for the top. You will get great satisfaction knowing you have made your own and can decorate them how ever you like. Your loved one will be touched at the effort you have gone to. You can also control what goes into your chocolate, so if your loved one is on a diet, cutting back on sugar or diabetic, you can control how much sugar to put in. If you know your loved one loves a certain chocolate such as fudge, nutty choc, fruit choc etc you could try to recreate it for them. They may even think your homemade chocolates taste better than their favourite shop bought ones.

3) A bouquet of paper and material flowers~

We all know real flowers smell great and you can press them when they are dead, so you can keep them forever. But why not trying giving 'fake' flowers ago made from paper or material. When you have created your bouquet you could even spray them with perfume, or your loved ones favourite floral scent. The added benefit to 'fake' flowers is that they never die and when Valentine's day is over you could put them in the centre of your table as a feature. so don't waist loads of money buying expensive real ones, then having to throw them away when they are dead.

4) Handmade piece of jewellery~

Why not give your loved one a beautiful handmade piece of jewellery. If you struggle with making your own jewellery, or are a complete newbie, sites such as Etsy have beautiful, handmade, one off pieces, that have been handmade and not mass produced. You are buying a designer piece from the designer themselves. Or if you are feeling creative why not give jewellery making a go yourself, it can be quite addictive once you get going. You might even find yourself making extra gifts for family and friends, for their birthday or christmas presents.

5) Handpainted piece of art~

If you are the creative type and love painting, why not paint your loved one an original canvas. If you have never painted before, why not give it ago. You may find a new gift idea has turned into a new hobby. All you need is some paint brushes, paints and a canvas and away you go. You don't have to spend a fortune on paints and brushes. Shop around places like ebay and amazon if you are a newbie. Your loved one will be able to keep your art work for years to come, or even decorate their home with it, by putting it on their wall as a feature piece.

6) A love poem handwritten in beautiful caligraphy and sealed with red wax seal and rolled up like a scroll~

Create a special love poem for your loved one, or if you are not very good with words try one from one of the greats like shakespear. Red wax seals have been used for thousands of years to seal love letters, private letter etc. Or you could have a go at making your own wax seal by carving yours and your loved ones initials into a rubber stamp, then melting some red wax onto your love poem to seal the scroll. An old fashioned parchment paper would add an original touch. You could even stain the paper with tea bags or coffee to give it an aged look.

7) A homemade collection of photographs, collage, album or scrap book~

Put all your favourite memories, or time spent with your loved one into a scrap book of memories, or make a photo collage. There are some beautiful layouts you can create by making a layout board. Why not have a go at making your own handmade photograph album or scrap book. There are loads of templates and design layouts you can get off craft sites, to give you some help and inspiration.

8) A romantic walk and picnic in the woods~

A romantic walk through a scenic woods, with a waterfall an a picnic waiting, sounds like a perfect day to spend with your loved one, Or a stroll on a beach, dipping your feet in the sea and watching the sunset and birds fly past. Stop by your favourite scenic spot for a spot of lunch on your dinner break, if you are busy.

9) IOU voucher that you make yourself~

Make some paper IOU vouchers, by printing your design off of the computer. Or just decorate them by hand. Staple them together so that they are in a booket form and give them to your loved one. You could put IOU a 30 minute massage, a shopping trip, a day cleaning the house, doing the washing, looking after the kids, taking the dog for a walk, a long kiss, cooking dinner, a makeover, a cinema trip etc

10) Upcycled, re-vamped, vintage photoframe with a photograph of the two of you inside~

Remind your loved one of a special time you spent together by putting the memory in a re-vamped or upcycled photoframe. Buy a vintage or used photoframe from a carboot, thrift shop, charity shop or second hand market and do it up. The photoframe on the right has been re-vamped by using cut out magazine and newspaper strips and has created a colourful re-vamped look.

11) Handmade Candles~

Making your own candles can be quite addictive. Why not make a special few for your loved one to give to them on Valentine's day and then carve your initials into the front of them. You could then put them in the centre of your table as a centre piece for when you cook your romantic meal. The link below tells you how you can carve your initials into the candles. Candles also look great to make in teacups. Place a few around your room to give it a romatic ambience. If you are new to candle making there are loads of kits you can buy to get you started. You will soon be making batches up to give to your friends and family for presents.

http://www.ehow.com/how_12105727_carve-initials-candle-gift-idea.html

12) Don't forget the handmade Valentines day card~

This is the most important part. We all like to read the romantic verse inside the card that our loved ones have chosen for us. Some people choose cards based on the picture and some on the verse or both. Personal preference will determine what sort of card you will make for you valentine. Have a go at making your own cards this year instead of buying the usual mass produced one. You can buy really cheap card making kits. Or if you are a newbie and not confident in making your own just yet, but stilll want a unique designed card, Etsy has some beautiful ones, handmade and one offs.