During the Valentine’s Day season it seems every time you turn on a television, open a newspaper or magazine, hop online or drive through a shopping center, all you see are commercialized versions of what marketers think should represent Valentine’s Day.
Expressing sentiments, love or other thoughtful feelings towards someone you care enough with to give a gift to on Valentine’s Day does not have to be about how much money you spend, despite what millions of dollars of advertising say every year. No, what matters is that the gift you give is from the heart and something your loved one will appreciate.
Handmade gifts are some of the most thoughtful ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day. There are many different ways to approach making a gift especially for that special someone.
Here are a few ideas:
A Heartfelt Letter
One of the most thoughtful gifts a person can give another is a heartfelt letter that is full of personal sentiments and words of love. A handwritten letter shows the person you care about they mean enough to you where you’ve taken the time to pen personalized words to them.
Sentiment Box
A terrific and beautiful way to show a loved one how much you care is to find a box. You can either purchase one or make your own. Cut up several small strips of paper and then ink a sentiment on each one (red ink works nicely for Valentine’s Day!). You can write things like “I love you because…” and then express how you feel. Imagine your sweetie’s surprise when they open a box and read all the ways and reasons why you love them.
Clothing Item
Do you know how to sew, knit, or crochet? If so, making a handmade item for your loved one to wear is a terrific handmade gift. The time spent lovingly putting together a piece of apparel is a strong way to show someone how much you care and they’ll appreciate the time and energy spent it takes to make something so special.
Collections of Photos
There are many ways to make a beautiful handmade gift using sentimental photos. Whether the gift is for a lover, friend, child or even a teacher, this is an opportune time to highlight special moments and put them in a place that can be displayed and cherished forever.
You can make or purchase a large frame or poster board and arrange a nice collage with a collection of photos. Perhaps include words or sentiment, a poem or other thoughtful phrase. There are many ways you can design and put a collage together, just let those creative juices flow!
Another idea with photos is to take one special photo and put it in a special frame. Or you can take several photos and put them in a memory book and then custom-design it with decorations or words embedded between the photographs.
These are only a handful of ideas, but the possibilities of using photos as gifts are endless. Think ornaments, key chains, and other small miscellaneous items too.
Personalized Coupons
This is especially good if your funds are low, but your affection is high. Try creating a coupon for hugs, kisses, chores, homemade dinner or other thoughtful gesture you’d like to share. You can use a computer to design it, even a word processing program works well, you don’t need to know fancy graphic programs to make attractive and sentimental coupons.
There are many ways to give gifts on Valentine’s Day to those you care about without having to indulge in the flurry of commercialism. After all, the day isn’t about how much you spend, but how much you love or care. In fact, these gifts can be given throughout the year, not necessarily just on Valentine’s Day.
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