Valentine's Romantic Gift Basket

So here is another do it yourself kind of idea that will help you relive all of your best memories together. Gather items that remind you of dates, events, conversations, and other experiences you've had together. Pick a theme such as the first few months of dating, the month before and after you got engaged, your wedding, or just the highlights over time. Then, when you give the gift you can explain what happened from your point of view while you enjoy one item and story at a time.

Supplies

• Basket, box, or other container (shoebox, hat box, gift box etc.)
• Favorite Items
• Memory Items

Favorite Items Include:

• Favorite Candy
• Food from your favorite restaurant
• Favorite flower
• Favorite piece of clothing etc
• Anything that can be used to generate conversation about a specific memory.

Memory Items Include:

• Photograph
• Business Card from a restaurant, hotel, or other place where something special happened
• Notes
• Emails
• Text Messages
• Drawings
• etc.

Assemble the items chronologically, in order of sincerity, by how much you remember, you decide! 

Hearing about the perspective of the one you love never grows old. Plus you'll get to show the one you love how much you care in noticing the details. Ladies especially will love a night like this!

Give Chocolates for Valentine's Day

So this is a very classic gift. There is a very interesting site from a French chocolatier who promises to send chocolates via DHL. I'm a fan of chocolate in general, but European and especially French chocolate is really the only way to go. Check out Mr. Jean-Philippe Khodara's site Z Chocolat.

Z Chocolat's basic chocolate shape

Love Books

When I get a gift, I almost always prefer something handmade rather than store bought. I get that not everyone has the skills they want to be able to create handmade masterpieces. I find the internet to be a nice solution to the problem - plenty of internet based businesses are waiting to help you create something beautiful.

So the Valentines gift idea: A Love Book.

Example Love Book with Adorable Line Drawings

A love book lists the reasons you love someone. I found a site that allows you to create a hard or soft cover book that has one reason you love someone and a fun line drawing on every page. I think the drawings are adorable and perfect for a coloring date (Yes my husband and I do this fairly often, it's both fun and therapeutic). Apparently you can customize the book a bit to give it a little bit more of your personality. I'll admit it's a bit over the top for some, but extremely cute for others :)

Check it out: http://www.lovebookonline.com/index.php

Paper Flowers for your Valentines

I love homemade gifts - they seem to appeal to me so much more than something store bought. I also love wearing things in my hair. So today, I set out to make a very easy gift for her for Valentine's Day- paper flowers! These can be made and given as a bouquet, but I thought I'd rather add to my vast collection of flowers, ribbons, and butterflies that frequent these tresses.

Now normally I would have made these flowers using simpler means - like a hair clip, barrette, claw, or a little elastic hair tie. But I didn't have any of those things. I improvised with what I had in the house. Please use a hair clip and hair tie if you have them - it'll save you loads of time and look nicer for your honey.

Ok, so, shopkeeping done, here is what you do:

1. Gather the necessary components:

• Scissors
• Tissue Paper (Pink is fun for Valentine's day, but you may want to choose a color that will match what your Sweetheart wears often)
• Snap Clip (I used Bobby Pins and ribbon)
• Elastic Hair Tie (I used a needle and thread)

For your reference here are some snap clips and elastic hair ties. Make sure the hair ties do not appear to be made of rubber. Rubber rips out hair. They are uncomfortable. The hair ties in this photo are covered with some kind of thread *slash* fabric situation and thus do not rip out hair, which is preferable.

2. Start with a sheet of tissue paper on a flat surface	3. Fold in half length-wise, "hot-dog-style" if you will
4. Fold it again in half. This time "hamburger-style"	5. Fold it in half one more time

6. Unfold the tissue paper

7. Cut the piece of tissue paper into 8 sections based on the lines we just folded

8. You can alternate colors of tissue paper if you want to have a variegated flower when we are finished

Again, if you are house-hold iteming it:

8.5 If you're using the same materials as me, sew the scrap of fabric or ribbon into a loop as shown:

9. Place the stack of tissue paper in front of you so one of the short sides is nearest to you (portrait layout)

10. Fold up the bottom end of the paper to create about a 1/4" fold

11. Flip the stack over

12. Fold up the bottom end of the paper again to create another 1/4" fold

13. Flip the stack of papers over

14. Continue folding and flipping the stack until you create a fan as shown:

Now, here comes the divergence. If you're using materials similar to me, keep on reading. If you've got the hair clippies and elastic, jump down to # 15.1.

15. Use the thread to tie a knot around the center of the fan:

16.5 Use the needle and thread to sew the fabric loop to the bottom of the fan

17. Pull the first layer of paper on the right side of the fan towards the center to create your first petal

18. Repeat for the left side

19. Continue steps 17 & 18 for each layer until the Carnation is complete

20. Place two bobby pins through the fabric loop and you're done!

I also made a few smaller flowers by cutting the stack of tissue paper in half again:

Stay tuned for more ideas for Valentine's Day this year!

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15.1 Cut the elastic hair tie in half. Hold the hair tie around the center of the fan.

16.1 Thread the ends of the hair tie through the openings on the hair clip. Tie a knot at the bottom to attach the hair clip to the fan.

17.1 Pull the first layer of paper on the right side of the fan towards the center

18.1 Repeat for the left side

19.1 Repeat for each additional layer until the Carnation is complete!

There is a video of a great girl explaining how to make a flower in this manner. Feel free to watch it - you may be a visual learner, or she may explain how to do this better than me: