10 DIY Valentines Day gift ideas

Valentine’s Day is all about showing that special someone how much you love them. And a great way to illustrate how you feel is to take the time to craft them something from the heart. Here are 10 DIY Valentines Day gift ideas we love.

52 reasons I love you

This clever little project – more details here – takes an ordinary deck of playing cards and, with a little ingenuity, turns it into a miniature book of thanks. Each page/card features a new reason and insight into why you love you partner, and hopefully it won’t be too hard to find 52 of them. Best of all, it’s small enough to keep in a bag or drawer, so they have it with them always.

Year of dates

This is the gift that keeps on giving. Collect 12 envelopes, which you can decorate as you please, and label them each with a different month. Then come up with 12 different dates to go inside them. It can be something fancy, such as tickets to a concert, or something intimate, such as a night at a B&B. It’s a great way to give your partner something to look forward to each month.

Handmade chocolate truffles

Who doesn’t love chocolates? About the only thing that could make them taste even more delicious is knowing someone made them just for you. They look amazing presented in a great gift box and, even better, they’re one of the easiest sweet treats to make. Just Google for a recipe and, before you know it, you’ll be channelling Nigella in the kitchen.

Week of tiny treats

Good things do come in small packages, and here’s your chance to prove it. Pick up one of those seven-day pill organisers and then fill each day with a small treat of some sort. One day it could be a homemade voucher for a massage, another might be some foil-covered chocolates. Just make sure you decorate the box as well to add a little whimsy to the practicality.

Heart-shaped paperclips

If your Valentine is a stationery fan, they’re guaranteed to love this simple, yet ultra effective idea. It’s the work of a minute or so to transform ordinary paperclips into heart-shaped varieties, simply by bending one of the layers back on itself. Make a bunch to give as a gift, use them to clip notes in the book they’re currently reading, or even just embellish a greeting card.

Snack bouquet

If you don’t want to go down the traditional route of giving a flower bouquet, then why not try a different twist by making a snack bouquet? Gather up the lollies and other snack food that your Valentine loves best of all, and arrange them into a bouquet form, maybe surrounded by cellophane and secured with beautiful ribbon.

Love map

Love is a journey you take together, and this awesome piece of artwork captures the literal road map of the adventure. You can make it as simple as this one, or up the ante by adding in more places, such as ‘we had our first date’, ‘we had our first overseas trip’ or ‘we got engaged’. To get you started, check out a tutorial here.

Customised beer-bottle labels

If your Valentine likes to enjoy a beer or two, then create a Valentine’s Day gift they will really appreciate by making your own custom labels to glue on to bottles of their favourite beer. This also works with cider, ale, wine or even soda! You can add cute sayings, feature favourite movie quotes or even just come up with cute alternative names for the drinks.

Heart puzzle blocks

How do I love thee? Let me show you the myriad ways. These fun puzzle blocks are based on a children’s toy, but updated with a romantic edge. All you need to create them is four wooden blocks, glue and glitter in a variety of colours. Just draw one heart across the four blocks, paint it with glue and cover with glitter before repeating on the other blank sides in a different colour

‘I heart you’ snow globes

This Valentine snow globe is incredibly easy to make, using a jam jar. Simply fill the jar with a mixture of water and glycerine, plus a nice big spoonful of glitter. Then glue a decoration – something like a plastic heart works well – on to the inside of the lid, putting it upside down of course. After that simply add some glue around the rim and screw it on. Voila. Instant winter romance.