A life, creating

Express your love creatively—and without blowing your budget!

Posted: February 5th, 2012 by Christy - No Comments

Set in the middle of winter, halfway between Christmas and Easter, Valentine’s Day is a bright spot in a sometimes bleak season. The bright red hearts, pink and white striped candies, and shiny, lace-covered boxes of chocolates brighten up grocery store aisles and window displays at a time when the outside landscape is rather colorless! Traditionally, Valentine’s Day has been a celebration of romantic love, with movies and TV commercials depicting romance as a combination of well-dressed couples, expensive jewelry, fancy chocolates, and fine dining—often things that are more reflective of one’s credit card limit than true romance! The reality is that the typical Valentine’s date is much like a typical date night, generally involving dinner at a chain restaurant followed by a movie!

Although there is nothing wrong with dinner and a movie, why not step out of the traditional date box and do something unexpected? Make this Valentine’s Day a true celebration of love by creating a personalized celebration for your loved one! The ideas listed below work equally well for a romantic love as well as for a child, relative or friend, and, while most of these ideas require more advance preparation than a trip to your favorite restaurant, the delight on your special someone’s face should be worth the extra effort! An added bonus: All of these can be accomplished on a limited budget.

8 Creative ways to show you care:

1)      Make a homemade card–complete with silly rhyme and sappy message! Use construction paper, cardboard, wood, or fabric as the base. Decorate with paint, markers, pens, decoupage, glitter, cut-outs–let your imagination run wild! Make sure to spend time getting your message just right! This is the heart of any card. Don’t be surprised if your beloved wants to frame your work-of-art!

2)      Assemble a favorite-things gift basket. You know what your loved one likes—or at least you should!! Does he have a favorite gum, soda, or beef jerky? Does she prefer the expensive coffee, chocolate-dipped biscotti, and strawberry spearmint life-savers? Snag a basket from the thrift store (be sure to clean it!), then fill it full of your love’s favorite things. They will be so impressed that you know them so well!

3)      Have a picnic. Ditch the fancy restaurant and head outdoors for a romantic winter picnic. Grab some take-out items from a local restaurant, or prepare your own meal. Be sure to carry glasses, and dinnerware so the meal is extra special. Even fried chicken, served on fine china, is a treat! Take your favorite beverage, and a thermos of hot chocolate. Be sure to include a blanket to sit on, music, and candles. After the meal, lay back and enjoy the beautiful winter sky! Don’t forget to encourage your loved one to dress warmly!

4)      Make a t-shirt that proclaims your love. Select a design. You could opt for an eighties style “Tim loves Tonya”, a sweet “You are my sunshine”, or a whimsical “Tim and Tonya sitting in a tree…” (Look online for more design ideas.) Pick up a t-shirt in your valentine’s size to decorate. Use fabric paint, fabric glue to attach cut-outs, add stitching in a contrasting color around the edges—let your imagination run wild! Follow instructions on the fabric paint to insure the shirt is washable.

5)      Send on a treasure hunt. Create a treasure hunt for your loved one, complete with rhyming clues to decipher. Start by making a list of approximately 10 places to hide clues. Write clues to lead to the hiding places, with the first clue being given directly to your love and future clues being left in the hiding places and pointing to the next hiding place. At the end of the treasure hunt, have a special “treasure”. This could be a gift, or a picnic (see #3), or the final clue could lead your love to a special place (ex. Restaurant, event, etc.) where you meet!

6)      Write a love letter—in parts. Write a letter, taking the time to tell your loved one how special he/she is and why. Print the letter onto cardstock paper, decorate the edges (if desired), then sign. Cut the letter into between 3 and 7 pieces. Place each piece in an envelope addressed to your love. Mail the envelopes one-at-a-time on different days, so that your valentine will receive one piece of the letter at a time!

7)      Go on tour. Create a map of places that are significant to your loved one, or to your history together. (Some examples might include: Place where you first met, first date site, the school you attended together…) Take a driving (or walking) tour of these places, stopping at each site to share memories. You might want to share a souvenir or token gift at each site. Make sure that at least one stop includes food!

8)       Bake and decorate your favorite goodie together. Do you know what your love’s sweet tooth craves? Instead of buying, why not make it together. Assemble recipe, ingredients, and all baking supplies. Depending on how much you want to do, you could also include aprons (and hats!), decorated bakery wrappers, packaging for the finished product, and a light meal to eat together while the goodies are baking!

 

However you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day, remember what you are celebrating—the special and awesome gift of love! This Valentine’s Day, take time out of your life to focus you un-divided, uninterrupted attention on your loved one. It will be a gift not quickly forgotten!

 

What ideas do you have for a creative way to show your love? Share them at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christina-Carol-Artisan-Jewelry/255649044446614



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