LOVE SMARTER NOT HARDER: Valentine DIY Gift Ideas – Quick, Easy, Cheap – But Not ‘Cheap’

Valentine’s Day is a only week away – and, if you’re racing to get something together for your sweethearts, there are some really cool DIY gift ideas you can make, for the one you love – TODAY.

And they don’t cost much – but they say much – so, they can say I LOVE YOU on a tight budget…  So, they’re cheap, without seeming “cheap.”

•  Get a thrift store glass vase or plate (maybe mix baking soda and paint to create a ceramic look) – then add flowers or your partner’s favorite plant.  Maybe tie a ribbon around the vase, with a paper love note, attached…  even make your own paper flowers (with messages or love coupons on them).
• “Open When” envelopes are nice for a year-long gift that keeps on giving.  Create envelopes for your valentine to open when sad, lonely, after watching a romantic movie, or when they need motivation – or just for every Saturday.  Customize them to fit your relationship; and add pictures of the two of you.  Tie them with a red ribbon or decorate a shoe box, to make it special.
• Pick a perfect picture frame as your gift (dollar or thrift stores have lots of good ones) you can personalize it without much effort – even with a Sharpee marker!
• A DIY scratch-off card is easy to craft with the help of a card, soap, paint, and a white crayon.  Write out prizes you want to give on a card, then create a scratch-off layer with the white crayon over the lettering.  Finally, cover your prizes with a mix of paint and dish soap for a cool scratch-off card.
• Bake cookies with ready-made dough, and sprinkle them with love notes or candy or icing messages.
• How about a Valentine pizza?

This one is a fave, from Lou Malnati’s!

But you can make your own.  🙂