5 Ideas for Valentine’s Day DIY Gifts for Him
Valentine’s Day, the most romantic time of the year, is getting closer. February 14th is the date when we want to express our love for that special someone in a unique way and to show them how much they mean to us.
While it’s always worth to confess our feelings to each other not only during special occasions, the Feast of Saint Valentine is a perfect chance for surprising our second half with a thoughtful present.
Right now, a lot of you might wonder, “what should I give to my beloved?” It should be something romantic, but not too adorable, something functional, but also crafty… The stores compete in offering various gifts, but we want to suggest something personal and unique – DIY gifts! Below, you’ll find 5 easy instructions how to make romantic and original presents for your beaus.
- Love-filled jar
You’ll need:
- jar (preferably with a glass lid)
- ribbon or twine
- piece of fabric or glitter (as you think fit)
- Super Glue-like adhesive
- small stripes of paper
- fineliner pen.
Our first proposition is a decorative jar filled with amorousness! Think of the reasons why you love your partner. Is it for his smile? For the delicious breakfasts that he brings to your bed? For his patience when you shop in a shopping mall? Or is there maybe another reason? Write down all the reasons on small stripes of paper and put them into the jar. You can fill 30, 52 (one for each week) or even 365 stripes of paper, that is, if you have enough ideas and persistence! If your jar’s lid doesn’t look too aesthetic, you can superglue a round piece of fabric or glitter to it. You can also wrap the jar with a twine and use Super Glue to attach it to its sides (if you prefer a more minimalist design). And if you think he’ll fancy something cuter, attach little felt hearts to the sides with glue and use a ribbon to tie a bow around the jar. We guarantee that the receiver will be overjoyed while taking out and reading your tiny confessions of love!
- A bit of warmth
You’ll need:
- 2 pieces of red felt
- needle and red embroidery floss
- rice
- dried lavender (optionally).
An idea for those who like to sew and want to give their loved one a bit of warmth and something cute that can be carried around. Even though winter isn’t so hard this year, but the mornings can be cold. So, if your sweetheart’s hands get cold easily, then he’ll appreciate our second proposition – a heart-shaped hand warmer! In order to make one, cut out two heart shapes from the felt, thread the embroidery floss through the needle and start sewing the two pieces of felt together. Remember to stitch the textile densely to keep the rice grains inside. After sewing ¾ of the edge together, fill the hand warmer with rice and, optionally, dried lavender. The amount of filling depends on the size of the hearts – put enough to fill the entire hand warmer, but also to be able to sew it shut (don’t forget to tie a finishing knot). Next, use your fingers to evenly distribute the rice. To heat the hand warmer, put it into microwave for 20-30 seconds. And your heart-to-heart gift is ready to be given!
- Romantic calendar
You’ll need:
- 14 pieces of paper (preferably technical drawing paper) cut into 3 cm x 6 cm rectangles (or bigger if you prefer)
- ribbon or twine
- hole puncher
- colored fineliner pens.
Does your man like to surprise you with romantic gateways and you want to show him your appreciation? Or is he maybe a date planning geek and loves to have everything planned in advance? Then give him an original annual date calendar! Prepare 14 square pieces of paper and make a hole in their every top left corner using a hole puncher. Treat the first piece of paper as a title page and use the next twelve pieces to write down the names of the months in a chronological order. In the next step, write down a date idea on the reverse of each page (one romantic proposition per month). It can be a night out to, for example, the movies or a restaurant, and if you think that he’ll prefer to spend a longer quality time together, you can propose a trip to the sea, to a forest or a bike trip to the nearest lake. Be creative and don’t be afraid to suggest things that you didn’t do together before – who knows, maybe you’ll discover a new common passion! The last page of the calendar is a bonus – your partner will be able to use the last date idea at any given moment. But remember, you’re the one paying for these dates!
- A taste of sweetness
You’ll need:
- jar (+ optionally ribbon for decoration)
- 100 g cocoa powder (preferably good quality and sugar-free)
- 250 ml cold water
- 200 g sugar
- one-half teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
Does your other half love sweets? Could he eat ice-cream all day long? Or does he maybe often drink iced coffee and want to enrich it? If so, give him a jar of delicious home-made chocolate syrup! It’s very easy to prepare: mix water, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a medium-sized cooking pot. Bring the mixture to boil over medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes more (stirring continuously) until the liquid thickens. Take note that the mixture is thin at this stage, but it will thicken after it cools down. Take the pot off the stove, add vanilla extract and mix thoroughly. Leave to cool. Pour into jar. If you like, you can decorate the jar with a ribbon. The chocolate syrup can be stored in a refrigerator for a week. Sweet Valentine’s Day!
- Flame of love
You’ll need:
- candle (we recommend a wide one – it will make work easier)
- linoleum cutter (available in every art supply store)
- adhesive tape and printed-out pattern (optionally)
- ballpoint pen
- golden marker.
What should you do to keep the flame of love from burning out? Of course, you should feed it with a hand-decorated candle! Its shape, color and size depend on individual preferences, but we recommend a thick cylinder-shaped one in a white or light beige color. Print out a chosen by you pattern (e.g., heart with your and his initials) on a sheet of paper and tape it to the candle. Trace over your design with a ballpoint pen (this way you’ll create a helpful path on the candle’s surface). If you’re sure-handed, you can draw a design directly on the candle. Next, carve out your pattern tracing the path with a linoleum cutter. The carving needs to be wide and deep enough to fit the tip of a golden marker. Lastly, cover the inside of the carving with one or two layers of the golden color and leave to dry. Wouldn’t it be sweet to create a few more such candles and have a romantic candlelit dinner?
We hope that this lovely dose of Valentine's Day inspirations will help you create a memorable gift for your precious soul mate!