Homemade Valentine Gifts

There is nothing like a well thought-out Valentine's gift, especially homemade ones from the heart of a loved one. Creating memories and keepsakes is what Valentine's Day is all about. Here are a few ideas to help you in your quest to make this Valentine's Day special.

Sweetheart Memory Book

Materials Needed

8.5" x 11" sheet of card stock, scissors, box cutter or xacto knife, 14" silk or satin ribbon, double stick tape, glue stick, thick cardboard.

Inside of book

Use your knife or cutter to cut one sheet of card stock in half to create two - 4.5 x 11 sheets. Start at the small end of one sheet and create a one fourth inch score, then, measure off 3 - 3.25 inch sections; make scores in each section. You will have one-fourth inches left at the end. Repeat this with the second sheet. Use your scores to create accordion folds of both sheets. Use your glue stick to join the two accordion pieces together. You can use the back of a spoon to create crisp folds. You can cut one of the one-fourth inch tabs off to create a cleaner look. Lay the inside of your book to the side until later.

Creating the Cover

To create the cover, cut thick cardboard into two 3.75" x 4.5" inch pieces. If you are not sure where to get cardboard, you can go green and recycle a cereal box, but, the heavier the better. You can decorate the covers anyway that you like. You can buy some pretty Valentine paper or fabric and cut it to cover the front and back, or purchase a Valentine card and cut it to fit. If you want to be more creative, you can draw or paint a Valentine design and message on drawing paper. Make sure whatever you use is slightly bigger than your covers.

Now, cut your design down to fit onto your covers. Position one cover where you want your design to be; cut around it leaving about one-fourth inches on each side to fold in later. Neatly glue or tape your design to the covers.

Assemble Your Book

Lay your covers face down, side by side; leaving a small gap between the two to accommodate the inside of your book. Make sure the top and bottom line up. Find the center of your cover, then, glue the ribbon lengthwise across the two covers, allowing 3.5 inches of ribbon extended from both ends. Now tape the last page of your book to the back cover; making sure that the tabs are cut-off or folded in. Repeat this action for the front cover. Use your ribbon to tie the front and back cover together.

This is your memory book with ribbon fastener. You can leave the pages blank, or add photos and/or personal Valentine messages. You can add as many pages as you like, just repeat the method for creating the inside of the book. You can glue some pages together at sides and bottom to create pockets to house special notes or keepsakes.

This would be an ideal gift from anyone to give to their Valentine. Or try giving this to a grandparent from a child, loaded with the child's pictures and hand-written messages.

Valentine Ribbon Pen

You will need one ball point pen, one foot of ribbon and a glue gun. Take about one foot of your silk or satin ribbon that you used for the Memory Book and wrap your pen. Start at the top, spiral down; neatly glue the ribbon to the pen. Try to keep your ribbon as flat as possible, until you get to the bottom, then spiral the ribbon back up the pen. Use another piece of ribbon at the top to make a nice bow.

Give this pen along with the Valentine's Memory Book in a fancy little basket surrounded by store bought candies. Would look lovely on someone's desk, so everyone in the office knows your Valentine is special.

Unique Valentine 'Basket' for a Guy

Buy a six pack of your guy's favorite cooler or beer. Remove the two middle bottles. (you can give these separately, or can be your reward for being thoughtful) There are many ways to fill the spaces. Place shredded paper in the carton with floral foam in the bottom of the empties. Make homemade heart-shaped sugar cookies and decorate with red candy crystals, and place in a small bag, then, place the bag in one of the empty spaces. On the other side, put your memory book, along with bite-sized candies taped to skewers. Stick the skewers into the foam and/or place small bags of nuts in the space. You can cover your creation with cellophane or tie a large ribbon around it and top with a big bow.