8 ways to make it even more special! 

Valentine's Day is one of the most difficult occasions to shop for your significant other. The choices are usually limited to flowers or chocolates. Here are some DIY gifts that he/she will love. Put your creative skills to use and try out some of these ideas. And really since you made them with your own two hands they can’t find any fault! 

DIY Pillow Cases 

 

The picture will give you some ideas. But you can go crazy. You can even paint a personalized message for him/her, so that it will be the first thing they see when they wake up. All you really need is some pillow cases and paint. And if you don’t want to sew your own cases, you can easily get them from shops. And make sure you use fabric paint so that it will not wash off. 

DIY Snow Globes 

These are pretty simple to make as well. You need to get some glass jars and get rid of the labels. You can do this by soaking them in water with some washing powder overnight. Whatever you are going to put inside the globe needs to be made out of plastic or felt or anything that won’t dissolve in water. Next you attach it firmly to the lid. Then you put in some glitter/dust and fill the jar with water, fasten the lid and turn it upside down. It really does make a beautiful gift. 

DIY Mugs 

This is one of my favourite gifts. You can buy white mugs or any coloured mugs from any gift shop. And if you can’t get any Sharpie pens, you can use acrylic or fabric paint to paint the mug. If you are using paint it can wash off, so you need to put it in the oven for about 10 minutes. This helps to keep the print for longer. Or you can go a little out of your way, get your picture printed on it first and then decorate it. 

DIY Mason Jars 

Now I usually go crazy with them. There are so many things that you can do with them. One of them would be to fill it up with candy! You can order candy with messages on them or put Hershey’s Kisses in them. Actually fill it up with your partner’s favourite type of candy. Or you can be a little different and fill a mason jar with small notes with romantic messages written on them, stuff you like about them and special memories you have shared. Or you can use a mason jar as a vase for flowers. 

DIY Wall Hangers 

 

In this case I can’t even tell you what you need. These pictures will give you some ideas. It really depends on what you want to make. It can be something simple made out of paper or something a little tougher to do with wood, nails and string. Whatever you choose to at the end it will turn out beautiful because you put your heart and soul into making it. 

DIY Picture Frames 

You can make the frame itself from cardboard or regifoam if you want it to be light. Or you can make it from thing wood strips and super glue. Or you can even buy a basic frame from a gift shop and decorate it the way you want. Or you can just paste it on a wood board. The possibilities are infinite. Let your creativity run wild. These pictures however will give you some ideas. 

DIY Coasters 

I love making these. I usually make them on small tiles. Again you can paint on it or write phrases on it or even paste beautiful wrapping paper on it. When you are done you have to put a layer or two of mod podge on top of it and leave it to dry. If not when you keep a chilled glass on it the art work you did will smudge. This waterproofs it.  Now I still haven’t been able to buy it here in Sri Lanka. But you can definitely order it online. 

DIY Pre-Planned Dates 

You can make a list of 12 things you really like to do with him/her and make envelopes for each month and put one in each one. Make sure they are crazy and fun things to do and not usual things you do together. For example it can be to go on a hike, go on bumper cars, play video games together etc. 

I really hope these DIY ideas will help you to make this Valentine’s Day more special than it usually is. Something you make by yourself is so much better than what you can just buy off a shelf and your partner will really appreciate it. 

By Jithendri Gomes 
Photographs courtesy Pinterest.com and Google