Valentine’s Day: culture’s ultimate celebration of love. And what says love more than creating something special with your own hands for the people you cherish—or treating yourself to something sweet? Whether you’re celebrating Feb. 14 with lovers, friends, family or yourself, here are some homemade gift ideas.
Embroidered Clothing
There is love to be found in the act of repetition, in doing something tedious over and over to produce something beautiful. Consider embroidering your initials or a special symbol onto your loved one’s sweatshirt sleeves or the collar of their button-up so they can receive a tender reminder of your appreciation when they wear it. If you’re new to crafting, “The Spruce Crafts” is full of simple-to-follow instructions for various stitches.
Wire-Wrapped Jewelry
Not only is wire-wrapped jewelry relatively simple to make and pretty to look at, but you can also imbue it with an extra layer of special meaning if you incorporate crystals. There are hundreds of crystals to choose from, each charged with its own energy. Whether your loved one needs creative inspiration, contentment, to connect with their deep emotions or any other number of qualities, you can help them attract it with this thoughtful gift.
Playlist
Making someone a playlist—carefully poring over the millions of hours of music that exist and selecting the perfect few that capture your loved one—is already an intimate gift, but you can take it a step further. Accompany your playlist with a set of cards, each with the particular lyric that reminds you of your person or a memory you’ve shared together.
Origami Love Notes
Origami lucky hearts are easy and quick to make, so you can fill a jar or bottle with dozens of them. Your loved one can unwrap them to reveal all the little things you admire about them.
Handwritten Poems or Letter
Nothing says “I love you” quite like saying it. You don’t have to be the next Pablo Neruda to make something extraordinary. Write from the heart and seal it with a kiss, a wax seal or a cute sticker for something your loved one will always cherish. Alternatively, search for published poems that describe the way you feel and hand-bind them in a little book.
Video Montage
More of a visual person? Collect the photos and videos you’ve taken of your loved one during your time together, and edit them into a clip that they can view over and over again. Adobe Premiere and iMovie make video editing easy. You can add “your” song in the background for a unique touch.
Ivy Marie Clarke ‘22 is an English literature and creative writing double major, double minoring in art and women’s and gender studies. She has served as editor of the Arts & Culture section of The Cluster for the last two years. She also interns with Macon Magazine and Mercer University Press and edits for The Dulcimer. She also enjoys drinking coffee and writing poetry.
