Have a Crafty Valentines Day

by Nancy Flynn

I am a big fan of Valentine’s Day, always have been, despite the fact I didn’t have a date on Valentine’s Day until I met my sweetie (who, probably not coincidentally, I’ll be marrying this summer). Smack in the middle of one of the more miserable months of the year, there it sits, a holiday all about letting people know how much you love and appreciate them. Who doesn’t need some chocolate, kind words, and bright colors in February? Along with romance, I think Valentine’s Day is at its happiest when you can surprise a friend or a colleague with a token of your affection and gratitude for the little something special they bring to your life. And lets face it, who really gets a kick out of chocolate and flowers and treats? My sweetie? Not so much. My female friends? You bet. So this is an article all about DIY Valentine treats and ideas for your friends, colleagues, sweeties and, most importantly of all, yourself! Because how often do we treat ourselves with the love and affection we so richly deserve?

For Friends and Family Far Away—The Valentine Pamper Pack
I live in a different zip code than many of my dearest friends. Most of my correspondence is through e-mail, but Valentine’s Day is a good time to get some fun real post together. The bonus being that unlike the earlier holiday season you don’t get mobbed at the post office, and no one is expecting to get anything, so it is a nice surprise. Since most of us are in need of some serious TLC in the seemingly endless weeks before spring comes, I like to make a little mini spa in a box for my girlfriends far away. The idea is that with the items in the box, they can have a happy Calgon commercial experience—a scented bath, some hot cocoa, and a little light reading.

Just a few things you can include:
*A Valentine, naturally
*Home made bath salts I used lavendar essential oil to make mine.
*Deluxe home-made hot cocoa mix ready to pop in a mug: two teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder, four teaspoons sugar, and one square of very good chocolate grated nice and fine, mix all together, put in a food-safe bag and include directions-- heat 8oz milk in a saucepan until steamy, pour in cocoa, stir and enjoy!
*A trashy celebrity magazine or fun brain candy read

If you don’t have the time or the money to prepare little gift packs, a fun, crafty and inexpensive alternative for mail-away valentines is watercolor postcards. You can get them at most art supply stores, 25 cards for no more than 8 dollars or so. Grab some inexpensive watercolors in the drug store and paint your heart out—you don’t have to be an artist, as lopsided hearts are more in the spirit anyway. Kids glitter glue is also a nice accent and generally will stay on even after going through the post. Also a bonus is that the postage is cheaper than sending a card in an envelope. Write a kind wish, or a favorite quotation, or even get a bit stalkery and glue on a message cut from magazine letters. Just make sure to tell your friends later that it was you, so they don’t start watching their backs too closely.

For Colleagues and Neighbors
When I was in college I used to stay up late the night before Valentine’s Day, making valentines and wrapping up little packets of Hershey kisses in tissue paper. In the wee hours I would tape up Valentines on doors and leave little packets of goodies throughout my dorm. The next day I’d ride around on my bicycle when people were in class and drop off treats for my friends in other dorms. This was a huge amount of fun for me, and I was surprised by how thrilled people were to get their secret valentine and treats (eventually I’d come clean and admit it was me). I think people need this even more in the “real world,” though it is a little trickier when it comes to celebrating a traditionally romantic holiday with co-workers. Your office may be a bit like third grade, where you had to give a Valentine to everyone or no one, or very corporate and not open to whimsical or personal gestures. Obviously you’ll have to judge the situation based on your workplace, but I’m willing to bet there is at least one person you like at work who both deserves a Valentine and would appreciate getting it, so if your workplace is generally a bit fusty, you just have to be stealthy about it. I try to get into work before everyone else does, and leave a little something on people’s desks, or in their mail slots. In this case it is best to be fairly simple to avoid anyone thinking you haven’t got enough work to do if you have time to make Valentines when you get home, or that you have a crush on them. A few ideas to get you started:

*Tissue flowers (they travel better than real ones)
* Origami Hearts I have to thank getcrafty's own Joyce for those instructions

*Sweet Hearts, Hot Tamales or Hershey Kisses in an origami box

For Your Sweetie:
I won’t write too much here, as obviously the focus of the holiday is on couples. There is a lot of pressure on couples for Valentine’s Day, which can make it both stressful and a bit of a letdown if your sweetie is not Casanova. It is to be hoped that there needn’t be an official day on which you are kind or generous to each other, or that there must be the excuse of a loud red-themed Romantic holiday for your sweetie to take you out to dinner. By all means if your sweetie will only get you chocolate or take you out on February 14th, or if it is your one chance to get a babysitter and have an evening together alone, then take advantage! However, if for you part of being a couple means that every day is Valentine’s Day in terms of expressing your appreciation of one another, it can be quite romantic to celebrate with a quiet and relaxed dinner at home if it can be managed without too much fuss. I won’t recommend recipes since choosing something you both love to eat is part of the fun. And there is no rule against ordering takeout if neither of you want to cook, but whatever you choose, set the table like you are having important company, and by all means break out the candlesticks! If you drink alcohol, pop a bottle of wine or champagne to share, if you don’t, fancy sparkling water with some blood orange juice (in season at this time of year, and oh so yummy) makes a nice refreshing and attractively pink drink. You could, of course, add blood orange juice to your champagne too!

Last year I made a mobile out of chopsticks and origami hearts and hung it in the doorway before my sweetie got home, and cupcakes, topped with sweet tarts, for dessert. I wrapped up a few bundles of his favorite candy for him to open too. If you’ve been in a relationship for a long time, it is also a great gift to both of you to write your sweetie a list of all the things you love about them, from big to small, because sometimes those are the things that can get lost in the daily shuffle. It is fun and romantic to think about all of the things you love about your sweetie. Even if he (or of course she) is one to blush or guffaw at this kind of mushy stuff, believe me it will give him or her a warm glow to be appreciated for so many things!

For Yourself:
Who deserves your love and kindness more than anyone else? You do! So no matter what else you do, make sure to give yourself some Valentine treats. The options are endless, but here are just a few:
• Fresh flowers: It is winter and in many places rather grim and grey. Fresh flowers are definitely a luxury item, but one that really does make a room and a mood brighter when there isn’t much blooming outside. Just for this week, buy yourself a bouquet of your favorite flowers and set it where you can see it—in your kitchen, or by your bed, or in your cube at the office. If you don’t care for cut flowers, cyclamen are a lovely potted flowering plant that should still be in season, and some florits/grocers sell forced potted bulbs for narcissus and hyacinth
• Spa Yourself: Save one of those spa treatment packs for yourself, if you don’t live alone, send your sweetie or roommate out on some errands (with the kids if you’ve got ‘em), and take some time in the tub with hot cocoa and a fun read. Set a time during which you will think only of relaxing and enjoying yourself, and keep filling up the tub with warm water if it gets cold in that time. Don’t think about work, or housework, or anything that normally keeps you from relaxing. Peruse the bookstore for your favorite brain-candy author’s latest novel, or if you like gossip but don’t want to be seen with the tabloids, this is the time to go wild-- buy them anyway for your tub time. If you know that you can’t rely on your housemates or yourself for this kind of alonetime, call a local day spa and book your treatment of choice. I know I’ll be getting a manicure and pedicure come February myself!
• Write yourself a love letter: Ok, maybe it sounds cheesy, but just like writing someone you love a list of their most wonderful qualities feels good, it feels even better to take some time to think about your OWN most wonderful qualities. You definitely have them, and deserve a pat on the back for them
• Artist’s Date: One of the great things about the book The Artist’s Way is that it recommends taking yourself on a weekly “Artist’s Date”, just you, doing something that inspires you creatively. Take your artist self on a Valentine’s Day date—go to a museum, see some local experimental theater, take yourself to a film at an art house (or to something no one else you know wants to see. splash out on movie food to make it a real date), get dressed up and be the mysterious woman sitting alone at the local jazz club (take the drinks people send over, but refuse to accept any company), anything that you normally wouldn’t have time for given the daily hustle and bustle, but that will give you a thrill and make you feel cultured, sophisticated and inspired, or, for that matter, young, innocent and giddy.
• Have a tea party: If you have time, send paper invitations to your best friends (or friend) and invite them to tea. Suggest people dress accordingly if you like, or make it casual. Make or buy your favorite pastries & cookies, bust out the fancy mugs/teacups/teapots, splurge on lemon curd and clotted cream and have a good long sugar and caffeine-fueled afternoon chat with some of your favorite people. Make a point of complimenting them (honestly, of course) and telling them the things you love about them, and why you enjoy their company so much. You’ll be surprised at how inspired celebrating your friendships will make you feel.

Luckily writing this article has helped me get my Valentine treats done well in advance of my usual February 13th midnight rush. I hope that if you have been in the habit of thinking of Valentine’s Day as “Black Tuesday” in the past, this will make it more fun, or if you are, like me, a devoted follower of St. V, this has given you some ideas to make the holiday that much more crafty. I’m looking forward to seeing your own crafty valentine ideas and links in the getcrafty blogs too!