17 Charming Gifts for Your Valentine

Valentine’s Day is almost here! Sometimes it’s hard to think of just the right thing to give your sweetie. Something that’s a bit different than the “normal” Valentine’s gifts. That’s why having this list of charming gifts for your Valentine is super handy, right? Read on for some adorable ideas for everyone on your gift giving list.

Beverage Gifts Your Valentine Will Love!

Can “cake” – The snack and beverage cake idea from Be Book Bound is so clever! Use all the same beverages, or use a different type for each layer of the “cake.” This is definitely on my “to make” list at some point in the near future.

Beer bottle flowers – I made the bottle flower 6 pack for Eric a few years ago for Valentine’s Day. It was inexpensive and really easy to do. I found the idea on 30 Minute Crafts. She has a tutorial on her blog post with pictures to show exactly how she did it.

Of course, you wouldn’t have to use beer if the person you’re gifting this to isn’t a beer drinker. Grocery stores carry all kinds of soda in glass bottles that would work great for these.

Gift Bouquets

Candy bouquet – Thrifty Fun has a great tutorial on how to make candy bouquets. So easy to make! And it’s a darling and unexpected gift for someone sweet. (See what I did there?) The bouquets are super easy to customize, too, depending on the person’s tastes.

Jerky bouquet – Take the candy bouquet tutorial above to a whole other level and use it to make a jerky bouquet. Buy beef jerky, jerky sticks, or a combination from the grocery store. Or if you’re looking for something a bit more exotic, check out Amazon for a wide array of types and flavors of jerky. For a little extra variety, add in their favorite beverage.

Get Creative with Your Valentine’s Gift!

Give a flower…pot?  – And speaking of bouquets… Instead of paying an arm and a leg for a bouquet of roses this Valentine’s Day, give a plant instead! If you really wanted to give roses, lots of places sell mini rose plants which are so beautiful with their tiny rose blooms and buds. Or choose a different type of plant. Florists usually have potted plants to purchase, or you can hit up your local garden center. A lot of times, grocery stores have a floral section with plants too. A plant will last longer than cut flowers and will be cheaper. Plus, every time your special person looks at it, they will remember how kind you were to give it to them.

Bargain shopping for gifts – This one works best if you and your Valentine both do this. Go to the dollar store, Target, Michaels, or Joann Fabrics. Search through the dollar sections (if you’re not at the dollar store), and find gifts for each other for $5 or less. It will make for a fun gift exchange.

Make your own cards – Greeting cards are ridiculously expensive these days. So instead of purchasing cards, agree to make your own! Write your own sentiments and create your own decorations. Draw pictures or cut and paste images from magazines. Making your own greeting cards forces you to be genuine and really gets the creative juices flowing.

Make a coupon book – If you can’t think of something special enough to purchase or craft for your Valentine, make them a coupon book. They can redeem each coupon when they decide they want whatever it is you’re offering. It can be as tame or as risque as you want. A quick Pinterest search will help you come up with just the ideas you’re looking for.

Gift Basket Ideas for Your Valentine

Have you ever looked at one of those super expensive gift baskets and thought, “$150? I could totally do that myself way cheaper!”? Well, I’m here to tell you you’re absolutely right!

The prices are always high on pre-made gift baskets because the purchaser is paying for the time and effort the maker put into creating a beautiful basket. The person buying the basket is also paying for the convenience of not having to do it all themselves.

I’ve always loved making and giving gift baskets. It’s so much fun to curate the best items to make a beautiful gift for someone I love. And as much fun as it is to give a gift like that, it’s just as fun for the one receiving the gift. Who wouldn’t love peering into a basket to check out all the goodies they’ve just received?

There are endless options for homemade gift baskets too! It’s so easy to customize them for your loved one. Or it’s just as easy to create a more simplified, less personalized basket that will suit a wider variety of people, just in case you don’t know your recipient well. Plus, instead of always using an actual basket, you can choose a container that coordinates with your gift theme and will be reusable later on. Useful gifts are always appreciated!

Adults

Chocolate

A gift basket full of chocolate is classier than the bouquet from above, but it will probably be more expensive too. If you’ve got gourmet chocolate shops near by, or are close to places like Fannie May or See’s Candies, those are perfect to put into a gift basket devoted to chocolate! You could also add something like gourmet hot cocoa, chocolate cookies, and even chocolate liqueur.

Coffee/tea

Specialty coffee is everywhere these days. Stop into a local coffee shop to buy their signature blend, or head to your grocery store to pick up a bag or two of java. Add a couple interesting coffee mugs, some biscotti, shortbread cookies, or other coffee friendly snack, and maybe a cute little sign or knick knack to add to the basket. Super simple to put together, and it’s a gift any coffee lover would be thrilled to receive.

Delightful little tea shops are popping up all over the place. Go in and ask the very knowledgeable employees what teas they recommend and purchase some. Chances are, they sell tea related items like tea pots, loose leaf tea infusers, and little signs and trinkets as well so you could pick up a couple tea accessories for your basket while you’re there too. A tea basket would be a charming gift for your valentine.

Wine

A wine gift basket could be as simple as picking up a bottle or two of wine and adding some delicious snacks and maybe a couple beautiful wine glasses. Or if you want to go all out, you can do a bit of research on the different types of wine and which foods pair best with each type. Then design a custom basket filled with all the delectable selections you find. Don’t forget to find out what kind of wine your Valentine likes. (Even if you have to be subtle about it)

This Sangria gift “basket” is a darling gift idea from Fantabulosity.

Baked goods

If you have some great bakeries around, a basket full of exceptional baked goods would be heavenly! Or if you enjoy baking yourself, this is one you can put your personal touch on. There are so many options with this one too. You could go straight desserts and get cookies, cupcakes, muffins, eclairs, and donuts. Or make my amazing lemon bars!

For a savory option, you could also get a couple loaves of different types of bread and fill the basket with toppings – cheese, jam, flavored butter.

Or you could choose to do a combination of sweet and savory and add a loaf of artisan bread along with cupcakes and eclairs.

This would probably be a basket that is best for someone who would be able to eat all of this delicious food before it goes bad – like for a family or for someone who is going to have a group of people visiting.

Bath

There’s not much that’s more calming than a nice, hot bath. Make up a special bath time basket for that busy mom or stressed student or overworked worker bee (if that wouldn’t be an inappropriate situation, of course) in your life. Include bubble bath, bath bombs, yummy smelling lotions for after she (or he) gets out of the tub. You could even include body scrubs and exfoliaters as well.

How darling would this bath gift “sundae” from sdoodlesbakeshop on Etsy be in your bath basket? (You could also easily make this on your own with some items from the dollar store.)

Adding a candle, book, and beverage – wine, tea, hot chocolate – will make your bath basket a restful success! If you include a snuggly throw blanket, some fuzzy socks, a pair of slippers, and a pair of jammies (if you know the correct sizes), you would make their after-bath experience just as relaxing as the bath itself.

Date night

Date night ideas are very subjective of course, but using a fun basket full of goodies can set the tone for your date. Decide on a form of entertainment – a movie, a book to read together, a game – and add in things that would go along with that. Items that will just about always work are snacks, desserts, beverages of choice, and maybe a cozy throw blanket.

Fun Options for Kids and Families

Game night

Game nights are such a blast! A basket like this would be ideal for both kids and adults. Vary the types of games – board games, card games, puzzles – and add a few snacks, and you’ll be providing a family with hours of entertainment.

Movie night

Bring the movie theater experience home to your Valentine by making them a movie night gift basket. Add in some popcorn (even make your own caramel corn to put in it!), some little boxes of movie theater style candy (which is way cheaper at a store like Walgreens than it ever is at the theater), a movie or two, some beverages, a blanket, and some fun popcorn bowls. You could even get a larger popcorn bowl to use as the “basket.”

And if you really wanted to make it a movie theater like experience, you could stop by the chip aisle of the grocery store to pick up some nacho cheese and tortilla chips to provide a delicious snack of nachos for their movie watching pleasure.

Punny Products

Show your sweetheart how much you care with puns! Come up with cute little sayings to go with different kinds of candy and food (Pinterest is loaded with them), and attach the saying to the food. I did this for Eric a couple years ago, and it was adorable!

Surprise your sweetie with one of these charming gifts this Valentine’s Day. They’ll love you for it! And if you’re lucky, they’ll share with you.

So tell me… What’s the best Valentine’s Day gift you’ve ever gotten? And who was it from?