Valentine’s has never been a huge holiday in my life. Sure it was fun as kids when friends showered each other with chocolate and it was a momentous occasion whenever my crush of the moment scrawled his sloppy, grade-school signature on the back of a store-bought card. But as kids our frugal (and equally tech-savvy) mother would insist my brother and I make our Valentine’s Day cards for our classmates. Windows Publisher ‘98 was well worth the investment for her, but I hated having to fold them. I was never that adept at crafts, and somehow the simple of folding a legal sheet of paper four times evenly fell into the realm of “impossible”.
Without sounding catty, I find it to be a glorified holiday should not be indulged. Schools aren’t closed and employees (those who are lucky enough to still have a job) are stuck at their desks on the 14th when applicable. I try not to rain on other people’s parades, though, and generally mark the occasion with something small, inexpensive, and homemade. Because telling your friends that you did what you do every night (nothing) on Valentine’s Day somehow isn’t acceptable.
Last year I baked heart-shaped cookies and carrot muffins for my co-workers; the biggest and best treats given in plentiful quantities to my boyfriend. This year, however, I was at a loss. I don’t have co-workers to bake for and, while my boyfriend would certainly not say no to something sweet, I’ve been baking up a storm recently and would appreciate the break. I also fancy myself somewhat creative, and it just isn’t kosher to do the same thing twice in a row.
This leaves me with quite the predicament! What to do for Valentine’s? I stocked up on Michael’s Craft Store’s Valentine’s inventory a year ago, and managed to dig up something that I might just be able to transform into a gift for my loved one. Inspired by Design*Sponge’s DIY Valentine’s Kit — a link the girls over at McQueen & I pointed out — I decided to put to use an old wooden box and some leftover Christmas tissue to create the greatest gift of them all: thoughtful, homemade, $0. Instructions, materials and more pictures under the cut!
