Valentine’s Day is fast approaching! It doesn’t matter if you’re somebody who thinks it’s a fantastic celebration or a silly made-up occasion, surely everyone can agree that spreading the love is never a bad idea. How could it be?

Buying a special gift for a loved one is great but using your hands and imagination to actually create one is even better. All good things come to those who craft! Here are five handmade gift suggestions that’ll allow you to explore your creative side and save a pretty penny while still giving your significant other something totally bespoke – straight from the heart.

Personalised photo album

Photo albums are a dying art! With various technology and social media at our fingertips, many of us rely on intangible photo albums rather than traditional physical ones. This Valentine’s Day, get your head out of the cloud – or iCloud – and create a beautiful, personalised photo album that your partner can cherish forever.

All you need to do this is a plain album or scrapbook and spend some time personalising the front. You could add your names in cursive text, alongside your anniversary or the date you met, and use stickers and pom poms to decorate. This might seem a little childish to begin with, but don’t give up before you’ve even started! Your partner will be delighted by the effort you’ve gone to for them.

Positivity jar

Life can feel overwhelming at times. On those days when your partner needs a little pick-me-up, a positivity jar will come in handy. All you need to create this unique gift is an empty jar and coloured strips of paper; write down the positive quotes (the more the merrier), and then fold and place them inside the jar. So when your significant other is feeling particularly down or directionless, they can reach inside the jar and pick a motivating affirmation to fixate on.

Love bug made from toilet roll tube

If you want to be really cute and creative, take an empty tube from your toilet paper and turn it into an adorable little love bug. First, grab supplies such as paint, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, construction paper, and glue. Then, once your significant other is out of the house and you get an hour to yourself, get to work and have fun! You could even get the kids involved to make the finished version even more special.

Poke holes through the painted toilet roll tube and weave the pipe cleaners through, creating the legs. Use the coloured construction paper to form the wings and antennae, stick on the googly eyes, and decorate to your liking. There you have it, a cute little love bug for your cute little love bug.

52 things I love about you

Valentine’s Day is all about making the special people in your life feel wanted and loved. This year, highlight the qualities you appreciate the most in them and remind them exactly what it is that makes them so wonderful. A cool way to do this is to take an old pack of playing cards and write something nice on each one with a black marker pen. 52 cards in the deck = 52 things I love about you.

Coupon book

Sometimes, love is all about compromises – you might be happy to give a foot rub as long as you’ll get one back later. This could be letting them put their favourite television series on over yours, cooking them a meal, or watching the kids while they go out with their friends. We do things because we care and love the other person, and compromising is key to a healthy relationship.

This Valentine’s Day, create your own coupon book filled with actions, services, and chores your partner can redeem from you whenever they need to! You can find templates online to print out or do it the old-fashioned way using paper, pens, and stickers.

All you need is love… and a cute, homemade gift

Love is in the air, and you need to embrace it! Life is too short to ignore occasions like Valentine’s Day because you’re ‘too cool’ or ‘too edgy’ to celebrate. There is absolutely no harm in showing your love and commitment to another person, whether that be your partner, friend, or family member. The best thing to hold onto in life is each other, so let’s make sure we’re doing that! Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody.

Discover our environmentally friendly kitchen roll and toilet roll and use your imagination to turn these household items into Valentine’s Day crafts!