Sweet Treats and DIY Gifts for my Valentine

Whether you are single, married or in a relationship, I hope you are still celebrating all the love in your life today. You don't need to be in a happy relationship to enjoy today, just take a moment and think about all the wonderful people you've been blessed with and you'll realize you have plenty to celebrate.

I know a lot of people say they don't feel like there should be just one day to show the person you love how important they are, that it should be an everyday thing. Agreed. However, I do believe that if you happen to have someone special in your life, why not at least recognize the day?

With that being said, I don't make a big deal out of it. I don't expect Jonathan to make a big production out of it, either. I'm just looking forward to spending a nice evening together. I would hate to know that he stressed even a little bit over what to buy me, what to plan, how to surprise me, etc. I also wouldn't want to stress over what to do for him. I've always been a big fan of "it's the thought that counts" gifts and this Valentine's Day, that is exactly what I did...

I treat every holiday as an excuse to bake and Valentine's Day is no different. I swear, you just can't go wrong giving baked goods as gifts for your man. This year, I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe to give to Jonathan.

While I knew he would love this and it would be more than enough, I was feeling ambitious, so I also put together a gift basket of some of his favorite snacks and things. I thought this would be a good way to present the cookies and cupcakes, while also being a sweet, thoughtful gift that wouldn't break the bank. I bought the basket, wrap and gift tag at World Market (which is my new favorite store) and bought everything else separate so I could include what I knew he would like. There are so many different things you could include, but to keep it simple, here's what I put in Jonathan's basket:

-A random selection of beer
-A bottle of wine for us to enjoy tonight
-homemade cupcakes and cookies packaged in treat bags and a cupcake tin
-beef jerky (I will never understand it, but he loves this stuff)
-Sour Patch Kids, circus peanuts and gummy worms (some of his favorite candy)

 

To stick with the homemade theme, I also skipped the card aisle at Target and made him a homemade valentine. I could've found so many great cards to give him at the store, but I'm so much more excited to give him something made just for him by me. I'm not super crafty, so I kept this pretty simple, but I'm happy with how it came out. It was also nice to take the time to come up with a sweet message for Jonathan's card instead of something already written for me.

This is the front of the card. When we met for the first time,
I had a string of Christmas lights wrapped around me,
so I thought it'd be cute to play off that. On the other side, I wrote a sweet note 
basically telling him how thankful I am to have him in my life.

I've always loved the idea of homemade, DIY gifts, but I rarely put the thought and time into making them. I'm so glad I went this route for Valentine's Day though. It was fun to put all this together for Jonathan and even though it's a simple gift, I know he is going to love it. I can't wait to get over there tonight for a relaxing evening with my man.

I hope you all have a happy day and take time to appreciate all the love in your life.

Tell me...

Do you prefer homemade gifts or would you rather buy something ready to go? How are you celebrating Valentine's Day?