Handmade gifts are a good option for partners who seem to have everything they want already. Making a gift instead of buying something for the sake of gift-giving is a great way to save money, as well as add a sweet, personal spin on your Valentine’s present. Some classic examples include handwritten love letters, photo collages, or paintings.
When a gift is handmade, it will most likely have taken time. Investing your labour and creativity into a project for your partner is a clear demonstration of your love - a concept which is most definitely cute, not cheap. However, to avoid looking cheap when choosing the handmade route, you will have to make sure that you do invest real time and effort into the gift.
One way to ensure this is by gifting some store-bought goodies as well as your handmade masterpiece. These do not have to be expensive but really help to elevate the presentation of your gift and highlight that you have put lots of thought in. Presenting your carefully-written, hand-painted love letter along with some chocolates or flowers will save you from potential disappointment when your partner gives you a wrapped gift, and in exchange you give them what looks like a single piece of paper.
When a gift is handmade, it will most likely have taken time. Investing your labour and creativity into a project for your partner is a clear demonstration of your love - a concept which is most definitely cute, not cheap.
Think about places, songs, or memories that are special to you both as a starting point for your handmade gift. You could create a map of places you’ve been on dates to using collages or your own illustrations, or print a photo of yourselves over the album cover of a song that you both love. Consider what you love about your partner and put this into words - either in a conventional love letter or card, or in creative ways like decorating a pack of cards to tell them ‘52 things I love about you’. If you need some inspiration, Pinterest and TikTok are good places to look!
Therefore, when made with genuine thoughtfulness and effort, handmade gifts are not cheap as they hold value in their sentimentality. To strike the perfect chord between sentiment and romance, gift a combination of handmade and store-bought gifts to give your partner both a pretty surprise on the day, and something to keep forever.