Chocolate, flowers, and diamonds are all great gifts.  Not many people will disagree with that.  Showing your love how much you care doesn’t have to be expensive with a little thought, time, and creativity.  Here are 5 inexpensive unique homemade valentine gift ideas to help get your creative juices flowing.

Before we get started, I just want to throw out a quick reminder to everyone to think about what your significant other’s love language is. For help with figuring that out see the book, The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts or take the online Love Language quiz.  If you know how they “hear” you say I love you then you’ll be able to find the perfect gift for them!  For instance, if your husband loves to hear words of affirmation you could do #3 the Celtic Heart Knot and frame it with a backdrop of a list of the reasons you love him. {You like the way he smiles, the way he cooks pancakes perfectly, etc.}.  If your wife’s love language is gifts of service then you could plan a relaxing evening for her with say #1’s Homemade Bath Bombs, a soothing CD, and a few hours to herself while you and the kids straighten up and clean the house for her.  Once you know you’re loved one’s love language you can find the perfect gift for them!  Now for our 5 gift ideas…

•  Homemade Bath Bombs – These fizzy bombs delight kids and adults alike and leave your skin silky smooth.  They often are a rare luxury in our house because they cost a pretty penny however, I have found a DIY bath bomb recipe on WikiTalks.com and you can check out that recipe here.  I can’t wait to try this out myself!

•  Paper Fortune Cookies – These fortune cookies are adorable and perfect for the last minute gifter.  These are so simple to make!  Visit Design. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. for all the details.

• Celtic Heart Knot – Fusion Knots has a video to guide you step by step to help you make your own Celtic heart knot.  You could use a number of different types of string or rope to make a beautiful necklace or bracelet with this beautiful heart design.  I think my favorite would be to have a thick white rope, like the one shown above, and have it framed with a dark colored backing.  Maybe a hunter green or deep red.  I think that would be lovely!   

• Love Letters – These “love letters” aren’t a stack of handwritten notes where you’ve poured out your heart and soul and undying devotion to the one you love.  Although, I highly recommend those as a homemade Valentine gift too!  These are the beautifully designed letters from a fellow blogger, Liz from Hoosier Homemade.  Aren’t they darling?  While I adore over the top pink, frilly, and girlieness you could also make these in colors that coordinate with your home decor so that you could keep them up and enjoy them year-round.    

• Free Love Coupons – I Heart Nap Time has free printable love coupons for you to print and assemble your own love coupon book.  This is a simple gift but a thoughtful one too!  If you do this don’t forget to choose coupons that are perfect for your sweetheart’s love language.

Whatever you give this Valentine’s Day make sure it’s from the heart and that the recipient is 100% confident of your love.  If you do that, you can’t go wrong!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

If you have small kids at home, you probably have a small table and chairs set…or two.  If you happen to live near an IKEA chances are that you got your set from there for around $20.  IKEA’s furniture is inexpensive and generally pretty plain looking which makes it perfect for DIYers who like to personalize things.  If you’re looking to customize your table and chairs set from IKEA I have an idea for you!

This IKEA table makeover features IKEA’s LÄTT which sells for $19.99 but you could apply this idea to any table and chair set that you have.

My friend, Abby, bought the LÄTT table and chair set from Ikea for her 16 month old daughter.  As you can tell from the before pictures, the LÄTT table gets the job done but it’s somewhat boring. So Abby and her husband transformed it into something that makes you say, “Wow, I want to do that!”

Abby gave us the insight on her table transformation:

I painted it, added die cut letters, and laid a sheet of cut plexiglass on top of the table. Very easy!

The plexiglass is easy to clean and it’s removable so she can change the arrangement of letter or place art underneath it in the future.

Thanks Abby for sharing your terrific vision of the LÄTT table – I’m predicting a run to IKEA in the future!

I’ve loved these necklaces ever since I saw them on Etsy years ago.  The price was too high for me so I passed them by and tried to make my own.  I gave up before I even started because even though the concept seems simple I knew that if I tried it I would over-complicate it.  Now that I have a step by step DIY plan, I might give it a try.  If you’re interested, visit SarahOrtega.com and she’ll shows you how to make a DIY Bird Nest Necklace.

Minnie Mouse Ears $4.99 + $4.99 Shipping on Amazon (Also at a local Birthday Express)   Super cute, right?  I think these will make a fun dress up accessory for later too!     Sears’ Girl’s Dress Multi-tier Short Sleeve Dress – On sale for $22.00 (Originally $44)   I’ll probably throw a short black cardigan around her if it’s cool out.  I love that this is a dress that she can wear again and again.  Plus, it doesn’t have any of that itchy fabric that cheap Halloween costumes do!   Amazon’s 3 Pack Tights for Baby – 1 White, 1 Black, & 1 Pink in size 9-18 months $5.99 (other sizes available)   Any black tights will do but I found these for a good price on Amazon.

The shoes that started it all!  Disney Baby by Stride Rite Soft Motion Minnie Mouse $42.00   $42 is a bit much for a Halloween costume accessory so if you aren’t in need of an extra pair of shoes I’m sure any pink or black ones would look great too.   I might add a little black face paint on her nose too!  What do you think?  Would this be cute or am I letting the pink and polka dots cloud my judgment?

This is a fabulous free DIY tutorial, well, three actually!  TheNerdyFarmWife.com shows you how to make three different homemade nursing balms.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Taking time to pamper yourself is important and here’s a simple way to make your own DIY Lavender Aromatherapy Bubble Bath.  I chose to use lavender because it’s been clinically proven to relax and reduce stress but this recipe will work with any essential oil scent.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mild shampoo or dish soap {Baby shampoo is gentler but dish washing liquid is more bubbly. It’s your choice!}
• 1/3 cup Liquid Glycerin {Glycerin moisturizes and gently cleanses. It’s also aids in making your bubble bath extra bubbly.}
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 15 drops Lavender Essential Oil {or your favorite scented oil}

Instructions:

• Mix together the shampoo, glycerin, water and 15 drops of lavender oil.
• If desired, add 5 – 10 extra drops of essential oil and mix again.
• Pour your bubble bath into a bottle or jar that will seal tightly. Before each use shake well to mix and then pour into the tub’s running water. Then sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Making your own aromatherapy bubble bath is a great way to pamper yourself affordable and without harmful chemicals and fillers.

Here’s a trick to amplify your iPod’s sound for free!

I heard that if you put your phone (or iPod) in a glass that it will make the music loud enough to fill the room!  I had to try it for myself and I couldn’t believe it, it actually works!

Here’s how you do it:

1- Grab an empty and clean glass from the kitchen

2- Grab your iPod or phone

3- Turn your favorite song on

4- Gently drop it in and voila – instant amp!

Go ahead and give it a try.  Just remember to make sure you use an empty glass! : )

This data in this infographic was assembled by Commercial Industrial Supply, a leading pvc pipe and fittings supplier.

I think this is such a great idea!  ItsGravyBaby.com gives you step by step instructions on how to make a homemade water wall out of recycled materials.  I can imagine kids would love to play with this!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

I’m not sure about you, but ever since I’ve found Pinterest I have been feeling more than a bit craftsy! By the way, if you’re not following me yet you should be.   I’ve found tons and tons of great ideas!  You can follow me on Pinterest here.

For those of you who love unbelievable deals on crafting supplies you’ll want to sign up for Craftsy!   It’s the fastest growing online community for crafters.  Right now it has over 500,000 monthly unique visitors and it just launched in May of last year. Craftsy has great daily deals on craft supplies and a great selection of online classes.  I don’t have time for the online classes at this stage of life but I’m always looking for a good deal on craft and scrap-booking supplies!  Best of all, you can sign-up for Craftsy free of charge!