| | | |

2011 Valentine’s Day Guide

Note: I may earn money or products from the companies, products, or links mentioned in this post.

Every Valentine’s day I have trouble coming up with something new and exciting to do. What should I get him this year? What should I do? Do I even have enough money to do something? This year I started browsing around looking for something, anything different we could do. I still am not quite sure exactly what I want to do, but this year I am definitely not short on ideas. And I wanted to share some of the best with YOU!

That’s right, welcome to the 2011 guide to Valentine’s Day. I have put together the best of the best. Websites, ideas, gifts, and more! This guide is for any bride who is looking to spice up their marriage with ideas that are fun, sexy, and cheap! Even if you are not married yet, there are some great and cute ideas to be found. So stop stressing and look right here for your 2011 Valentine’s Day ideas!

When I first started blogging, I happened to come across this wonderful blog called “Love Actually“. After following it for awhile, I got busy and forgot about it. Recently, I remembered the blog, and decided to take a look at some of the ideas. What I found really astounded me. Her creativity and ideas keep coming! They are unique and fun, and cover topics such as day-to-day romance, Holiday romance, and date night romance. I took several days and ran through the date night ideas. I realized they were cheap and fun, and I saved the links to all the ones I wanted to try (22 to be exact). She also has a store where you can shop at to buy some of the things you need to make in her ideas. Whatever the occasion or whatever idea you are looking for Love Actually has it all! Here are some ideas that you can make or try at home this Valentine’s Day!
A Visit to the Love Doctor
Love Debit Card
Lovopoly
Secret Agent Love Mission
To see the rest of her awesome ideas click here: Ideas

When I was on the Love Actually blog, I found another site called “Say it on the Wall“. They have tons of cute things for sale including a large section for Valentine’s Day. Here are a few ideas I thought were cute!

Kiss Scavenger Hunt
“This year for Valentines Day, why not send your Valentine on a scavenger hunt?! This set of 8 lipstick kisses of various sizes is perfect! Place them throughout the house with little clues that lead to the next clue. At the end of the scavenger hunt, they will find some REAL lips to kiss!”

Heart Attack!
“Surprise your loved one with a heart attack at work, or start a neighborhood secret service tradition with these red and pink hearts and vinyl phrase. Discount for multiple sets ordered! Contact us for details!”

P.S. I Love You
“P.S. I Love You–a great message for any time of year! Perfect for your bathroom mirror, or the door your family walks through every day to remind them they are loved!”

Another blog I came across was The Generous Wife. Last year she put together a list of ideas from her readers for Valentine’s Day. The list was so great I had to share it! The 115 ideas on her blog don’t just have to be used for Valentine’s Day. They can be used ANY day! Here are a few of my favorites:

“I have in the past (and intend to again this year) sent my husband a Valentine card a day for seven days leading up to Valentine’s Day (our local Dollar General sells nice cards for $0.50 and I print them on my computer, so cost is less than a dollar a day). My husband was touched and had a great time waiting to see what was coming next. I sent them to his work (in brown very professional looking envelopes) starting with very funny ones that led to the final very mushy one for Valentine’s Day.” -Nikki
“Here is what I did for my husband last year on Valentine’s day: We don’t have much money and rarely get to go away on a vacation, so last year I turned our bathroom into a tropical get-away for my husband. I hung bright, colorful fabrics on the walls where I could. I brought in every single houseplant we have and arranged them around the room. I lit candles everywhere. I plugged in a small cd player (in a safe location) and played island type music. I had purchased a coconut scented soap for him. And the best part (at least he thought so) was that I bought a cheap plastic dust pan and used packing tape to affix it to the water fixture in the bathtub. I arranged it so that when the water was turned on low it would run onto the dust pan and then spread out and fall into the tub like a water fall. It was really neat! I had a fun tropical type drink waiting for him when he got home and he just lounged in our own private Hawaiian bathtub while I fixed dinner. He thought it was the best gift ever. “
-Marie
“For Valentine’s Day five years ago I went to a craft store and bought a wooden heart. Painted it red with craft paint. After it dried, I wrote I LOVE YOU! across the front and added the date to the back. Then began a tradition that is still going today. I hid the heart in his coat pocket with a note that said he must hide it for me and the exchange has continued. Some times we find it that day and other times we may go for awhile before locating it. Always a treat when we find it!“
-Judith

Yesterday I came across one of the best blogs I have seen in awhile: The Dating Divas. Here is a little about what they are about:

“We ALL know life can get pretty crazy! We fall in love, get married, and think we are going to live happily ever after…. Then comes the careers, meetings, church callings, kids, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning the house, BILLS, illness, stress, etc. We forget to slow down and count our blessings AND focus on the person we decided to spend the rest of our lives with!! We forget to continue dating our spouses!!We are a group of fun-loving friends…er…I mean….DIVAS who adore our husbands and want to make sure that we always keep our relationship with that significant other…a TOP priority! “We will be taking turns posting fun, creative, AND inexpensive dates each week!”

They have a Facebook page if you want to follow: The Dating Divas and also a YouTube Channel: Dating Divas Website. Their site has so much information I will leave it to you to browse through it at your leisure, but I wanted to post one of their awesome videos. Use it this Valentine’s Day to surprise your husband!

A great place to buy personal and meaningful gifts, is The Anniversary Rose. I discovered it a few months ago when I was searching for the perfect Anniversary gift for my hubby. Even though it’s an anniversary site, there are so many great and perfect gifts for Valentine’s Day! Here are a few I thought were great:

His & Hers Personalized Bath Towels
“Sharing a bathroom is a true commitment to each other, so why not celebrate this unity with Personalized His & Hers Bath Towels. A perfect gift for that special couple or for yourself! Buy two for a unique wedding shower gift. Your His & Hers Personalized Bath Towel is available on our soft premium white 100% cotton bath towel, measuring 27″ x 50″, and is machine washable. Includes FREE Personalization. Personalize your bath towel with any name and please choose His or Hers.”

Keep Me Together Personalized Heart Shaped Jig Saw Puzzle
“Complete your love one piece at a time with our Personalized “Keep Me Together” Heart Jigsaw Puzzle. This makes a great gift for your anniversary.  You can make an wonderful evening of piecing this unique puzzle together and remembering all the good times you’ve had together. Our Personalized Heart Jig Saw Puzzle is available on our premium wooden 23 piece heart shaped jig saw puzzle, measuring approx. 6.7″w. Your Personalized Love Jigsaw Puzzle comes assembled in a clear plastic box, great for storage. Includes FREE Personalization! Personalize your Heart Jigsaw Puzzle with any couples names.”

I Love You Teddy Bear
“Give this personalized ‘I Love You’ Anniversary ©Ty Inc. ‘Slumbers’ Teddy Bear to someone special in your life. Plush Teddy Bear from ©Ty Inc., The Pluffies CollectionTM measures a full 10″ tall. Pluffies are machine washable and safe for all ages. Personalized with any name.”

Hugs & Kisses Personalized Wall Canvas

“From our Hugs and Kisses Collection: This personalized Art Canvas is the ideal gift for that loving couple as a wedding or anniversary gift, and also great for that someone special on Valentines Day.  The lovely 8 by 20 inch gallery style canvas features the famous “XOXO” printed underneath the two names of your choice. Present this or any of our collection items on any occasion. Great gift ideas for Weddings, Valentines, Anniversaries, Birthdays, Christmas, or simply just because.”

And of course it wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without some great reading! I have one book suggestion for you. I know that a lot of people have already read this book, but if you haven’t it really is a must-have! Get it for yourself or as a gift for your hubby. You won’t be dissappointed!

“People express and receive love in different ways. Dr. Gary Chapman identifies these as the five languages of love: quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service and physical touch. If you express love toward others in a way they don’t understand, they will not realize you’ve expressed your love at all. The problem is that you’re speaking different languages.” -Amazon.com

Being a military wife, I understand what it is to be away from the one you love, and only harder on Valentine’s Day. Here are a few ideas for care packages that you can send to your love when he is far far away!

This care package was made by my friend Tina, who gets very creative with the care packages she makes for her husband!

So what kinds of Valentine themed things can you put in these packages? I’m so glad you asked! Here is a list of ideas from: My Crazy Amazing Military Life 

1. “Take an ordinary pillow case and get some iron on photo transfer paper and print out some photos of you and the family!  Add some perfume or your sailor/soldier’s favorite scent and pack it in a Ziploc bag to preserve the smell.  It’s an instant visual and scent memory of home. You can iron on the pictures on the inside of the pillow case if you’re worried about the command wanting the racks to look uniform.”

2. “Take some handkerchiefs and iron on pictures to them, or have the kids make hand prints or paint pictures on them with fabric paint.  Your sailor/soldier can carry these around in his pocket, something he doesn’t have to worry about in case it gets wet or something!  You can also send these in a Ziploc bag with a scent on it.”
3. “Of course candy, cookies, chips, cracker, cake snacks, etc!!  Just beware of items possibly melting or spending a long time in a holding area before getting to the sailor/soldier.”
4. “Make a mixed CD or thumb drive (if they have their own computer).  Make a theme of love songs and songs that you two as a couple liked to listen too.  I used to draw silly pictures on my tapes and CDs to personalize it!“
5. “Send little toys and trinkets that represent Valentines Day!  Everyone still loves to play with toys, come on you know it!! Send stuff that can put a smile on their face and that they can share with others.”
6. “Don’t forget Cards and letters, in today’s email crazy time a good handwritten letter can mean so much.  And if you send one it is like a ‘wink and nudge’ to your spouse and you may get a handwritten letter back (note: you may actually have to spell it out in your letter that you want a hand written response…. Some guys just need the ‘wink and nudge’ explained to them. LOL).”
7. “Make a list of why you love your spouse, or what makes you smile about them.”
8.  “If you have time find a place that can put images on insulated coffee cups, and have it personalized in addition to the picture.”
9. “Send something that is specific to what your spouse likes, for example a PSP Game, or a New CD from his favorite artist.“
10. “And last of all instead of using packing material to make the box secure inside use socks, boxers, and t-shirts to make the box tight (take them out of the packaging and use a pair or two to pack, its ok if you don’t use a whole pack just set the rest aside for the next package you send).  No matter where your sailor/soldier is deployed they can always use new CLEAN socks, boxers/underwear, and t-shirts.” 
 
I hope you have enjoyed the first annual Valentine’s Day Guide ( by me)! If you have please feel free to share with others by posting this button:

 

I would love to hear any ideas you have to add, and I might even include them in next year’s guide!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

 

To see this year’s Valentine’s Day Guide, click here: 2012 Valentine’s Day Guide

Similar Posts

12 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for featuring Love Actually! This is a great compilation for anyone making plans for Vday!! Many thanks!!

    Reply

  2. Awesome Ideas I may do the kiss scavenger hunt. 🙂 though i miss doing care packages especially the holiday ones I'm glad I have my hubs here to celebrate each day!

    Reply

  6. What awesome ideas! I'll definitely have to remember some of those.

    Visiting from the weekly roundup. Have a great weekend!

    xoxo
    Wife on the Roller Coaster

    Reply

  8. What great ideas! 🙂 I want to do a valentine picnic with hubby in our living room – crackers w/cheese, grapes, chocolate dipped strawberries and feed it to each other.

    Reply
  10. Pingback: I Need Your Best Valentine’s Day Ideas!!
  11. Pingback: 2012 Valentine’s Day Guide
  12. Pingback: 2013 Valentine's Day Guide - Singing through the Rain

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *