Homemade gifts are often the most meaningful and heartfelt gifts you can give. Follow these simple tutorials below to make an inexpensive, easy and personalized DIY gift for your significant other.

Cupid’s Coupons

Probably the easiest of them all, coupons require the least amount of time and effort. The great thing about making coupons is that they last for more than just Valentine’s Day. They also require little artistic ability. The idea behind them is to write something on each coupon that you can do for or with your partner.

You will need:

• Coloured card stock

• White 8x11 paper

• Thin tip markers

• Scissors

• Glue stick or double-sided tape

• Cookie cutters or anything you want to use as a stencil

• Hole punch

• Binder ring

Instructions:

1. Divide the white piece of paper into squares so that there are three squares widthwise and four squares lengthwise, totaling 12 squares altogether.

2. Write one phrase in each square and cut out each square.

3. Use the stencil to create shapes on the coloured card stock. Make sure they are big enough for the white paper to be stuck on with a background showing.

4. Cut out the card stock shapes and mount the white paper with the phrases onto the card stock with glue.

5. Decorate the coupons with drawings, stickers and any other things you’d like to include.

6. Hole punch each coupon in the top right-hand corner and thread them onto the binder ring.

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52 Things I Love About You Cards

Similar to the coupons, buy a deck of cards and using white paper write one thing you love about your partner on each square. If you use the entire deck, the person will be able to flip through 52 reasons whenever they want. With this project you could also hole punch the corner and put it on a binder ring or you can keep it in the cardholder case. Feel free to get creative and decorate.

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Magical Mason Jar Lanterns

Great as a gift and a way to set the mood, these romantic mason jar lanterns are sure to light up your partner’s life. Similar to the mugs, you will need a heart stencil made of contact paper to stick on the outside of the mason jar. Wait until completely dry and then tie a thin red ribbon around the top of the jar. You can use this jar to hold candy, love notes, date ideas or you could place a tea light inside.

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Sharpie Heart Mug

There are lots of mug decorating tutorials out there, but this one is simple and a great present for your partner to receive because who wouldn’t love a cup of coffee in a homemade mug. If you are worried about your lack of artistic ability, this is pretty much foolproof.

You will need:

• A plain white mug with a handle that is curved well to look like a heart

• An oil based fine or medium tip red sharpie marker

• One piece of cardstock paper

• One piece of contact paper

• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Make a heart stencil by tracing around the handle of the mug on the cardstock in order to form one side of the heart.

2. Fold the paper in half along the edge of the tracing and cut out the tracing so that you now have a full heart.

3. Trace the heart onto the back of the piece of contact paper and cut it out.

4. Make sure to clean and dry your mug. Use vodka or rubbing alcohol to remove any fingerprints or oils.

5. Stick the contact paper to the mug so that one half of the heart is in line with and stuck to the handle and the other is stuck to the mug.

6. Using your red sharpie, dot the outline of the heart on the mug only. Wait 10 minutes for the marker to dry before dotting the handle on the same side that the heart is on the mug. Repeat on the opposite side of the handle. You can also stick the contact paper heart somewhere else on the mug and dot around it if you want more hearts on the mug.

7. Write “I love you” freehanded or any other message you’d like to include on your mug.

8. Allow the mug to dry for at least 20 minutes before placing in a cold oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees before baking the mug for 20 minutes.

9. Once the mug has cooled, repeat the baking process.

10. As an optional step at the end you can seal the mug with a thin layer of spray sealant. Make sure to tape the lip and the inside of the mug in order to not spray this area.

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Memory Waterfall

Looking back on pictures of you and your partner can bring back some great memories and milestones that happened together. This memory waterfall is a great decoration to hang in your room.

You will need:

• Navy ribbon

• One embroidery hoop

• Thin, clear string

• Paper

• Scissors

• Craft glue

• Photos of you and your loved one

• Hole punch

• One key ring

Instructions:

1. Hole punch each photo approximately five-millimetres from the top and in the middle.

2. Cut a 30-centimetre piece of string and for each piece of string you measure, increase them in length by two-centimetre intervals.

3. Tie one end of the string through and around the hole punched photo.

4. Tie the other end of the string to the embroidery hoop, allowing approximately a 20-centimetre tail of string to be left trailing from the knot on the embroidery hoop. Do not cut off the extra string as all string will extend to the top to be tied together so it can be hung. Use glue to help secure if necessary.

5. Draw a heart approximately an inch in diameter on a piece of paper. Fold the paper and cut out the heart so that you have many of the same heart.

6. Colour the hearts on one side either red or pink or both. Glue two hearts together so that the coloured side faces outward and the string extends from inside the heart. Attach the opposite end of the string to the embroidery hoop.

7. Make sure each extension of either the photo or heart is evenly spread around the hoop.

8. Repeat steps two to six until all photos are used or until you have the desired effect you wanted to create.

9. Wrap the ribbon around the embroidery hoop so that the entire hoop is covered.

10. Tuck both ends of the ribbon in and glue the ends in.

11. Tie all of the tails together at the top around the key ring. Use glue if necessary to secure in place.