Thinking about making a special Valentine gift for your loved one this year instead of going out and buying the same old card and candy? Here are a few ideas, 1 for him, 1 for her, and 1 the kids can do for either parent or both parents.
Personalized Picture T-Shirt for Him
Make him a T-shirt with your picture on it and a special “I LOVE YOU” message. The materials you will need are: a new white t-shirt in his size or maybe a bit larger if he will be sleeping in it or lounging around the house, a good picture of yourself, a scanner, a printer, photo transfer paper (you can purchase it at any discount store or photo shop), an iron and ironing board.
First you will want to scan the picture into your computer and use a photo editing program to make any adjustments, color, brightness, cropping. Then you can add a board of hearts, stars or whatever your program has available. Then place a special message on the photo somewhere, at the top or bottom is usually a good place.
Now you will want to probably print a test page to see how it will turn out. Remember to follow the instructions for printing on photo transfer paper or your image will come out in mirror image or backwards. After you are satisfied with the test print now load the printer with the photo transfer paper and print the image out.
Simply heat your iron to the temperature suggested on the instruction for the photo transfer paper and iron the image onto the t-shirt. Allow it to completely cool before you move it.
Now you can place it in a nice gift bag and present it to your lover when he comes through the door. He will be surprised that you went to all the “trouble” to make him a special one of a kind Valentine gift to show him how much you love him and that he is “YOUR” Valentine.
If you do not have a scanner or printer you can take a photo to most any photo processing center and they can do all the scanning, cropping, editing and add boarders and messages for you. They then can print it on photo transfer paper so all you will have to do is simply iron it onto the shirt. The fees vary for these services from one provider to another so call around and find the best price in your city.
A Personalized Music CD for Her
Okay, you guys aren’t great with words and we understand this. That is why they made love songs. The best way you can let her know how much you love her and exactly what she means to you may be through a song or songs. Spend a couple of days searching, selecting and compiling a selection of anywhere from 5 to 10 songs that do just that. You can use CDs you already have or you can visit websites such as, amazon.com, walmart.com, emusic.com, music.yahoo.com and find all the right songs. Once you have the songs all purchased, uploaded from your disc, or downloaded from the websites, all you will need is a blank CD and burning software and you are in business. Burn the songs to the CD and then place it in a special envelope or gift bag. When she comes home or over, whichever the case may be, give her the disc when you are ready to set the mood and spend an evening together either over candle lit dinner for two or a little dancing and cuddling. She will love you for taking the time to find the words to tell her what she means to you.
Candy Cane Heart Cards for Mom/Dad
Take a regular size piece of red construction paper and fold it in half to form a card. Now to the front of it glue either a different color construction paper or left over Christmas wrap in shinny colors like gold, silver or something that will go well with the red construction paper. This second piece should be just a bit smaller than the red construction paper so the edges of the red paper show around as a boarder. Now you will need two leftover red and white candy canes from Christmas or you can find them at a great bargain right now in most stores. Glue the canes on with the two round parts facing each other to form the top of the heart. The ends will meet together at the bottom. With a special pen, either a special color, glitter, gel, or even scented pens write “Happy Valentine’s Day” all around the candy heart on the front. Inside the card write a special message to either Mom, Dad or to both of them. They will love the “sweet” gesture and will keep the card for years to come.
