Features reporters April Jones and Casey Holland demonstrate how to make cheap, do-it-yourself Valentine’s Day gifts at home.
—Students who are tight on money but still want to give their significant other something meaningful for Valentine’s Day can opt to create homemade gifts to celebrate the romantic holiday. Here are a few affordable and college-friendly personalized gifts to give to your love interest.
Heart cookies with love letters
Give a sweet gift of homemade sugar cookies with a nice note.
1. After finding a simple sugar cookie recipe, add a few drops of pink or red food coloring to the batter to give it a romantic hue.
2. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into hearts.
3. Bake the cookies and let them cool.
4. Add a thin coat of frosting and scatter sprinkles on top.
5. Add a personal touch by writing or printing a short love note.
6. Place the cookies into a little plastic bag with the love note and tie the bag with a ribbon.
Candy Mason jar
Give your Valentine something cute that for their desk with a Mason jar filled with candies.
This project needs a Mason glass jar, scrapbook paper, candy hearts, M&M’s, Hershey Kisses, ribbon and scrap-booking letter stickers.
1. Fill the jars with assorted candy. Top the candy with a love note written on pink or red construction paper.
2. Outline the size of the jar lid on the back of the scrapbook paper and cut out the outline.
3. Glue the cutout on top of the jar.
4. Attach letter stickers spelling out the name of the Valentine along with a short message such as, “be mine.”
5. Finish off the jar by tying a bow around it.
Love coupons
Sometimes a labor of love means more than cologne or roses. Give the gift of service this February. Homemade Valentine’s Day coupons give an opportunity to personalize a gift while keeping it useful and fun.
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1. Cut out a few strips of construction paper in various designs.
2. On the strips, glue on printed sentences with tasks that you would be willing to do in the future. For example, “one free back massage” or “one free home-cooked dinner.”
3. Combine the strips together and hole punch the coupons in the top left corner.
4. Weave a safety pin through the hole to keep the strips together. The safety pin can be easily opened or closed for easy detachment.
Valentine’s Day can be tough on the bank account when it comes to gifts, candy, flowers and expensive dates. However, there are plenty of options to make your date swoon and to have a great time on campus or East Lansing. Before buying the jewelry and doing the typical dinner and a movie date, here are some way to give your significant other a good time without breaking the bank.
Skate the night away
Get up and moving by heading to Munn Ice Arena for couples skating. The arena has provided extra time to skate on Friday to give students multiple options.
Get lunch then head to the 12:30 p.m.-2 p.m. slot, or get dinner and go to the 9:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. slot.
Plus, it’s a great excuse to hold hands and no experience is needed to have a good time. A yummy end to the date would be making some homemade hot chocolate.
Cost: ?Students are able to skate for $4 with a $2 skate rental.
Show your sensitive side
Want to show your sensitive side? Go on a date to the Capital Area Humane Society in Lansing. Head to the shelter to play with homeless puppies and kittens, and even help find good homes for neglected animals. Be sure to call and pre-register to sign up for an orientation.
Cost: ?$20 for registration.
Look into the stars
OK, maybe not real stars, but by going to the Abrams Planetarium students can catch the featured show, “Comets and Discovery,” on Friday or Saturday night at 8 p.m.
Sit back in comfy chairs and watch the program that includes different types of comets projected on the dome of the planetarium.
It’s informational, and will give you and your date plenty to talk about after the show. If the skies are clear on Friday, they might provide a telescope to look out and spot the various stars in space.
Cost: ?$2.50 per person.
