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DIY VALENTINE’S GIFTS FOR LAST-MINUTE ROMANCE

STAFF PHOTO ANTHONY REYES 
Remind your Valentine of the rich past you both share with a three-part frame that tells your love story. A romantic gesture, the frame is a artful and thoughtful way to display your journey as a couple year-round.
STAFF PHOTO ANTHONY REYES Remind your Valentine of the rich past you both share with a three-part frame that tells your love story. A romantic gesture, the frame is a artful and thoughtful way to display your journey as a couple year-round.

News flash: Valentine’s Day is Friday.

That means if you are a man currently in a relationship with a woman whom you wish to continue seeing, you need to get her a gift. It doesn’t matter if you have been together for 50 years, are not quite at the “I love you” stage or married to someone who ominously says “You don’t have to get me anything,” choosing the right gift could be the biggest decision you make all month.

And while buying the perfect gift may seem difficult, making a thoughtful, loving and low-cost gift may seem impossible.

Luckily, there’s Pinterest.

Pinterest.com, a content sharing service, allows users to upload their own craft ideas, how-to’s and photos through personal collections. These collections are in the form of pin-boards, which are organized according to themes. Members can also view other users’ pins and search for projects to add to their personal collections.

Any of these do-it-yourself projects would be wonderful to receive for Valentine’s Day. Although they don’t take a lot of time or cost a lot of money, they seem really thoughtful, are adorably unique andwould be a joy to unwrap. All projects below were made from craft supplies purchased at a hobby store and took a total working time of less than 30 minutes each.

But if a DIY for your l-o-v-e is too much trouble or just too much work, there’s really only one safe standby: Go buy flowers. Now.

VALENTINE’S LIGHT BULB

Red thin-gauge wire

Light bulb

Pliers

Hot glue

Screwdriver

Scrap piece of wood or wood cube

Message written on 1-by-3 inch white card

Elmer’s glue

Hollow out the light bulb by removing the black plug at the bottom and breaking the glass filament. For further instructions, www.teamdroid.com/diy-hollow-out-a-lightbulb.

Clean the outside and inside of the light bulb carefully and place it aside for later use.

Cut a 10-inch piece of wire to make a heart “filament.” Fold the wire in half to create a sharp crease, then unfold. An inch from the crease, take both loose wire ends and loop both wires around to create heart halves, then pull both wires back down and twist to form a stem. Be sure to keep the heart small as you will need to fit the hollow light bulb over it.

If using a soft wood (such as balsa), the stems can be pushed into the wood and glued. Otherwise, you may wish to use a tack or nail to make a hole.

Gently fit light bulb over the filament and hot glue the bulb to the wood.

Attach cardstock message to wood using Elmer’s glue.

Note: I have to admit, I didn’t remove the filament myself. Upon seeing I was underqualified for the job, NWA Media’s Mr. Fix-it Luke Waldrip stepped in to the rescue. After that, the project was pretty simple and straightforward. I didn’t even break the bulb!

Cost: $2

LEMON-DROP BATH BOMBS

8 ounces baking soda

4 ounces citric acid

4 ounces corn starch

4 ounces fine-grained Epsom salts

3/4 teaspoon of water

2 teaspoons lemon essential oil

2 1/2 teaspoons almond oil

3 drops of yellow food coloring

Muffin tin

Whisk

Bowl and cup for mixing

Fluffy towel

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.

Add in wet ingredients and stir together until well mixed. The mixture should begin to clump.

Tightly pack mixture into cupcake tins. This mixture will make six standard cupcake-sized bombs. Allow to dry for 15 minutes. Gently turn the cupcake tin over on to the towel and allow the bombs to dry overnight.

Package bombs in tissue paper with strips of dried lemon skin and dried white rose petals.

Note: These bath bombs can be made with other “flavors” using different essential oils. Try mixing in lavender oil instead of lemon and using a mix of blue and red food coloring to make a light purple bomb. Wrap these purple bombs with dried purple flowers and dried rosemary for an attractive, thoughtful and easy gift.

Cost: $4 for six bombs

LACE VOTIVE HOLDER

Lace

Scissors

Balloons

Fabric stift ener

Cut lace into a rectangle approximately 1 by 2 feet.

Blow up balloon and tape to hard surface. Wrap lace around balloon and spray with fabric stiftener until lace is saturated. Allow to dry for at least two hours.

Pop the balloon.

Note: So easy and so cute, these are great gifts and perfect last-minute decorations. Word to the wise, however, you may wish to use flameless candles to avoid any accidental fi res.

Cost: $3 for five votive holders ‘OUR JOURNEY’ FRAMED ART

Maps

Matted collage frame with three openings

Gold Sharpie (optional)

Begin by choosing your maps. It’s easiest to purchase all of the maps at one location so they are the same quality. The first two maps should center on each person’s birthplace. If you were both born in the same city, a closeup map of the streets you grew up on or the location of the hospital at which you were born would be good options. The third map should be an overview of the city in which you met.

Centering the location on each map, mark a rectangle around the spot the 1 inch larger than the opening for the picture.

Cut out maps and place in frame, using tape to secure them in place.

You may chose to write the dates of birth below each photo opening or mark exact locations directly on the map.

Note: The one I made wasn’t cheap. I used a map of a country other than the United States, so the cost of the map was a lot higher than I expected. The maps I used were pretty expensive at $25, and the frame itself was $15.You may choose to offset that cost by printing oft maps using a high-quality printer and cardstock.

Cost: $40

HEART STRING ART

2x2 foot piece of plywood

Hammer

Ruler

Pen or pencil

Copper nails

Red string or twine

Begin by drawing an outline of a heart onto the wood.

Mark a point on the line every two inches. This is where you will hammer in the nails.

Hammer in the nails gently, being careful to not pierce the back of the plywood.

Wrap twine around nails randomly and around the outside. Continue wrapping until the heart is fi lled with criss-crossing twine. Wrap the twine around the bottom nail and tie tightly.

Note: This was so easy and looks so cute. It’s the type of Valentine’s decoration/gift that can be kept out year-round, reminding your sweetie how hard you worked to make her happy.

Cost: $10

FOR MORE VALENTINE’S GIFT IDEAS, ROMANTIC EATS AND DECOR, FOLLOW ALLISON CARTER ON PINTEREST.COM/ SCATTEREDPLANS.

Life, Pages 6 on 02/12/2014

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