For the thoughtful gifters, crafty creatives and sustainable choice-makers, here are four Valentine’s Day gift ideas that we’re pretty sure will make your loved one’s day!
South Africa (12 February 2025) — There are many, if not too many, options when it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts. Seemingly, everything now has a Valentine’s Day spin on it to the point where we’d hardly be surprised if dishwashing liquid went pink or red for the month of February.
As many of us find ourselves overwhelmed by Valentine’s Day’s commerciality, the thoughtfulness that we might like to achieve when gifting can get lost.
So, for those of us who still love a personal touch, are trying to be more sustainable, or simply want to make a difference with love, here are four thoughtful Valentine’s Day gifts to consider!
A Homemade Bookmark
If you know your way around a sewing machine, this gift is an ideal option for the book lover in your life.
There are many ways to get creative when crafting a fabric bookmark. Some take a quilting-style approach, while others create book pockets to make sure you never lose your page. The great thing about this gift idea is that you can personalise it as much as you wish to—whether by forming a unique combination of your book lover’s favourite colours with scrap fabric or by using embroidery magic to mark their initials.
You can find some helpful tutorial videos here:
@shaleseatlante Scrap fabric sewing projects day 9: tea bag bookmark #sewingtiktok #sewingdiy #sewingtutorial ♬ Sunshine – WIRA
Upgrade a Glass Jar to Become a Vase
A fabulous way to reuse glass, turn your jars into vases for the flower lover!
Whether it’s a former coffee holder or a mason jar just waiting to be put to use, there are very few limits to what you can bring to life with a little glass paint or the effective use of a glue gun.
Check out these tutorials to get some inspiration!
@vitraaz Turn your empty jars into beautiful flower vases! 😍 #fypツ #tutorial #diy #viral #painting #glassjar #nescafe #nescafejar #coffee #paintingtutorial #howtopaint #lavender #flowers #flowerart #flowervase #recycle #upcycle #glassart #glasspainting #art #simplediy #craft #diycrafts #recycledart #recycledcrafts #localbusiness #ukbusiness #smallbusiness #gifts #flowerlovers ♬ Confidence (sped up version) – Ocean Alley
@cathrynlaurawood Did you know you can make your own vase from a glass coffee jar, skewers and wooden balls? I LOVE how this looks! What do you think? #homedecor #homedecordiy #homerenovation #crafttok ♬ Just a Cloud Away – Pharrell Williams
@sunartsncrafts Diy Sunflower Lamp🌻💛🤎 . . . . #art #glasspainting #sunflower #artoftheday #artistsoftiktok #trend #virals #viralreelsfb #reelsvideo #fypシ゚ #artlovers #fyp #viralvideotiktok ##artistsoninstagram #artista #sunflowerpainting #Acrylic #acrylicartwork #artwork #fyp #aesthetics #diylamp #DIY ♬ Strangers – Kenya Grace
@sewbakemake Here’s how to make these adorable personalized bookmarks. There’s still time to make them as they only use scraps and take ten minutes to make! You’ll need three 4” squares for each one, and youll need to interface all of them. Fold on in half diagonally and press. Embroider with freemotion embroidery, then take the triangle and sandwich it between the other two squares, right sides together. Pin and sew with a 1/2” seam allowance all the way around, leaving a 2” gap. Trim the seams and clip the corners, then turn right side out and poke out the corners. Fold the seam allowance at the gap to the inside, press well, then topstitch 1/16” all the way around the close it up and give it a nice finishing touch. If you have questions about the embroidery, let me know in the comments and I’ll do a more in depth video on that! #diyxmasgift #sewing #sewingtutorial ♬ Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
Seeds for Their Own Veggie Garden
Almost everyone without allergies enjoys receiving flowers. But, for the green-thumbed love of your life, there’s a fabulous and simple way to give them the gift of getting to grow what they love: gifting them seedlings to create their own veggie garden!
Do some digging to figure out what their garden can accommodate, and figure out (subtly) their levels of expertise as not all veggies were created with equal growing simplicity.
Head off to your nursery and choose your veggie garden starter pack. Bonus points if you decide to gift them in a basket that the receiver can then use for harvesting.
Gift a Virtual Adoption
Maybe you’re in a relationship with someone who adores elephants or penguins, or perhaps you have a friend who is all about supporting good causes. Heck, you might even live with someone who wants nothing more than a dog but simply doesn’t have the space to own one.
The good news is that there is an abundance of virtual adoption options possible!
Heartlands Baby Sanctuary invites supporters to Adopt a Cot, while the Mdzananda Animal Clinic is giving dog lovers without dogs the chance to spoil a pooch in need.
As for wildlife, imagine how happy the wildlife enthusiasts in your life would be in knowing that your gift is supporting a species they adore.
You can find out more about virtual adoptions here!
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