Good morning lovelies!
Today is Day 1 of Valentine's DIY Love series and we are exploring something with an old school feel that includes some new school flavah!
You see that box up there? It's very important for the next post or two and is great because it is versatile and costs very little! I bought it at the dollar max store, and it's not big but is perfect for what I have planned for my Poppa Bear. (Don't worry, he is constantly wanting to know before hand, what he is getting for his surprise, and though that may defeat the purpose of a surprise, he still wants to know and pesters for the goods. Time out in his future! My silly booboo, I love him so, sigh...)
I chose to share because it's perfect for a him or her gift, gets you to be creative, and does not have to cost an arm and a leg. So here goes:
Firstly, go to your local Dollarama or Dollar Max store, rifle through their box section and make an effort to find something that you know they would like, (you want them to want this, to reuse or keep as your special keepsake box) something that represents them or maybe both of you.
Also be sure it's something that will give you the room you need for what you want to put into it, and it needs to fit your budget. With Valentine's, I really feel it's the thought that counts.
If you can't find something that you feel works, buy one of the plain boxes they sell and jazz it up with stickers, old movie tickets you went to see, band or anime cut-outs, pics of you both, add some glitter, just use stuff that represents you both and moments you have shared.
This is where we get to the part with choosing what to fill your box with, I cheated a bit because I bought the set you see in the pics above, at a specialty papeterie shop a while ago; it was on special and too pretty to pass up. However, it still has its merits because I am using it as a jumping off suggestion point for you.
What I adored about this set was that it included envelopes, was girly on the outside with a fun closure but the stationary itself was good for both female and male; sending a sweet something to my love with a fancy design was made easy and for less than $15 with tax! If you are not familiar with specialty paper, get into it for Valy-tines day and Anniversaries. I am going to be adding some links to great places where you can meander through the on-line suggestions and find something for everyone, ranging from very masculine to Kawaii cuteness and very elegant.
We here in Montréal have some beautiful shops that boast all kinds of delights for those who still enjoy the tradition of writing and gorgeous stationary, if you have these shops I highly recommend you check them out. I know we live in a tech age but nothing, and I do mean nothing in the world of cyber space can beat getting a letter in the mail on beautiful stationary with wonderful heart-felt words. Poppa Bear and I fell deeper in love over these kinds of letters and cards, he still likes to receive them, asks for them after all these years, and I am happy to oblige.
For those of you who are not literary greats in the writing department or perhaps your penmanship leaves much to be desired, fear not. We live in a bold new font world, you can cheat and still make it awesome with a cape! I am putting links down below to those as well, and now you have no excuses.
I have stickers I added from the dollar max to my set, (I know, soooo girlie!) and use them as I like. I also buy Kawaii stickers with Hello Kitty or Batz Maru from San Rio shops, on-line stores at Etsy, and in China town. Because I am a baker and have a tendency to include something eatable in my gifts, I like food related stickies. If you want something a bit more mature or more elegant and prefer a card over a full-on letter, then by all means get a pretty card. Just make sure what you get fits in the box and that your other half will like.
Papyrus is another amazing place to purchase beautiful cards, envelopes, elegant stickers and stationary. I have so many beautiful one's I have received over the years from my loved one's and I keep them all to this day, in a special box, which is big enough to house things that are important to me.
Now, if you have someone who loves to write, is artistic in nature, or has a thing for pens and what not, then I seriously suggest you get some of those things and add them to the box. Look over the pics for some ideas, I cannot get enough of water colour pencils, calligraphy pens, and markers. I bought those one's you see above at Omer de Serre and Renaud Bray (Links follow). Omer de Serre is our art store and they have so many items for artist lovers' of all kinds, Renaud Bray is a French bookstore, (Librairie-not to be confused with a Library, as our 9th grade French teacher hammered into the old memory banks repeatedly, so we wouldn't fail that question on our exam as far too many before us apparently had.) which sells loads of awesome paper goods and household products and a wide array of pens and journals. Sexy pens!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, I digress...
Sharpie pens have come a long way baby! They have a wide array of colours, thicknesses, and are decently priced. I get mine at Michael's and Staples, the Calligraphy black double-ended marker came from Omer de Serre. All were under $5 and are great fun for artsy fartsy and writer types the world over.
Personally, I adore little Journals and Notebooks, I am always on the go, struck by inspiration, and need paper in travel form to get through my days. I also have a post-it obsession which a dear friend of mine once asked for as a birthday gift from all her friends' and boyfriend, so I no longer hide this fetish in embarrassment. Hand over the hot pink sticky notes and no one gets hurt! I must say, after seeing the price, we understood the request because she used them everywhere, everyday and for everything. I used to get them free from the office's I worked at, so I never realized the expense; anywhoodles, all that to say, a bunch of thoughtful, colourful, and likeable items will not go amiss in your box. Please keep in mind that today's post is more focused on things that some people might not find romantic, I will be doing some more posts about different items to place in this box that will be appreciated by different types out there, later on this week, so no worries. As for moi, (and I have several people in my life who would agree) this is awesome filler for creative's, if you feel it's not enough, add a gift card or pre-bought tickets to a movie or show. It's all up to you!
Whatever you decide should go into your Love in a Box gift, just do things that are endearing, thoughtful, will be enjoyed, and fit in. I kept fortune cookie papers from a previous long-distance Valentine's Chinese dinner date night Poppa Bear and I did. This is something you could put in an envelope as a memento with a note that can state the date, what you ate and what you talked about. I like lists, things like, What I Love About You, Places We'll Travel, In Our First Home we Should Have...
Include some chocolate, Hershey kisses for those of you who are far apart-you can send a kiss! I also included my Sponge Bob bookmark, not because he's going anywhere but just because it's SpongeBob and I think he's adorkable. Poppa Bear falls asleep watching him but I can't get enough of his utter ridiculousness.
Remember to wrap your box up nicely after you place your card or letter on top, and you can do a secret stealth ninja delivery by leaving it on the front porch, running away and hiding just after ringing the doorbell, or mailing it, or pulling it out on your special night together.
Have fun, be romantic, keep it simple, but make it all yours.
Have a blessed and love-filled day everyone!
Links as promised:
on-line stationary shops
http://www.deserres.ca/en-ca/categories/graphic-arts/stationery-and-office-supplies/108/page-1/20/0/
Valentine Fonts, I got these for you from three different blogs. The links for those are under the font pics, so you can choose what you prefer, head over to the blog, click on what you want and have fun:
http://terrellfamilyfun.com/2015/01/15-free-valentines-day-fonts/
http://www.atypicalenglishhome.com/2013/01/best-free-valentines-day-fonts.html
http://thecottagemarket.com/2015/01/fabulous-valentines-day-free-fonts.html
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