Valentine's Day: 15 Last Minute Gifts For Everyone!

If you haven't read my last two posts click here to see my Crafts and DIY Decor ideas.
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It's Valentine's Day weekend and just 2 days left until the day itself! I thought for today's post it would be a good idea to show some last minute gift ideas for both friends and that 'special one'. I love how simple and easy some of these are and you can literally pick these up on the way home from a local shop if you haven't got anything yet!

Disclaimer: I've found all these ideas on Pinterest but I also remember doing them myself when I was younger.

I have included links to the original posts but I also found it very annoying when I would go on Pinterest and then that post would take me to another and another and then finally the original with the actual instructions. So while you can have a look at the original posts, you don't need to click on them to be able to do the activity, unless you want more detail.

I've tried to include a few gifts for everyone from teachers, children friends, girlfriends and boyfriends! Of course, some of the gifts can be transferred to different groups. 

For the children:

1. Pencils:
Another great gift for school is pencils! No one, not even adults, can have enough pencils! Add a 'Looking Sharp' or 'You've got the WRITE stuff' label for a funny pun gift.

2. Kinetic Sand -
For younger kids to gift give, buy some kinetic sand in bulk and some small containers to split it between then attach the labels (below). You could even just use some bags and tie to label on with string. I know that my 3 year old loves this stuff so it will be sure to be a hit!


3. Popcorn -
You could also find little bags of popcorn and then print off these labels to make them more punny.

4. Heart Crayons - 
This is one of my favourite ideas that I saw ages ago. So many crayons get broken so easily and it's so hard to draw with little bits remaining. Gather all these pieces together and mix them up. Then place them in a silicone heart mould and cook for 20 minutes on 180C (until melted). Allow to cool and then you can give them out as gifts to school kids. I think these are so neat and clever. 
If you have time you could also do them in specific colours like pink and do an almost ombre effect. 

5. Butterfly Lolly -
I completely forgot where I originally got this idea from but there is a good video linked for a detailed explanation. Basically, fold a piece of card in half and draw a heart without the point. Then cut it out and make two small slits on the fold. When it opens, it will look like a butterfly with a space for the lollipop to slip into. You can decorate it to make it a bit mire personalised with stickers, pain or just messages.

For friends:

I've tried to avoid chocolate and treats as much as possible because I think they are, with flowers, the most overused gifts of all time. But this one was just small and way to cute to miss. Simple print of the name place setting, fold in half and attach the heart shaped treat to make the other end of the 'arrow to my heart'. 

7. Smores -
Another sweet treat is this totally adorable mason jar full on smores. While the blog originally uses smore chex mix, I know we don't have that in the UK, so I think this would be super cute if you found a large jar and filled in with digestive biscuits, marshmallows and chocolate. Once filled, print off the label and fill.


For a free gift, head over to somewhere that sells paint and pick up some sample paint stripes in shades of red and pink. Everyone always needs bookmarks and these are literally perfect for the job! To add a little more personalisation and effort punch heart shaped holes along the side and you could even add a smaller hole at the top to tie some ribbon to. These will be sure to keep your place in any book!

9. Part 1: Lip Balms -
Valentine's comes right when chapped lips are at their absolute height in the population. I would love to get a cute lip balm as a present because somehow everyone manages to lose them so you can ever have enough. You can buy these in bulk and then print off some cute labels. Either leave them in the original packaging or you can use some tissue paper and tie it up like a sweetie wrapper if you have a little more time!

9. Part 2: Lip Balms -
For a slightly younger gift giver, these cute labels are also cute if you give a bee inspired product like Burt's Bee's lip balm. You can either print of the label for teachers or the label for a friend. These would be perfect for giving out at school!

10. Decorate Ceramics with Sharpies! -
Easy presents are often the most thoughtful. Buy a relatively cheap and plain plate/mug/bowl and then decorate it with sharpies. These are so simple to make, draw on your design in a Sharpie and then bake in the oven for an hour on 200C to set it. For an extra bit of love, add some treats to item like sweets in Valentine colours. Not only is the gift useful but yummy too!

11. Darling Tote Bag with Ombré Heart -
I did show this on the Kids Crafts post on Monday but I also think for a gift, it would be really cute to do on the tote bag. Kids probably won't be able to quite reach the standard necessary for using it out and about but for teenagers +, these turn out darling!


For him:
12. Cuff links -
I'm so bad with presents for guys, literally anytime of the year and I couldn't find any Pinterest inspiration. I do think cufflinks are a really cute idea for those special occasions like fancy dates on Valentine's dates ;)



13. Rock Paper Weight -
Another simple idea for a guy is a paper weight for his desk. If you find a big rock, wash it and once dry you could paint it, decorate it in hearts or simple write 'you rock my world'.

For both: 

14. Basket -
Fill up a basket full of small gifts that your partner will enjoy. Basically anything for an amazing night in. I think CDs, DVDs, books, socks, and other small items that can fit into a cute basket or box are always a cute idea. For a woman, you could get bath bombs or make-up or eve lingerie (but not if you've only been together a few days/weeks please! For a guy, maybe some video games or his favourite aftershave or some expensive Calvin Klein underwear.

For her:

15. Part 1: 365 Days of Happiness -
My heart would just melt if a guy did this for me. I saw it going around a few years ago and I'm just praying my future husband will do this for me in 10 years or so. It's not so last minute unless you pull an all nighter but she'll be sure to appreciate the effort. Buy a massive mason jar and then fill it with 365 post it notes with messages written on. There's so many things you could do. It could be really anything from messages of support, quotes, memories that will make them smile, reasons you love them. If you have a little more time you could colour code it with different types of messages and one could be date ideas for those times when you're stuck later on in the year.

15. Part 2: Messages -
Another thoughtful gift but takes less time is the messages. Basically pick a handful of topics and rite a letter for them to open on that occasion. There are loads of topics to read here but for example, open when:
  • You first receive these letters
  • You're happy
  • You're sad
  • You miss me
  • You need to know how much I love you
  • You need me
  • You feel lonely.


I hope some of these gifts were helpful and interesting! I love the funny puns some of the gifts have :)

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