Tuck candy gemstones into this handcrafted jewelry box for a special someone, or give them out to your dazzling friends.
With a note, a photo, or some sweets tucked inside, this gem-studded box would make the perfect keepsake for anyone who appreciates a touch of luxury.
Next: Necktie Envelope
A tie is a classic gift for him. Make it even more enticing by presenting it in a handmade fabric envelope that he can use for travel. Basic sewing skills are all you need to stitch one up from traditional shirting fabric. And don't forget to seal it with a heart tag.
Next: Sweet Sachets
Wool sachets filled with spoonfuls of fragrant dried lavender look right at home among knitted winter garments.
Next: Seed-Starter Valentine
Give flower seeds with little pots to your valentine. Use a rubber stamp to make hearts and sweet messages on the packets.
Next: Poetic Wrappings
Even the ribbon and paper on a valentine present can say "I love you." Romantic poetry -- try Byron, Keats, or Shelley -- will provide words appropriate to your amorous circumstance.
Next: Heart-Shaped Soap
Stamped soaps, inspired by candy conversation hearts, are great gifts for friends. Put in cellophane bags tied with tags; adorn with glitter.
Next: Valentine Gift Cones
This traditional German craft may look like a big piping bag, but it's a gift cone filled with presents and candies for any special occasion.
Next: Knot Bracelet
Two types of knots, which are symbols of everlasting unity, are showcased in colorful bracelets. These bracelets make great gifts for friends and family.
Next: Heart-Shaped Candy Box
Fill this heart-shaped candy box with your valentine's favorite sweets.
Next: Keepsake Envelopes
Over the centuries, envelopes have contained many secrets and declarations of true love, so it's appropriate to use a group of them to store dear old letters and treasured notes -- or to fill them with trinkets for your valentine.
Give your valentine one-of-a-kind gift packaging using this embellished heart-shaped candy box.
Next: Valentine Treat Cups
Create beautiful candy cups with nothing more than plastic cups, crepe paper, and gold trim.
Next: Sweetheart Pops
You'll surely win hearts with these confectionery valentines: sugar-cookie lollipops embedded with candy hearts or layered into frosted sandwiches.
Next: Heart Bookmark
Next: Creamy Fudge Hearts
Wrapped in pretty paper, these milky fudge hearts are sure to send a romantic message to your valentine.
A carefully chosen, personalized plant makes a lovely Valentine's Day present.
Next: Bath Fizzies
When dissolved, these bath fizzies reveal secret messages for your valentine.
This heart-covered paper makes a sweet wrapper for Valentine's Day gifts.
Transform simple cardboard boxes into poetic containers by attaching clusters of folded roses with craft glue. Tuck a heart-shaped chocolate or other romantic treat inside.
Next: Heart-Shaped Tea Bag
Warm someone up by adding a handwritten note to a tea bag. Cut two hearts out of red construction paper using a heart-shaped crafter's hole punch (available at crafts stores). Use a metallic pen to write a short message on one of the hearts. Next, remove a tea-bag tag and, at the end of the string, affix two hearts, back-to-back, using double-sided tape or a stapler. Package bags to give as a present, or steep one in hot water and serve.
Fragrant carnations, which can last a long time out of water, are ideal for reviving the Victorian custom of handheld nosegays. Tucked in the middle is a sweet floral message of affection. The arrangement can be made directly in your hand. Strip the foliage from 2 bunches of carnations in different colors (we used white with pink, but you can also use pink with red). Cut all stems to 6 inches. Holding on to 3 or 4 paler flowers, form them into a heart. Surround them with darker blooms, and then wrap the stems tightly with floral tape. Cover stems with squares of glassine or tissue paper, and tie with a bow.
These petits fours conceal a honeyed, cakey interior beneath a crisp, crackly surface embellished by hand with hearts of jam.
Inspired by period French apothecary packaging that held curatives and medicines, these tiny boxes instead proffer sweet sentiments that may also prove to be just what the doctor ordered.
This Valentine's Day's prettiest presents will arrive in sacks with patterns as delectable as the treats tucked inside.
Next: Beribboned Bouquet
Here's an especially pretty way to wrap up your Valentine's Day gift. Four dozen red and pink roses stand out in this arrangement. Cut stems to 6 inches and tie -- with a few buds and fiddlehead ferns -- with raffia in bundles of eight. Then place in a fishbowl vase that fits snugly in a square paper-covered box (ours was 10 inches). A tag and a chocolate-brown ribbon tie the look together nicely.
Next: Seashell Valentines
The delicate colors and exquisite shapes of shells have inspired countless craftspeople to incorporate them into objects ranging from the mundane to the extraordinary, from tissue-box covers to elaborate mosaics. The more intricate creations include sailors' valentines -- octagonal wooden boxes adorned with seashells and messages of love first made and given as gifts in the early 19th century.
Next: Button-Heart Cuff Links
This set of symbolic cuff links are fashioned from mother-of-pearl buttons and silk beading cord.
Next: Candy Box
A craft box or a prefilled candy box adorned with silk blossoms glued in a sweeping, asymmetrical arrangement is sure to please your valentine. Mixed truffles can be stashed within.
Next: Heart-Felted Scarf
This lovely heart-felted scarf makes a wonderful and warm Valentine's Day gift.
Next: Bonbon-Filled Hearts
Surprise a loved one by hanging a heart-shaped container filled with candy on his doorknob or near his computer.
These heart-print candles make sweet gifts for friends and family. You can also send a romantic note to your special someone in an old-fashioned bottle decorated with our valentine clip art.
These pendants make heartfelt adornments for both friends and kids.
Next: Valentine Treat Box
Share small candies in this charming, heart-shaped treat box.
All it takes to propagate African violets is a large healthy leaf, cut in half. Turn it into a pretty Valentine's Day gift by snipping it into the shape of a heart.
Next: Catnip Heart Pillows
There isn't a kitten that wouldn't purr over these catnip-filled, knitted heart pillows.
These royal-icing-topped sugar cookies bear love notes in text-message lingo.
Next: Blossoming Brooch
This flower pin makes a pretty gift for Mom, a sister, or a special friend.
Next: Photo Montage for Kids
Stack family photos into playful wall art in the shape of a giant heart.
Next: Quilled Flowers
A bouquet of quilled flowers will outlast fresh blooms. Create several fringed flowers, and add floral-wire stems.
Next: Presents in Pots
Dress up orchids, forced amaryllis, and topiaries by repotting them in handsome porcelain containers. Don't forget to tie handwritten care instructions to the pot.
A Shaker-inspired oval wooden box lined with velvet ribbon holds smaller variations of itself, romantic repositories for family heirlooms or favorite baubles.
Next: Fold-Up Box
Learn how to create a beautiful package that opens like a blossom.
Next: Lace Picture Frame Mat
A photograph surrounded by a lace-printed mat makes a charming handmade gift.
Next: Wrapped Chocolates
Give candy boxes a finishing touch that won't be ripped away when your present is opened. Cover containers with a selection of seasonal gift wrap, art paper, ribbon, and twill tape. For chocolates, wrap the cover only, using craft glue or a glue stick as you go. Tuck excess paper inside, and trim the edge with a ribbon or paper strip.
Next: Valentine Pincushions
These little sand-filled, pin-adorned pillows will make useful valentines for the seamstress in your life.
Next: Glittered Buckles
Add a bit of sparkle to your Valentine's Day gifts by wrapping a glittered buckle around the box.
Show your love with a beautiful handmade heart pendant wrapped in a lovely jewelry gift pouch.
Store-bought chocolate repackaged in a homemade wrapper -- the underside of which reveals a handwritten love note -- tastes doubly delicious.
Next: Heart-Felt Bag
Perfect for a friend, sister, or daughter: a cheery felt bag covered with hearts.
Next: Roses Wrapped with Poems
Floral wrap bearing a romantic poem adds an extra-special touch to a blooming surprise.
Next: Sweet Surprises
If you're giving chocolates as a gift, count the ways sweetly on small paper disks, and place one beneath each candy.
Next: Lace Wrapping Paper
Embellish a special gift with lace-print wrap you can make yourself.
Next: Heart-Shaped Pot Holders
These charming pot holders make sweet Valentine's Day gifts. After all, these mitts are warm and fuzzy inside and all heart on the outside.
Romantic Ideas for heartfelt cards, sweets, and gifts on Valentine's Day.
Send a sweet handmade greeting to your valentine. Choose from over 35 card ideas for kids and adults.
© 2010 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
