Here's a little idea for a thoughtful valentine's gift that can be perfectly tailored to your budget.
I used some stiff card to make a little box with a bone folder and score board. I don't mess around too much when making boxes, there's all sorts of complicated equations out there. None of that for me. I look at my score board and pick a line that's as far from the edge as I want my box to be deep. I roughly measure that and add that measurement to the size I'd like my box base. I cut one piece of card to that size and one very slightly (1/8 inch) bigger. I score along all four sides of both pieces and across the little square created at each corner. I then fold them inwards pushing each little triangle corner inwards and glueing them in place. Simple, quick and easy, no messing about.
The cards are just a sheet of stiff card with a slightly smaller sheet of decorative paper stuck onto them. I've used First Edition's Love Story but of course you can do this with any papers.
Each card has a date idea written on it. You can hand write them or print them as I've done. You can tailor the ideas to your lifestyle / budget etc. For example I made most of mine baby and dog friendly like a trip to the beach - no sitter required. I also included about half with little to no money required, like watching the sunset or a picnic, But I did include some splurge dates like a canal boat trip (which was awesome btw) and a posh meal out. There's loads of ideas online if you search for "date night ideas".
I included 12 different date nights, one for ecah month. You could do more or less as suits your needs. If your budget permits you could also book and pay for some or all of your dates. That way they're locked down in the calendar and there's no excuse to not make time.
Incidentally, why is this just for couples? What's wrong with making a box of dates for me time? When you think about it, it's just as (if not more) important to spend quality time with ourselves as our partners, or families. So how about family dates or dates with yourself - oh a few hours in country pub with a good book, a walk alone!!!
