Create the Perfect Valentine’s Day Basket To Give Your Love
Eliminate the pressure of securing the perfect Valentine’s Day gift, and instead, opt for a thoughtful, personal DIY Valentine’s Day basket. A homemade gift basket is a great present because it allows you to specifically tailor the gifts to the recipient, giving them lots of little things that show you were thinking about them.
There are a couple of approaches you can take to DIY Valentine’s Day baskets. For starters, you can put together a basket for your spouse as a surprise. Or you and your spouse can make a game out of it—set a budget and a list of categories of items to include (keep reading for more on this), and then, exchange your creative baskets on Valentine’s Day! Lastly, you and your spouse can create Valentine’s Day baskets together for your kids.
So, how do you create a DIY Valentine’s Day basket? Start with a basket…ha! In case it wasn’t obvious, you’ll need a basket to house all your goodies. Go the traditional route and grab any old basket or make the basket a gift itself. For example, use a new purse for your wife, gym bag for your hubby, or bookbag for your little one. The basket doesn’t need to be expensive—a red sand bucket from Dollar Tree works great, too!
What should you fill your Valentine’s Day basket with? We’ve got 14 ideas to celebrate Feb. 14. You don’t need to get something from each category—these are simply suggestions to get your creative juices flowing.
- Favorite sweet treats
It’s Valentine’s Day after all—no basket is complete without sweet treats. Grab the recipient’s favorite candies and cookies.
- Favorite snacks
Include more than just the sweet stuff. What are their favorite snacks? Popcorn, pretzels, trail mix…grab a few salty snacks to complement the sweet treats.
- Favorite drinks
They’ll need something to wash down the sweet and salty goodies, so add their favorite soda, juice, or sports drink.
- Something to read
If your spouse or kids love to read, add a new book to their basket!
- Something to wear
Whether it’s a new shirt or jacket or something cozy for winter like a new hat, scarf, or gloves, throw in an item they can wear.
- Something they need
It’s A-OK to throw in a few necessities like deodorant, hair clips, travel size toiletries, gum, etc.
- Something related to their favorite hobby
Maybe you’ll buy art supplies for your kids, golf balls and tees for your husband, or a cutting board for your wife. You know what piques their interest, so grab a little something special related to their hobby.
- Something that reminds you of them
This could be an inside joke—your spouse loves Bob Ross, so you get them Bob Ross socks—or something sentimental like a picture frame with your favorite family photo.
- Something you want them to try
A new food, new drink, new sleep mask, or new puzzle are all things you may want them to try.
- Something that is their favorite color
This is self-explanatory—grab something in the color they love.
- Something for the upcoming season
Are spring sports about to start? Throw in a baseball glove or soccer ball. With summer approaching, pool toys, a swimsuit, or a beach towel are great options, too!
- Something that will make them laugh
A joke book for your little ones, a toilet timer for your hubby, a key finder for your wife…you know just the thing that will make them laugh out loud!
- Something to pamper themselves with
Lotion, shower steamers or bath bombs (they make scents for men and women), face masks, beard balm, or anything else that screams “me time” are great options.
- Something cozy
A warm blanket, fuzzy socks, stuffed animals, and pajamas are the perfect cozy gift ideas.
The goal is to have fun getting things you know will make your spouse or kids smile. As mentioned above, if you and your spouse make a game out of creating baskets for one another, set some ground rules. What’s your budget? Are you searching for items in all 14 categories, or do you want to just pick five?
Once you’ve secured your items, it’s time to pack your basket! Put the bigger, taller items in the back and the medium-sized items in front of those and fill in the gaps with the smallest trinkets and candies. Tissue paper or flowers are great options as well to add pops of color to your basket and fill in any empty space.
Lastly, if you buy items that can fit in multiple categories and you want to tag them, use our free downloadable PDF with gift tags.
Now you know all there is to know about DIY Valentine’s Day baskets. It’s time to get started on the fun part—buying sweet, thoughtful gifts and putting together a lovely, personalized basket to surprise the ones you love the most on this thoughtful holiday. Happy Valentine’s Day!
