Valentine's Presents (or "Favors" If You're Planning a Wedding)

I did a terrible job with holiday cards and presents for friends and colleagues this year. By "terrible," I mean that I basically skipped them all together.

But better late than never, right? I figure Valentine's Day is the perfect day to shower my friends and colleagues with love.

The best sources for ideas are most certainly wedding blogs and the posts that focus on wedding favors.

Let me digress for a moment to talk about my love/hate relationship with wedding favors. On the one hand, making little presents for your guests can be a wonderful way to pour your love into something tangible. They can be sweet tokens of appreciation. Matt and I certainly had fun making our cilantro seed packets. Matt designed the stamp and printed all the cards. I sewed the seeds into the packet. On the front, we included directions about how to grow your own cilantro seeds, and on the back we included our personal recipe for guacamole (which we served at the reception).

The "hate" part comes into the equation when I see wedding magazines, blogs, or books talk about favors as a "must-do," "must-have," or "must-buy" in order to have a "Once-in-a-Lifetime Perfect Day."

Seriously?

From that perspective, wedding favors can quickly become a burden. Another thing on the endless wedding checklist. Another line in the budget. Another thing to obsess and worry about.

Although we enjoyed making our favors, they ended up being pretty useless. Not everyone even took theirs. We made only enough for each person to have one, and we ended up with lots left over.

And when I think back to the countless weddings I've been to, I can only remember a handful of items that were provided as favors.

So, when I write a whole post about how I'm going to make Valentine's gifts for my friends and colleagues and share some ideas you might want to use for wedding favors, my intent is not to pressure you (overtly or subliminally) to worry about wedding favors (or lack thereof) for your wedding. If you want them, fine. If not, more power to you!

Okay, with that preface under my belt, I am going to return to waxing DIY.

Valentine's presents. Hmm...

First and foremost, I have to make and write cards. I think there is nothing more powerful than sincere words of affirmation (maybe that's because my Language of Love is "words of affirmation?"). And I'll definitely have to use materials I have on hand. No sense in buying more stuff when I have a closet full of crafting materials.

Maybe I'll use the security envelopes I've been stashing away for a special occasion?

Maybe I'll make a stamp.

As for the gift, here are some ideas I have:

• Homemade jam and crackers
• Homemade cupcakes in a cupcake holder
• Spiced nuts
• Stack of quilted coasters
• Stack of handmade napkins
• Cute Valentine's pins
  

Maybe Matt and I could make something together to give to our friends and colleagues. It would be a cool Valentine's tradition to spend time together figuring out how to dole out love to other people.

Still thinking...

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