As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, Academy girls may ask themselves the same questions every year: What do I give my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day?? How much money should I spend? What if he doesn’t like it?

Well, there is no longer a need to stress!  Save your money for college and give an inexpensive gift that says “I care” with a home-made gift that he is sure to cherish forever.

Here are some cute ideas:

1.      A Music Mix

Put together a CD for him. How about songs that both of you like or have had jam sessions to? Perhaps they are romantic songs the two of you danced to at last year’s Homecoming.

2.      A Sweet Treats Basket

Say you like to bake… Try using your marvelous cooking talents to create delicious baked goods for that special someone. Buy brownie or cookie mix at the store, or use one of your family recipes to bake from scratch.

The basket is a key ingredient for this gift. Buy an inexpensive, medium-sized picnic basket from any crafts store and place a nice cloth on the bottom to give it a nice look. If you wish to go a step further, add some decorative bows to the basket.

But don’t forget about those brownies because after all, that is the most important part. Why not try this recipe for some scrumptious Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies?

3.      A Romantic Map!

Print out a map of the city and mark memorable places where both of you have been together, such as your first date, or where he took you dancing, where you first met or even your first kissJ

4.       Love Letter in A Bottle

What could be more adorable than writing a simple love letter to your guy? Take a piece of nice paper and write down how you feel about him or how much he means to you. Then, to complete the look, roll up the letter and stick it in a glass bottle, you can decorate it by tying a ribbon, if desired. This is an easy, but still classy gift to give.

5.      A Scrapbook

This project requires a little more time, supplies and patience, but it makes for an amazing gift. Get a scrapbook from any crafts store near you, and gather every picture of you and your special someone.  Adding football tickets, bottle caps, notes, stickers or any kind of memorabilia of things you have done together is also a good idea.

6.      Top 101 Reasons Why I Like You!

The items needed for this project are a medium-sized glass jar and plenty of colorful paper.

Instructions:

1. Cut up the colorful pieces of paper into various sized hearts (101 of them)

2. Take a pen and neatly write every reason why you like your boyfriend. Example. I like it when you smile or I like how you make me laugh.

3. Toss them all into the glass jar.

4. Tie a pretty ribbon around the top

5.  Have your boyfriend pick out one each day until he’s gone through all of the reasons.

7.      A Painted Coffee Mug!

Guys and coffee are pretty much inseparable. If your boyfriend enjoys drinking coffee, imagine how much more he will enjoy it if he drinks out of a cup that you decorated! Buy a plain white mug and grab some paint to start decorating.

8.      A Handmade Valentine’s Card

If you don’t like going over-board with Valentine’s Day, but would still like to give something to your special guy, make an original Valentine’s card. You can get as creative as you want with this card. Grab some colorful cardstock paper, glue, scissors, tape, markers and glitter and create your very own masterpiece that he is sure to appreciate.  Here are two sites that will inspire your creativity: Sources:

• http://www.ehow.com/list_7199902_homemade-valentine-gift-ideas-boyfriends.html
• http://www.craftbits.com/project/valentines-card-forever-in-my-heart

If you have some great ideas to share,  email them to [email protected]