Alternative Valentine’s Day Gifts

Expressing one’s love to another is a celebrated custom on Valentine’s Day; whereby sweethearts, family members and friends present gifts to one another, such as cards, candy, flowers and other symbols of affection.  Need some gifting inspiration?  Take a look at some of the awesome craft/food/gift suggestions floating around on some of our favorite blogs and websites!

1)  Homemade Chocolate!

Tofu Choco = a match made in heaven? Tasty and healthier than your normal truffle.  Plus you can play the “what’s this made out of?” game.

Tofu and chocolate - a match made in heaven? Apparently so!

Or maybe you’d like to try this delicious looking homemade green tea chocolate recipe instead?  For the white chocolate lover.

Bitter green tea and sweet chocolate make a surprisingly good combination.

2)  Print out your own cute card from the awesome blog, Cottage Industrialist.

CottageIndustrialist has got some adorable ones! Blast your valentine to the moon...

Or hog-tie them and drag them home!

I wish I could speak Dino.

3)  A basket of heart-shaped seed bombs for a beloved gardener!

An example of a "seed bomb" from Heavy Petal.

I just recently learned about “seed bombs.”  They’re essentially little balls of clay and compost that are packed full of wildflower or herb seeds.  They’re a staple for the “guerrilla gardener” who might chuck them over fences into abandoned lots or onto median strips in the middle of a highway.  The balls hold up well in any weather and provide starting nutrients for the baby plants.  Heavy Petal has a wonderful series of posts about them -  including how to make them, and seed bombs in action!  Wouldn’t it be fun to whip up a bunch of these in heart shapes, full of wildflower seeds for your friends for Valentine’s day?

4)  Share the love with Mother Earth!  Flowers are a traditional gift for your valentine.  How about sending some eco-friendly flowers?  Organic Bouquet supplies flowers that are sustainably grown while using sustainable, biodegradable, green packaging.

Classic Red Roses

5)  For something a little different try the organic and soy-based hand-crafted products of Vermont-based Way Out Wax.  Give the gift of spiritual love with a Beeswax Buddha.

Meditating Beeswax Buddha Candle

Let me call you Sweetheart

If the US Census Bureau is to be believed, there are no romantic-sounding places to spend Valentine’s Day in New York State.

The closest is found in Maryland:  Rosemont.

My favorite:  Romeoville, Ill.

One place name we all should recognize:  Loveland.  There’s one in Colorado and another in Ohio.

According to this CBS Sunday Morning News video Share the Love, people from around the world send their Valentines by the boxload to Loveland, Colorado so volunteers can stamp each one with a poem and decoration before it makes its way to that special someone.

Guess us New Yorkers will have to find solace in some Valentine sweet like…  NECCO® Sweetheart candy hearts.  According to the New England Confectionery Company, Inc. (“NECCO”) website:

Sweethearts Conversation Hearts are an American candy icon – in fact, these pastel sugar hearts with playful sayings are so famous and popular that they were memorialized on a U.S. postage stamp in 2004! Every year, NECCO manufactures over 8 billion Sweetheart Conversation Hearts in order to meet consumer demands for these Valentine’s Day favorites.

NECCO Tiny Sweethearts

You can create your own personalized Sweethearts candies here.

Valentine's Day in Japan

Japan celebrates Valentine’s Day, but how they celebrate will surprise most Westerners.

Valentine’s Day In Japan is for chocolate lovers.

More Valentine’s Day Fun

Happy St. Valentine’s Day to all our readers! And just what is Valentine’s Day all about?

Opinions abound as to who was the original Valentine, with the most popular theory that he was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome in spite of Emperor Claudius II, who felt that marriage weakened his soldiers. In any event, in A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius I declared Feb. 14 as Valentine Day. Through the centuries, the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages, and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for selling the first mass-produced valentine cards in the 1840s. The spirit of love continues today as valentines are sent with sentimental verses, from and to young and old romantics.

Source: Census.gov

Here’s a fitting image that captures the “spirit of love”:

Look familiar? LOVE is a pop art image created by artist Robert Indiana.

According to the MOMA:

Few Pop images are more widely recognized than Indiana’s LOVE. Originally designed as a Christmas card commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art in 1965, LOVE has appeared in prints, paintings, sculptures, banners, rings, tapestries, and stamps. Full of erotic, religious, autobiographical, and political underpinnings—especially when it was co-opted as an emblem of 1960s idealism—LOVE is both accessible and complex in meaning. In printed works, Indiana has rendered LOVE in a variety of colors, compositions, and techniques. He even translated it into Hebrew for a print and a sculpture at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

Interested in finding a love match? Try pairing up these famous lovers from history.

Looking for that perfect Valentine for that special someone? Then look no further.  These unusual Victorian valentines are the antithesis of the lacy, sentimental valentine greeting.  “In mid-Victorian England the custom of sending daintily printed valentines, overflowing with hearts, cupids and poetical posies was generally understood to consist of an exchange of missives between special loving friends. Yet beneath the sweet exterior and tender words of these lace-paper beauties lurked something far more sinister – the comic valentine!”

Here’s one of the most unusual Valentine’s Day cards I’ve ever seen.  This paper creation is available at xlessthan3′s Etsy shop.  Talk about holding my heart in your hands!

Image via The New York Times.

Other sites of interest:

“I Love You” in Many Languages
From Arabic to Zulu, find the way to say “I love you” in more than sixty languages. Simple site, perfect for finding a phrase for Valentine’s Day or any romantic moment. From TravLang, a provider of language instruction and travel information.

Celebrate! Holidays in the USA
Information about national holidays celebrated in the United States. Provides brief histories of holidays such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Flag Day (first proclaimed in 1949). Also includes information about “fun” days such as Valentine’s Day, April Fool’s Day, and Halloween; and selected ethnic and regional celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras, and Cinco de Mayo. From the Embassy of the United States of America, Stockholm, Sweden.

The Sweet Science of Chocolate
This site contains two features related to the science of chocolate: the video archives of a 1999 Valentine’s Day event at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and an interactive feature that “takes a closer look at the sweet lure of chocolate.” Discusses the history of chocolate, the chocolate-making process, possible health effects, and more. From the Exploratorium.

RobertSabuda.com: Simple Pop-Ups You Can Make!
This site provides patterns and detailed instructions, illustrated with photographs, for making more than a dozen pop-up cards. Includes cards for Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and Thanksgiving. From a pop-up card engineer and author.

Everything Valentine’s
Hundreds of ideas for Valentine’s Day crafts, gifts, cards, games, and treats for the classroom, spouses, and others. Includes illustrated instructions. From FamilyFun magazine.

Related post: 10+1 Best Links Ever for Valentine’s Day

~MadSilence the older & wiser

Sweetfern Meme – And Valentine’s Inspiration

A very belated meme from the wonderful Sweetfern!

1. Started my own blog (thanks, Dad!)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (Irish, sadly dissolved)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower (with a good friend out in the Hamptons)
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch (pennywhistle!)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (at the Japanese equivalent of Denny’s, ugh >_<)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (Greece, four years ago.)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These kinds of memes are nice, because sometimes you need to be reminded just how many things you’ve seen an experienced, even when you’re just a young’un like me!  Oh, and I tag ArtandLife to do this meme next!  And speaking of things we’ve done, you should go over to Sweetfern’s blog and read the little excerpt she’s posted about not losing faith in winter.  January and February are the hardest months for me, when I’m just too grouchy and missing green, but that little excerpt reminded me why I should be enjoying it while I can!  My students often ask “What’s your favorite season?” but I can never answer why because all of them are wonderful in their own ways!

~MS the Younger

PS:  Here’s a little pre-Valentine’s poem to get your poem-writing skills ready and raring to go; a poem by the amazing Roman poet Catullus:

“You ask, my Lesbia, how many of your kisses
are enough and more than enough for me.
As big a number as the Libyan grains of sand
that lie at silphium producing Cyrene
between the oracle of Sultry Jupiter
and the sacred tomb of old Battus;
Or as many stars that see the secret love affairs of men,
when the night is silent.
So many kisses are enough
and more than enough for mad Catullus to kiss you,
these kisses which neither the inquisitive are able to count
nor an evil tongue bewitch.”

10+1 Best Links Ever for Valentine’s Day

 

On Valentine’s Day, Americans celebrate love and friendship by exchanging cards, flowers, and candy.  As a gift to our many readers, here’s a list of Valentine’s Day links, personally reviewed & certified by MadSilence.  Enjoy!  

Today in History: February 14.  A collection of resources for Valentine’s Day, including brief history of the holiday and valentine cards, images, historic love songs, and other material from the collections of the Library of Congress. 
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/feb14.html

A Thousand Kisses: Love Letters from the Archives of American Art
“This selection of affectionate communiqués to and from American artists gives us insight into the lives of painters, sculptors, illustrators, and others—their relationships, perceptions, and creative energies—from the mid-19th century to the late 20th. They also allow us to empathize with artists through the most universal of human emotions: love in all its permutations.  The letters presented here cover a range of intensity, from sexual passion to the devotion of a parent, and from the durable bonds of friendship to the enthusiasm of fans.”

http://www.aaa.si.edu/exhibits/index.cfm/fuseaction/projects.viewproject/projectid/135

Let Out Your Creative Juices
“Create your own Kleenex® Oval tissue box and bring your personal style and vision to life.  Celebrate a special occasion, feature a silly moment or simply show anything that makes you smile.  Only $4.99 USD + shipping.  Pick a background image, add photos, frames, clip art & text, even your own art, pick a lid color, and you’re all set!”

http://www.mykleenextissue.com/

Send That Special Someone…A Virtual Hug

http://www.onlinehugs.com/

U.S. Census Bureau: Valentine’s Day 2008: Feb. 14

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/010968.html

Valentine’s Day from the History Channel   
Extensive background on the History of Valentine’s Day, a Survival Guide, History’s Romantics, Games, and much more. 

http://www.history.com/minisites/valentine/

CNN.com/IN-DEPTH: Valentine’s Day   
This special feature from 2002 addresses different aspects of Valentine’s Day and romance.  Includes articles about the history of Valentine’s Day, romantic gifts, online matchmaker services, and joint finances and marriage. 

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2002/valentines/

For Saint Valentine’s Day, a collection of Victorian Comic and Lace-Paper Valentines

http://www.scrapalbum.com/svcomic/svc_p1.htm


http://www.scrapalbum.com/stvalent.htm

Making Valentines: A Tradition in America
This online exhibit “is designed to show the evolution of the Valentine’s Day card.”  It features annotated images of early Valentine cards from before 1850, background about Esther Allen Howland (an innovator in Valentine card design and production, who began making and selling Valentines in the 1850s), the George C. Whitney Valentine manufacturing company, which was in business from 1866 to 1942, and Victorian cards.  From the American Antiquarian Society.

http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/Valentines/

Valentine’s Day: Love and Romance Through the Ages   
This exhibit on the history of Valentine’s Day features images of early greeting cards (with 3D interactive views), symbols associated with the holiday (such as Cupid and flowers), Valentine’s Day in history and literature, religious and spiritual traditions, and more.  In English and French.  From the Virtual Museum of Canada.

http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Valentin/English/index.php3

And finally, from our friend Steve Levenstein at Japanorama, here are nine fun Valentine’s Day advertisements from around the world.

http://inventorspot.com/articles/who_loves_marketing_10_valentine_9968
 

~MadSilence