By: Lily Mueller

Do you ever struggle trying to find the perfect valentines for your significant other? Well, struggle no more; The Squire is here to help you! The best type of valentine gift to give your loved one is a homemade gift, or you might know it as a “DIY” gift. Unlike a store bought valentine gift, a DIY gift is more thoughtful and sentimental to receive. Lydia Larson, a member of The Squire staff, says that “receiving a DIY valentine and not a store bought gift shows you that they put a lot of effort into figuring out the perfect gift for you and sometimes they are cuter.”

    The Squire has picked out the top five valentines gifts from www.goodhousekeeping.com and asked Lydia which she would like to receive the best. Her options were lavender sachets, heart cross-stitch socks, baked with love gift basket, flirty fortune cookies, and a Mason jar bouquet. Check out the website for step by step instructions and tips for making these creative gifts. After reviewing the DIY options, Lydia shared that she would like to receive the “baked with love gift basket” because “who doesn’t like baked goods?”.

When considering making a gift home made for your loved one, the thought of not having the best craft skills may come to mind. However, since this gift comes straight from the heart, your significant other is sure to love it no matter what.

Where might you find ideas to make one of these gifts, you wonder? In addition to the ideas The Squire suggests from the Good Housekeeping website, Lydia suggests, “the best websites/apps would be Pinterest and YouTube because they can show you how to make them.”

Whether you get your loved one a thoughtful valentine gift or a funny valentine gift, they are sure to appreciate the time you put in to finding the perfect gift. Lydia shared her thoughts on thoughtful gifts versus funny gifts on this romantic holiday, “the pros of receiving a thoughtful gift is that you know the person that gave it to you was thinking about how well they know you and what you like. The pros about receiving a funny gift would be that you know they have a sense of humor, and wanted to do something out of the ordinary.” Lydia also said that “there aren’t really any cons to receiving either one of those gifts.”

Lastly, The Squire asked Lydia what advice she would suggest to someone making a DIY valentine gift this year? Her advice is to “make sure it is heartfelt and relates to them.” So, for this holiday, express your love by being crafty and try making a DIY valentine gift.