Whether you want to save money or do something extra special, homemade gift ideas for Valentines Day are a great way to show how much you care. When you work on something yourself, that something becomes extra special-- you've put your care and your heart into it, and it shows. Sound a little cheesy? Well, that's what Valentine's Day is for! It's that one day of the year when you get to make romantic gestures and cheese-out, guilt free. So have fun with it!

This list is all about using romantic gestures and activities as your homemade gift ideas for Valentines day. Looking for more gift-y items? Check out this page for 10 simple homemade Valentines gifts! I've also got a ton more Valentine gift ideas here at Valentine's Day Central.

These homemade gift ideas for Valentines Day are almost all things you can toss together in no time... and that will tell your partner all they need to know. Romantic gestures like these speak a lot louder than words can!

1. Express Yourself

My first suggestion for homemade gift ideas for Valentines Day is aimed at the romantic at heart. Write a poem expressing your feelings. If you're not great with poetry, write up a journal of memories and decorate it with photos, mementos of your relationship, and even magazine clippings or clip art from the internet.

2. A Lovely Surprise

This is more of a fun thing to do together-- or a fun way to present your partner with his or her Valentine's gift. Find romantic quotes that you like, print them out and stuff them into red and white balloons. Play "squeeze the balloon" (by putting each balloon between the two of you and pressing till it pops, then reading the quote inside together). Instead of quotes, you can also stuff your balloons with clues to help them find their gift.

You'll look very silly trying to pop the balloons, and will probably end up laughing your butts off. Sounds like fun, right?

3. The Language of Love

This homemade gift idea for Valentines Day can take one of two forms. The first form is a little bit of theatre. You learn how to say I love you in, say, 12 different languages and have your partner guess what language you're speaking. So... go outside of French and Spanish, and learn something new!

A faster alternative is to make a huge heart and cover the edge in lipstick kisses (or decorate as desired-- pretend you're a kid again, making a paper Valentine just like you did in elementary school. It'll be fun, I promise.). In the middle of the heart, write out the various phrases in different languages. You can still make a game out of this (your partner gets a kiss for every one they guess right… and they have to kiss you when they're wrong). Even if you're planning on finding homemade gift ideas for Valentines Day that are a little more "gift-y" this can be a fun idea for a Valentine's card, too.

4. The Food of Love

Cooking and baking for your loved ones can make for a wildly successful Valentines. But it helps to pick a theme. For example, if your mate is wild over brownies, whip up several types of brownie recipes for you to sample together (note: you can freeze the excess for later desserts – no need to get sugar overload). You can even make an event out of it! Provide coffee, tea, strawberries, chocolate frosting, etc., and make it a homemade brownie tasting.

Here are some other ideas for a "food of love" gift:

• Breakfast in bed (nearly always a winner)
• "Coffees around the world" (a international coffee tasting-- or try it with cheese, pastries, you name it!)
• Wine and cheese menu (or opt for fondue!!)
• Barbecue bliss
• Plenty of pizza
• Meat lover's paradise (tasting of different cured meats, or a basket of meat for having a backyard bbq together-- a great one for guys!)
• Seafood sinfulness (make them together while sipping wine-- lots of shellfish is thought to be an aphrodisiac)

In planning your menu, try to find things you can feed to each other in sensuous ways. Also focus on having things that won't require a lot of clean up. After all, you may get too distracted to clean!

5. Service with a Smile

Make yourself into your partner's personal servant for the whole day. Note that if your partner has a sense of humor they may ask for some silly things, but usually the results are more than worth it-- especially when they ask for sexy things, too!

Another one of my favorite homemade gift ideas for Valentines Day runs along these same lines. Planning a bit in advance, arrange a whole day of things your partner loves. Buy or TiVO a season of their favorite old TV show. Prepare or order their very favorite foods. Buy a case of their favorite diet root beer. This is one of those creative romantic gestures that show that you've been paying attention... and you know what your partner loves best.

Besides you, that is.

6. A Week of Romance

Make Valentine's Day (or your anniversary or a birthday) a grand occasion, not just a single romantic day. For the seven days leading up to Valentines Day, find a romantic activity or project each day in which to engage your partner. One night have kissing challenges. Another night, feed each other fabulous snacks without using your hands. The third night, play a naughty board game. The fourth, watch two or three movies that have special significance for your relationship. You get the idea.

After a week of great romantic gestures like these, it almost doesn't matter what you actually get your partner for Valentines.... so get creative!

7. Overboard on Love

The person you're committed to knows you love them. That's why you're together. You probably do small things every day to show them that love. But a day like Valentine's Day or an anniversary is for going overboard on love. The best homemade gift ideas for Valentines Day are ultra romantic... so get cheesy about it!

Decorate the house with candles and flowers. Use poster boards to create huge letters spelling out "I Love You" and tape them to the garage door so your partner will see them when he or she comes home from work. Put an ad in the Sunday paper, or a fake personals describing what you love about your partner in the social section. Show your love for your partner to the world, and don't be shy about it.

Shopping for Valentines
and Making Valentines Gestures