365 days of Valentine's Day

Imagine it's February 14th and you haven't done anything for Valentine's Day. You haven't bought a box of chocolates, you haven't had a bouquet of roses delivered as a surprise, you haven't even sent a card to your loved one.

Because he always says that the whole Valentine's Day thing is just hackneyed commercial nonsense from which companies make a lot of money. In the evening you get into a heated argument because you assumed you were doing nothing about it, but your partner apparently still had unspoken expectations. Gone is the romance.

But why would you want to put so much pressure on that one day in February when you have the opportunity to do fun things for and with your loved one all year round?! Yes, it is of course also great to receive a present on Valentine's Day, but isn't it more fun to surprise your loved one all year round? Much more fun indeed!

To help you get started, I have a number of tips for you that you can apply all year round and that are also budget-friendly. This way you can always do something nice for your partner and you will never have to worry about angry looks or someone sighing next to you because you haven't done anything romantic.

Tip 1 - Hide small notes everywhere

How nice is it when you are at work and suddenly you find a note from your loved one in your diary with a sweet message on it?! Or when you open a kitchen cupboard and there is a nice message on the jar of Nutella. These don't have to be very elaborate love letters (we'll get to that later 😉) but a simple post-it with 'you are the most beautiful' is sufficient. And don't be too stingy with them, the more places you hide them in, the better!

At Evdavybottles you can order these nice bottles, they can even contain a small photo with a custom note and are super nicely packaged!

Tip 2 - Craft your gift

No one will deny that receiving a beautiful piece of jewelry is one of the nicest things. But receiving a gift that you know someone really put an effort into and made especially for you might be even more fun. So go all out and let your creativity run wild. You will find plenty of DIY ideas on Pinterest . There is certainly something there that you can make your loved one very happy with.

Make this cheerful heart garland with the free origami DIY download from Roppongi.

Tip 3 - Go out together

In our chaotic lives, quality time with your loved one often falls by the wayside. A quick kiss before you go to work or a quick meal together in the evening before heading back to the gym or an outing with your friends. Before you know it, the routine is in.
So go out together every now and then. For example, take a city walk where you get something tasty from your favorite bakery. And in the meantime, try to start a conversation with each other again. What keeps your partner busy, do you still share the same dreams? This way you get to know each other even better and you can avoid living past each other too much.

And of course, going out physically is not always necessary. Take a spontaneous day off and stay in bed together all day.

Tip 4 - Write a handwritten letter

There is nothing more romantic than receiving a handwritten love letter. Full of sappy clichés and so cloyingly sweet that the enamel spontaneously falls off your teeth. So unleash your inner Shakespeare and write like you've never written before!

Do you really want to work on it? Then watch this video about writing a real Victorian letter.

Tip 5 - Bring breakfast in bed

What could be better than waking up with a delicious breakfast next to you? So surprise your loved one every now and then spontaneously with breakfast in bed. And then dive back under the covers and snuggle up together for a while.

With these tips you should be able to surprise your loved one at unexpected moments. This way you can have a good job all year round and the love will radiate from it!

The author - Rinske Claus

Rinske is the brain behind the super cool webshop Crazy goat (gives humor to your interior!). She makes a modern version of the good old tile wisdom with a funny twist. She also enjoys cuddling with her cat and loves pizza. Rinske's blog posts >