“Romance is thinking about your significant other, when you are supposed to be thinking about something else.”
Nicholas Sparks
Give a valentine to your flame that he will want to read again and again! We agree with Elizabeth Ashley on this: “In a great romance, each person plays a part the other really likes.” So play up your love this Valentine’s Day by reliving a romantic book together.
Inspired by the creative Cheeky Magpie’s apple shaped book craft, we decided that we needed to combine our two loves: reading a great love story and the leading man in our very own love story. If you are like us, there are books that you may not be able to part with. But, if you have read that paperback Pride and Prejudice in the tub one too many times, now is the time to put it to good use. (Don’t worry, you can pick up a fresh edition in leather bound and set it next to this valentine!) Select a book with passages that express yourself to your love. You will be highlighting any passages or quotes that you’d like your loved one to read. They may be from Pride and Prejudice like this one: “‘My good qualities are under your protection, and you are to exaggerate them as much as possible; and, in return, it belongs to me to find occasions for teasing and quarrelling with you as often as may be.'” Pride and Prejudice, volume 3, chapter 18 Or it maybe Princess Bride expresses your heart’s desire: “Since the invention of the kiss, there have only been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.” Or perhaps author Stephanie Meyer expresses your love: “Her existence alone was excuse enough to justify the creation of the entire world” – Midnight sun (Twilight series) Or maybe you’d like to spice it up with a paperback featuring Fabio of the cover! You better have a lot of highlighters for that one. Or perhaps Nicolas Sparks says it just right with: “You are the answer to every prayer I’ve offered. You are a song, a dream, a whisper … and I don’t know how I could have lived without you for as long as I have.”
Whatever paperback book you decide upon, highlight the passages and quotes you like in it with a pink or purple highlighter. Or highlight just words to make your own message! Then draw with a marker a half of a heart (just like you would if you were cutting one out on paper.) Then cut! Use either Cheeky Magpie’s more peaceful way of cutting the pages with an exacto knife (see her tutorial here) or if you are a bit too impatient and don’t mind power tools, do it Annie’s way: with a jigsaw! Can you tell we were raised by a contractor?
If you decide you are more power tool material do the following:
1. Make sure you wear safety goggles! Wouldn’t want to ruin your eye makeup with a trip to the ER.
2. Put the book between 2 thin pieces of scrap board.
3. Have 2 clamps secure the book and boards to your cutting surface.
4. Make sure your cutting blade is sharp and just barely long enough to cut through the whole book.
5. Be patient while cutting and make sure your manicured fingers are well out of the blade’s way!
Now, no matter which way you cut the book, now when you open the book it becomes a heart!
Sure you lost some of the book, but who says the two of you can’t read between the lines?
Now set the book somewhere on Valentine’s Day where he will find it. Near his breakfast, in his car, on his office desk, or on his pillow! Leave the book open to your favorite highlighted passage. Write in the margins about why you love this passage and how it applies to your love or hint that you may need to relive the passage! He just may say, “As you wish!” Princess Bride
What about the bookmark you see in one of the pics?
Take 2 pieces of pink ribbon (one grosgrain, one ric-rac) cut each to bookmark length. Then take 2 matching love stickers and stick them together with the ribbon inbetween. Wa-lah! An instant easy bookmark.
Check out more No Fuss Fabulous Valentine ideas here:
Chocolate Dipped Krispie Valentine Pops
To Chocolate or not to Chocolate?
Sweetheart Bouquet Lollies
Chocolate Dipped & Strawberry Sprinkled Fortune Cookies
Hearts Joined Garland
Kissable Valentine Pretzels
I forget about Valentine’s Day every year and make all my loved ones gifts in a couple of days. Last time, on February 12, I decided to make stickers out of our shared photos. It turned out that we had very few of them, but there were a lot of videos. And I rewound videos of us together and with the help of my mac software took screenshots at https://www.movavi.com/screen-recorder-mac/. By the way, it turned out to be very convenient. My girlfriends were satisfied.