Thursday, February 12, 2009

Are you ready for Valentines' Day?

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, are you ready? Or are you waiting for the last minute? If you're the last minute type of person I have some ideas for you that won't cost a fortune.

Flowers - Even if you could justify the price of a dozen red long stemmed roses, which cost upwards of $100 for Valentine's, at this late date you'll be lucky to find any. So what to do? Go to a big box store and check out the plant nursery. Most likely you'll find pots of flowers in bloom. Just stick on a big red bow and you're ready to go.

Another idea is to visit the flower seed racks. Pick an assortment of flower seed packets that appeal to you. Find an attractive gift box, place the packets inside on crumpled red and white tissue paper, include a hand written note that says "Watch our love grow."

If you just have to have roses, buy a live rose plant. Miniature ones should be in bloom, but you can also find regular rose plants at a plant nursery or big box store.

Packaging is everything. Look at how Valentine flowers are presented. There is lots of red, pink, and white tissue paper, cellophane with printed hearts, bows and Styrofoam hearts. Use those same ideas for your gifts. Take a red gift bag with handles. Place tissue paper inside so it shows over the top. Place a flowering plant surrounded by cellophane paper in the bag. If the bag is too big for the plant to show, get a smaller bag, a bigger plant, or stuff white tissue paper in the bottom of the bag to raise up the plant. Add curly ribbon and bows. Your $10 plant now looks like $100.

One more idea: Buy a lovely lush green houseplant at the grocery store and three red roses. Ask the florist department to put the roses into separate water filled vials that you can then insert into the house plant. Add a bow, or hearts, and you have a lasting romantic gift.

Red and pink are the colors of Valentine's so those colors will be expensive even if they aren't roses. Choose white flowers and complement them with red and pink packaging. A bouquet of white flowers in a red or pink vase is very festive. Or use a clear vase and a red or pink bow. Another alternative is to wrap the white flowers in red and pink tissue paper, then clear cellophane and a bow.

No comments: