Claim the romance throne with this thoughtful Valentine’s gift

It’s not long until Valentine’s Day, that day of the year when hopeless romantics shine and the rest of us ponder what on earth we’re going to do differently this year in an attempt to impress our special someone.

My loved one, my future husband (‘husband’ – now that sounds strange!) organised our Valentine’s Day back in August last year. He booked tickets for us to attend Wicked The Musical on the evening of February 14.

He booked them after we had a lovely marathon at home watching all three Wizard of Oz movies in a row.

Yup, I’m marrying THAT guy. Very thoughtful.

So I’ve had six months to think about what I might do in return. But do you think I’ve done anything yet? No. Not because I love him any less, but because – when it comes to romance – I’m helpless.

I’m the helpless romantic.

Never fear, fellow helpless romantics. This year we need not let Valentine’s Day get the better of us! Let’s show that Saint Valentine what for!

The toughest thing about Valentine’s Day, particularly when your loved one has just forked out $300 on something sensational, is finding something affordable that will still create impact. You can’t both go spending $300. Love doesn’t pay the bills!

To be honest, I think chocolates and flowers are a universal crowd pleaser. However, they’re not very personal. You could very well have given the same to your first high school crush.

It’s time to get creative. Nothing says ‘creative’ like collage. And nothing says affordable like canvas.

Creating a collage on canvas is the epitome of affordable art. Its value lies in the thought behind it.

Follow these steps and you’re well on your way to trumping your partner’s expensive gift. Not that it’s a competition or anything …

Step 1: Gather together couple photos, holiday itineraries, ticket stubs, band posters, love letters, post it notes, text messages, emails, jewellery.

Step 2: Turn all your found objects into digital images! Photograph the trinkets. Scan in the tickets, posters, letters etc. Save emails. Screen grab those text messages. If you’re clever with graphic design, you can even collage some of the smaller items into one image prior to creating your canvas collage. Don’t be afraid to layer content over one another for a ‘messy’ scrapbook style appearance.

Step 3: Create your own canvas collage. The key here is to go for a canvas that fits as many images as possible. In this instance, busy is better. If you have some significant ‘hero’ images, you can save those to use in the large image placeholders.

It may be affordable, but it’s from the heart. And your partner will feel rich with love. Gift a gift of love today and become the hopeless romantic you’ve always wanted to be.