Valentines Handmade Presents

Valentines Handmade Presents

We love the folk-inspired motifs of our new Lovebirds collection, which takes its design cues from the simple, hand-crafted homewares found at the turn of the late 19th Century. Pretty, folkloric patterns of hearts and animals make us feel nostalgic for an era when possessions were hand-decorated, and passed on and cherished through the generations.

You do not have to be a master-knitter or ace embroidered, but today, when most things are all but a click away, there is something so special and unique about adding in a little bit of hand-made charm to a present for a loved one. A delicious home-made cake delivered in a pretty round tin, a hand-tied garden posy in a vintage jam jar, a slab of your own quince membrillo along with a delicious slice of Manchego: all of these additions will show that your love and thanks go way beyond a quick scroll.

 

Here are a few ideas for you:

 

  1. Pick out some sweet-scented freshly sprouting bulbs in your local garden centre and transplant then into a pretty vintage tin or ceramic planter for a perfect house-warming present.

 

  1. Make up a batch of mouth-watering lime curd and use it to fill sweet, ceramic lidded jars. Trust me, this Nigella recipe is fail-safe: melt 75g butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add 3 large eggs, 75g caster sugar and the juice of 4 limes, and whisk to a custard over a gentle heat. Makes 350ml. Keep in the fridge.

 

  1. Give your sweetheart a tin of scented sugar. Fill a small lidded tin with caster sugar and 2 vanilla pods, each cut into three, and after a week you will have the most delicious-smelling sugar imaginable. You could also do the same with cinnamon sticks, or even a few sprigs of rosemary. (Our set of three Lovebird caddies would make the perfect storage containers for all three!)

 

  1. Pep up a bunch of supermarket tulips by wrapping them in hand-printed brown paper. Honestly, such a fun project if you have any small people in the house. Use a potato to cut 2 simple heart stamps, fill 2 saucers with poster paint- one pink, one red- and print at random.