Romantic Gift Ideas

Gifts That Say I Love You

There are many ways to say I love you including giving the person you love a thoughtful and romantic gift. I've compiled a selection of romantic gift ideas that are bound to make your partner feel very special.

One cool gift is the Notes in a Jar gift idea that you see opposite and we'll talk about that on this page, another time honored romantic gift is jewelry so we'll look at that as well as a few other romantic gift ideas.

The most important thing when trying to come up with the most romantic gift idea for your partner is to know them and get something that suits them - not everyone likes traditional romantic gifts like flowers, chocolates and jewelry so you have to know your partner first and get a gift that shows them that you've listened to them.

Notes in a Jar - Romantic Gift Idea

Messages of Love - a Perfect Gift

Notes in a Jar
You can purchase a Notes in a Jar gift really easily and they come with either blank notes that you can write your own personal messages on or pre-written notes with messages such as "I love you just the way you are" printed in a handwriting font. These jars come in an elegant box and are 6" high and made of glass (as you can see). The notes come in envelopes and they are both a linen textured material.

Of course you don't have to buy one of these Notes in a Jar to use the idea, why not make up your own version? Simply purchase a nice looking glass jar, add some confetti or use a heart hole puncher to make your own red hearts out of heavy paper and then add the notes.

You can simply fold the individual notes in half instead of putting them in an envelope and you can add as many as you like. Your partner can reach in and read a love note from you every day and feel loved and happy for longer than the time it takes to unwrap any other gift - that's romance!

Make Your Own Notes in a Jar

Supplies for This Romantic Gift

If you've decided on the diy version of the notes in a jar gift idea then you'll need a few things like a nice jar and perhaps a heart hole punch as we discussed above.

Heritage Hill Jar with Glass LidHeart Shaped DIY Paper Punch

Love & Romance Coupons

Vouchers Your Partner Will Adore

Giving coupons or vouchers for gifts isn't anything new, but these are a little different and include things such as breakfast in bed or a free back rub.

This is another idea that's easy to make up your own and I've personally made up some 'gift vouchers' on the computer for things that my husband likes and have given them to him in the past when we (as parents) didn't have much money to give each other gifts. Sometimes I think he'd prefer them to other gifts I've actually spent a lot of money on as they were specially tailored for him!

Not sure what to put on a coupon? There's nothing wrong with buying a book of coupons here and if they like the idea then you can make your own up as a future gift.

Romantic Coupons From The HeartThe Romantic Coupon BookBecause I Love You Blank Coupons

Is Chocolate the Food of Love?

Chocolate Gifts say I Love You to Me!

If you're buying a gift for a lady then the chances are chocolate is a safe bet, but I do have a friend who doesn't like chocolate which I find really hard to understand! You really do have to know the person you're buying for if you don't want to make a romantic gift mistake!

Now as much as 90% of women (probably, I did just make up that percentage) love chocolate the old heart shaped box of chocolates as a gift is still sometimes seen as a bit of a romantic gift cop out, but there's still ways to make chocolate a romantic gift that will be treasured.

Find the chocolate that she loves for starters, not a generic box of chocolates ...... I'm going to give you two examples of what I mean now. My husband doesn't really have much of a sweet tooth, but there is one particular bar of chocolate that he really loves and when we first moved to Australia it was quite hard to get. Just before his birthday one year I managed to find a shop that sold this chocolate bar so I got him a couple and he absolutely loved it.......these days they're available at the local supermarket so it's not so special!

I used to work part time in a British shop and an elderly gentleman (I think he was in his 70s) would come in once a month to buy two bars of chocolate. His wife was living in a home and most of the time didn't know who he was, but he took the bus to visit her once a week and every second week he'd take her a bar of chocolate (she used to have one piece a day). They grew up in the UK in the town where this chocolate bar used to be made and every Sunday as a child her father would give her a bar. This gentleman's wife always remembered that the chocolate was special even if she couldn't remember who he was and to him it was important that she always felt that she had a 'treat'. I have always remembered that man and thought it was a very romantic gift that he gave his wife.

Heart Shaped Porcelain Fondue Pot
If your partner doesn't have a favorite chocolate bar that is hard to find then another idea would be to get them something a little more unique that will still enable them to indulge in some chocolaty heaven......

A heart shaped fondue! This is a really romantic twist on the old box of chocolates which is bound to impress ..... just remember to include some melting chocolate as well!

Find Your Way to Romance with a Compass

Heart Pocket Compass

If your partner loves orienteering or any other activity that involves a compass they might appreciate this gift idea. It's just a novelty piece though so they should still use an actual compass, but it's a very romantic notion I think.

Follow Your Heart Pocket Compass
There are a few different sayings available on these compasses from Follow Your Heart to Love Will Find The Way & My Heart Will Guide You Home.

Send a Message in a Bottle

A Time Honored Romantic Gift Idea

From songs such as 'Message in a Bottle' to movies and books about people finding romance after a message in a bottle washes up on a beach the whole idea of a message in a bottle just screams romance!

Message In A Bottle ®
Now you can buy messages in a bottle to give your partner and if they love the idea of romance they will adore this gift.

You decide what message to put on the 'message' and it will be printed on paper with burnt edges for an eternal and romantic touch.

Jewelry Gift Ideas

Jewelry that says I Love You

Jewelry is still a traditional romantic gift and if your partner is something of a traditionalist when it comes to romance you can't go past a nice piece of jewelry.

Valentine Couple's "Love You' Lock & Key Pendants
I think the interlocking jewelry that you both wear is the ultimate in romance as it brings back memories of young love as well.

This particular lock and key pendant looks awesome and has great symbolism as well.

• Romantic Jewelry Gifts
  Romance and jewelry really do seem to go hand in hand from interlocking necklaces to heart shaped birthstone rings.
• Couples Interlocking Necklaces
  Interlocking necklaces are a really cool way of giving someone special a piece of jewelry that says you and me forever.
• Puzzle Rings
  I love puzzle rings, these rings interlock together as though to say we're soul mates and are one of the most romantic pieces of jewelry around.

Use Your Partner's Hobbies & Loves to Tailor the Perfect Romantic Gift

Knowing your partner really is key to impressing them with a special gift as all most people want is to feel that they've been listened to and paid attention to. The key to a romantic gift lies with the person you're giving to and whereas some want to be wooed with chocolates and flowers other's prefer their very own tool set or a new fishing rod!

What I'd consider a romantic gift is totally different to what my sister in law would call romantic so let's have a look at a few more ideas that are a little outside of the box to give you an idea.

If your partner loves their Lego then these ideas are a cool way of acknowledging that while trying to say you love them.

Romantic LEGO Red RoseRomantic LEGO Heart BoxLEGO Valentines Day Box

If they love to cook then what about their very own recipe binder?

Black Leather Pocket Page Recipe Book
I remember making my husband his very own recipe book for Christmas including recipes he loved using from magazine cuttings and a 'secret' recipe from his Aunty Loma and a couple from his mom - he loved it and twenty years later he's still using it.

If they love drinking coffee then what about getting them a special mug along with some of their favorite blend?

If they love nothing more than a lovely cup of tea then a tea strainer or special tea pot might be appreciated.....

Steel Mesh Heart Shaped Tea Strainer Spoon FilterHeart Stainless Steel Mesh Tea Infuser (2-Inch)Red Silicone Heart-Shaped Tea Strainer

More Romantic Gift Ideas

Check out more cool gift ideas that say 'I Love You' -

• Romantic Gift Ideas

O is for Owls

My mother collects owls and has done since I was young which has meant that my brother and I have brought numerous owl gifts over the years.   I recently came across some great owl posters on Zazzle that would make a great gift idea for any owl lover.   There are posters derived from photographs of actual owls, retro feel owl posters and also fantasy owl posters like the one below -

2 FANTASY OWLS Poster by BY_CYRA
Browse other Owls Posters

I have never given mum a poster before, but I think I might get one framed for her for this year's birthday.   The closest to a poster that I've given her was a cross stitch of a snowy owl that I made for her and framed - it still has pride of place in the family room.

One thing that mum has received a lot of over the years from various family members has been owl figurines and they are scattered around her house on different shelves.   This set of  miniature owl figurines would make a great gift idea.

The four different styles of owls would look great on a shelf or desk and are each 2.25" tall and 1.75" wide.   They look so cute I'd even love them myself!

Another gift idea that has been popular is an owl pendant - I have given my mother a beautiful owl pendant and she has also brought herself a couple of other owl pendants as there are some great selections of owl pendants available.   Also on the subject of owl jewelry - owl brooches are another great gift idea and one which one of my nieces gave mum last year.

One piece of owl jewelry that I had never come across until I was looking on Amazon for some gift ideas recently was a ring.   An owl ring had never crossed my mind before and yet there are quite a few in lots of different styles.   

The one I've selected here is a turquoise and coral silver ring which I think looks fantastic.   The turquoise really makes the owl seem to 'pop' and the reviews sound fantastic.   I think this could easily be added to the must buy 'owl' list - what do you think?

Another great gift idea for any owl lover is an owl Christmas ornament for the tree.  This could be given as a birthday or as a Christmas gift and is bound to be a hit.   I have compiled a webpage with a lovely selection of designs available online at - Owl Christmas Ornaments.

I hope you've enjoyed looking at some owl gift ideas, let me know if you have any other great gift ideas for an owl lover as I'm all ears :D

N is for Nature Inspired Umbrellas

With rain forecast for today it seemed only natural to think about umbrellas and there are some really awesome nature inspired umbrellas available to purchase online.   The most popular are probably the floral ones and I must admit the purple daisy style or sunflower umbrellas are very striking and really make you stand out from the crowd.

Personally I love the palm tree umbrella - it looks like leafs off of a palm tree which makes me feel very tropical!

My daughter loves butterfly umbrellas and often points them out to me when she sees them (luckily that's not very often in real life as most of these unique nature inspired umbrellas seem to need to be brought online).   I was tempted to purchase a dragonfly umbrella for dd's teacher a couple of years ago as she liked dragonflies, but before I ordered it my daughter informed me that she'd told her teacher I was going to make her a dragonfly necklace - gotta love kids!

Here's some of those beautiful nature inspired umbrella's here (and don't forget to check out the link above for a great selection, including the ones I've mentioned).

    

G is for Goth

If you're buying for a goth, what do you buy?   Well what about accessories?   After all if she's a woman she's going to need a bag isn't she?

A bag like the one pictured may be suitable or else you could look at purchasing a coffin shaped bag which look really awesome and are gothic inspired. You can check out a range of them at Coffin Shaped Bags including my favorite one.

If you don't fancy giving a bag then you could look at giving he or she some gothic jewelry - there are some great pieces available from pewter gothic jewelry such as the selection available at Pewter Gothic Vampire Pendants to the more unique take on gothic   jewelry that's offered at Unique Gothic Necklaces - the necklaces in this selection are all silver and are only available online.

If the goth that you're buying for has an iphone or an ipad then they might be interested in a case for it.   There are a great selection of Gothic iPhone Cases for both the iphone 3 and 4 available as well as some great gothic designs for the ipad available at Gothic iPad Cases.

Finally, I have to say go with a tee - it doesn't matter who you are there are always t-shirts that are suitable and these include some great gothic designs as well such as this one -

The Gang Little Gothics by Ricaso_Graphics
Browse more Ricaso graphics T-Shirts

There are lots more gothic tees available at Zazzle including long and short t-shirts, you're bound to find one that suits the person you're buying for.

E is for Emeralds

Carrying on with the A-Z Blogging Challenge we are up to E already.   E is for Emeralds, but I'm not talking about the gorgeous emeralds that are my birthstone, I'm talking about Emerald Resin Rings.   Emerald Resin Rings really are a funky and unique piece of jewelry.

Resin can be molded and so doesn't face the restrictions that gemstones do.   This means that you can end up with funky looking pieces such as the emerald resin ring pictured.   

These rings take all of the great things about working with resin to make great unique pieces of jewelry and combine it with the beautiful green that an emerald can bring to fine pieces of jewelry.   It really is the best of both worlds.

The cost of an emerald resin ring is a fraction of the price of an actual emerald which is always great especially when they look so great (no one will ever guess you didn't spend a veritable fortune on it).   These rings make an awesome gift idea for anyone who loves jewelry, especially jewelry that's a little big different with a personality all of it's own.

C is for Chocolate – Gifts for the Chocoholic in Your Life

Carrying on into the third post of the A-Z challenge and we are up to the letter C, which as the title suggests is for chocolate.   There can be no doubt that chocolate is the nectar of the gods.   It tastes good, makes us feel good and apparently is full of antioxidants which are things that make us look younger!

Do you think that knowing all of these things means that chocolate is the elixir of life?   I don’t really know about that, but if you know of a chocoholic or two then here are some 5 great gift ideas for them –

Chocolate iphone cases – there are some great designs available such as this one from Zazzle -

Chocolate Collage iPhone 3G/3GS Case by dgpaulart

If you don’t think the chocolate iphone pictured quite ‘hits the spot’ but you like the idea of a chocolate iphone case then click on the earlier link to find a great selection I compiled.

Chocolate t-shirts – now I love my tees, in fact I even write a blog – Tees That Rock – and there are some fantastic chocolate t-shirts around including this one that I designed myself –

WARNING, Chocolate makes clothes shrink... by lou165

Chocolate Mug

As well as enjoying my chocolate a little too much at times I also love a nice cuppa – sometimes I enjoy tea and sometimes a coffee.   My preferred coffee for years was a latte, but these days I’ve been quite taken with a morning mocha.   Whatever you like to drink a chocolate mug is another great gift idea.

Chocolate by TLArnold2

Chocolate tile or sign– now I was given one of these for my 40^th birthday and it’s sitting on my desk as I type this out.   It really is true and I love having it look at me every day :D

The only one I could find online is this wooden sign, but I was given the same quote on a ceramic tile that sits on it's own little stand and it really is a great gift idea.

Actually I wouldn't mind any of the gift ideas for chocoholics that have been mentioned, but so far I've only given you four and I promised five.

If you really don’t like any of these ideas then what’s wrong with just giving chocolate?   Let's face it you can't go wrong with giving a chocoholic chocolate - not ever!

You can choose from a box of their favourite chocolates to a chocolate gift basket –

A is for Apple

Well this is my first blog post in the A-Z Challenge which means it has to be something beginning with A.    One of the first things we learn as children is that A is for Apple.    On that note today I’m going to show you the Apple ipad 2.   This was only released in Australia last Friday which has meant that it’s been all over the morning television (along with the usual places).   One thing that really impressed me was the load time between the ipad 1 and ipad 2, the apple ipad 2 was so much faster when it compared to two side by side.   They tried three different things and the difference in response time was very noticeable.

The camera also looked pretty cool, forget about the little screens on the back of your digital camera, this shows your photo on a 9.7 inch screen which looked awesome (note I only saw this on TV, but I’ll go out on a limb and say this is a feature that I love).

Here are the technical bits (straight from Amazon, in case I stuff them up :D)

 Technical Details

Capacity: 16GB | Connectivity: Wi-Fi | Color: Black

   ·       Apple's newest generation of iPads.

   ·       9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology.

   ·       1 GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed processor.

   ·       Forward facing and rear facing cameras.

   ·       Apple's iOS 4 and access to Apple's app store.

Personally I haven’t seen the ipad 2 in real life, but then I still don’t have an ipad so………..

What are your thoughts on the ipad 2, do you have one, want one or are you just meh about the whole thing?

The Gift of Funky Nails!

You can have a great looking manicure with the latest in nail fashion.......or you could give it as a gift.   My daughter was after some nail polish for Christmas and so I got her nail stencils to go with it and you'd think she'd died and gone to heaven with the response I got.

If only I'd have known about Katy Perry and OPI's collaboration.    I'm sure that you would remember the red carpet gossip that occurred last year with Katy Perry wearing Russel Brand's face on her nails - is it any wonder that she now has her name put on a nail polish collection?

The key to this collection is what is called the Black Shatter Crackle and it's how the effects pictured are achieved.   You see nail polish manufacturers are putting a special ingredient into some nail polishes that give the cracked or shattered look to a nail.

You can't really give a gift like this without knowing how it works or you could end up with egg on your face so let me give you the steps involved.

First you need to start with clean nails and apply a base coat.    Next you apply the color that you want to show through like the blue, grey and pinks in the picture.   The key is to make sure that this color is well and truly dry before moving onto the next step which is to apply the black shatter crackle polish evenly - apply only a thin layer of this.

A top coat is optional if you're using this collection of nail polish - the black shatter crackle leaves a lovely matte finish all by itself.   If you prefer to have a high gloss finish then add your top coat.

If you have a teen they will absolutely love you for this gift.............guess what my tween is getting for her birthday?   I'm hoping to hide the fact that this product exists from her until I give her some, but with some uber-trendy friends (and friends moms) I'm not sure I'll be successful!

3 Unique Lego Inspired Gifts

I have come across some really cool and unique gifts for people who love Lego.    Lego has been enchanting young and old since the 1940s and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon!   I have discovered these unique ideas that are bound to be a hit with any Lego enthusiast you know, here are 3 of the best -

A Lego Minifigure T-Shirt


This t-shirt speaks for itself, it's a great gift idea that I'd be happy to give or receive!

Building Block heads shirt by momof3k
Create a customized t-shirt at zazzle

Lego Alarm Clocks


You can also get Lego alarm clocks like the one to the left which are really awesome.   This Lego Alarm clocks are also radios and I believe you can get them in red as well as blue.    You can also get a Lego cd boom box which can be stacked onto this alarm clock which is even more cool!

If the person you know is into Lego Star Wars then there are a selection of different Lego  Star Wars alarm clocks, my favorite is the Darth Vader Mini Figure Alarm Clock which I think looks absolutely awesome!

The Darth Vader Minifigure alarm clock also has movable arms and legs so you can pose him in different positions including standing or sitting.    So if you're ready to come on over to the dark side then this is a great clock to buy!

Lego Footwear


I absolutely fell in love with these shoes when I first saw them.   There are a few different designs, but there's something about this Lego Minifigures which is appealing.    They are made by Keds so you know they're a quality shoe and the design, well what can I say?

Building Blocks Heads shoes by momof3k
More Building Shoes

There you have it 3 unique and funky gift ideas for a Lego fan.

Tea For One | Great Gift Idea For A Tea Drinker

I absolutely love tea, I usually use a teabag on a string and make it in the mug, but I do so miss brewing it in a teapot - it really did make a much nicer cup of tea that way. I loved these products below when I first came across them as they offer an alternative for someone who is only making tea for one, but would love a pot - a teapot and tea cup in one -



Aren't they absolutely gorgeous? I can't decide which one I prefer, there are lots more to choose from on Amazon as well and you can click on the links above to look at a wider selection.

I have always enjoyed my tea, my parents used to call me their teabag as they always drank coffee. At certain times when I can't think what to write or I'm worried about something I will find myself constantly making and drinking cups of tea. I was brought up in the UK after all and one of the biggest crisis that Winston Churchill was determined to avert (and did) was the prospect of Britain running out of tea during WWII - this is a true story. The cabinet papers were released a few years ago about the prospective tea crisis!

Today especially I am drinking lots of cups of tea as the weather storms around me and my entire state seems to be on flood alert. My own suburb isn't supposed to be in danger unlike more highly populated suburbs only 20 minutes away, but with the flash flooding hitting anywhere you don't know what's going to happen.

Two days ago we were having a Sunday drive down to the point and half the road had subsided, this morning the next suburb over from us had a high section just slip down the hill taking all of the retaining work with it - thank goodness they hadn't built the house yet and also thank goodness for the bad weather as beneath that section is a children's play area that is normally packed during the school holidays.

Tea is definately in order in our household! If you know someone who always enjoys their cup of tea then these gorgeous tea cup and pot combined are a fantastic gift idea.

Unique & Funky iPad Cases

Thanks to the teaming up of Zazzle and Speck you can now find some really unique and funky ipad cases online.   Zazzle is a print on demand company that offers designs from millions of artists around the world while Speck are a company known to provide quality ipod and ipad cases, both of which are available through Zazzle.

I have found some fantastic unique and funky ipad cases available from floral designs to gothic designs and even superheroes!

 

I particularly like the dog ipad cases, but that's probably because I'm a dog lover!

One of the great things about these ipad cases is that they are able to be personalized which is awesome! Another thing is that you can upload your own personal photos or artwork to create a truly unique to you ipad case.

Imagine presenting someone with an extra special Valentine's Day gift of an ipad case with a photo of the two of you or a photo of the place where you met.

A 40th birthday gift with a photo of the birthday person taken in the 80s - hilarious! The possibilities are endless and are limited only by your imagination.

I'm actually waiting for my dad to get an ipad so that I can put a photo of all of his grandchildren on one for him - he'll love it!