Thrifty V-Day Gift: DIY Date Jar

I'm a romantic, and Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. With February 14 just around the corner, I hereby present this fun DIY gift for your loved one. It's easy on the wallet too!

Date Jar

Contrary to popular belief, we are not assembling a jar of Middle Eastern fruit. It's 52 free or cheap date ideas, one for each week of the year! I gave this to my husband last Christmas. Blake and I, in efforts to save money, spend too much time at home watching TV instead of getting out and exploring our lovely city, so I thought this would help inspire us to get out of the house without breaking the bank. I was inspired by a few different posts on Pinterest, but many of them involved several steps (i.e. painting popsicle sticks) and looked a little too elementary school. Naturally, I fancified it.

Materials:

• Small mason jar
• 2 pieces of 12" x 12" scrapbook paper in different colors. One paper will be for indoor activities, one outdoor. Pick complementary papers that are distinguishable from one another. Make sure paper is thick enough that writing won't bleed through.
• Exacto knife & cutting mat OR scissors
• Ruler
• String, yarn, or twine
• Pen
• Curious cat (optional) (probably remove him before you bring out the string)

Steps:

From the first sheet of paper, cut 26 strips, 3" wide x 1" tall. (This is a piece of cake with a grid cutting mat, cork backed ruler, and Exacto knife.) 

Move cat as needed.

Do the same thing with the second color of paper. You now have 52 strips, half indoors and half outdoors. (I figured that half of the year in KC, the weather is appropriate for outdoor activities. If you live in a different climate, adjust your indoor/ outdoor ratio as needed.)

Make a tag from each color of paper. Label indoor and outdoor, respectively. Tie tags onto the mason jar with string.

Now research 52 free or inexpensive (my limit was under $10) date ideas that you and your love will enjoy. Customize it to your tastes, since this gift isn't awesome unless you'll actually use it. 52 ideas seems like a lot, but it took me less than an hour. I referenced this smart article and did a Google search for free date ideas in our city.

Write 26 indoor date ideas on the "wrong" side of the first color of paper. Do the same with the outdoor activities. Tri-fold strips into squares with pattern facing out. Drop them in the jar. Put on the lid. Draw an idea at the beginning of each week and plan to do it the following weekend.

Presto! A thoughtful V-Day gift that keeps giving.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

xoxo,

Maggie

Happy 2013!

Hi kids. Sorry for disappearing the past month. Moving during the holidays made for a crazy month! Thankfully, we are loving the new condo and have mostly settled in, with just the finishing touches left (my favorite part)!

I'm also thrilled to let you know (all 3 of you? ha) that my business is progressing again after getting a couple issues worked out. More details to come soon, I promise! I'm excited to pursue something I'm passionate about and that will make the world a slightly better place. I've been keeping myself surrounded with inspirational quotes and supportive people. It keeps me motivated. Which brings me to a shout-out to my wonderful husband, Blake. I wouldn't have gotten here without you. Thanks for encouraging my happiness through my "WTF am I doing?" moments.

Our Christmas went a little differently than we'd planned. We prepared to make our usual trips to Columbia and St. Louis when our favorite feline, Champ, got sick. Poor buddy had gotten a UTI and a virus just after our move, probably due to the stress of all those new rooms to sniff out.

Mom, what are these boxy things? New scratching surfaces?

Here he is at his most pathetic:

Congested kitty.

Two animal clinic visits later, we decided we didn't feel right about leaving him alone for days. So we broke tradition and stayed in Kansas City over the holidays. Christmas morning was more low-key than I'm used to, but it was nice. We felt grateful for our new home and relieved that Champ was okay. I made these amazing muffins from my favorite vegan cook, Isa Moskowitz. They're worth writing home about.

Here are some photos from Christmas. We stayed in our pajamas all day. :)

Blake got a new pot for brewing beer.

Champ and me, excited about the cat comic postcards.

Out of the woods!

Presents were wrapped simply with brown paper, yarn (P.S. Much cheaper than baker's twine. Thrifty Maggie strikes again!), and stamps.

It was a cozy little Christmas indeed.

2012 was a memorable year. Blake and I got married and went on a life-changing trip to California. I finally got the nerve to quit my corporate job and pursue a career that works better for me. We bought a home and are planting roots in Kansas City. Even with all that under our belts, I have a feeling that 2013 will be just as amazing! 

Happy New Year!