Everyone expects the roses and the chocolate, so how about trying something different and a little more playful this Valentine’s Day. You wont need a bigger budget, just some creativity and a little atmosphere. Here are some ideas to try this Valentine’s Day with a few accessories from Goodwill.

1. Indoor Picnic.
 Skip the typical restaurant date, with overpriced menu sitting next to every other couple in your town. Enjoy your Valentine’s Day dinner on your living room floor! You can make a beautiful spread on a blanket with a few flowers and some mood lighting. Trying looking in the housewares section of Goodwill for unusual glassware or mason jars. You can fill them up with water and put floating candles in them (with fire extinguisher ready), or fill them with string lights. The more eclectic the better.  Also look for fun dinner plates and silverware. You can make simple napkins by cutting a flannel or any, cotton shirt into squares and fraying the edges a bit (no sewing at all, see tutorial here: http://www.purlbee.com/pulled-fringe-napkins/)
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Just because you are in your living room doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dress up!  Pick up a suit and tie from Goodwill, and a red silk dress and make it formal! (or pick your favorite theme and dress for that.
 


2. Feeling a little more energetic? Make a fort! It was fun when you were six and it still is. It’s great for couples and singles and I don’t know anyone who honestly doesn’t like a good fort. So find some fun sheets at Goodwill and set up a great one with pillows, string lights, and paper hearts cut out of old books for the ultimate fun. 

If you’re single on Valentine’s Day, build a bigger fort and invite all of your friends and tell them to bring sheets and pillows of their own to add to the fort.  Everyone can bring their favorite pint of ice cream and you can provide all the accessories to make big ice cream sundaes.  Watch black and white movies, or play your favorite games. 

3. Go vintage at the roller rink.  
Some dates will be hitting the ice skating rink on Valentines Day, so why not skip the crowds and go old school with a roller skating date instead. Better yet, pick out outfits for each other at Goodwill, complete with short shorts, tube socks, and neon hats (or sequined dresses, whatever you like). You can hang out in the arcade and buy your date a candy necklace if you get hungry from all of the activity.

4. Try homemade with a custom box of chocolates.  Use spray adhesive to line a cardboard box with upcylced book pages (and let dry). Make dividers out of cardboard and fill with anything from caramel chocolates, to gummy rats.  Use your imagination and fill the box with things your date will love. While you’re at it, why not make a bouquet of paper flowers, or a single rose out of old book pages too. 

(Tutorial here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/diy-flowers-when-fresh-is-out-76153).

Or you could try making a t-shirt with the phototrasfer technique I showed a few weeks ago.