DIY Date Jar

In honor of Valentines Day, I thought I would share the DIY gift that I made for Mike. I know there are a lot of people out there who don’t support (or like) this holiday because of the idea that it was created by big companies trying to sell their good.  But the way I look at it is it’s one extra day a year when I can spoil the love of my life. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to have meaning! My gift cost about 8 dollars for all of the supplies and will last for more than a year! The best part is, it takes the guess-work out of finding plans… or eliminates an argument since neither of us can ever decide!

So I can’t take COMPLETE credit for this, as I saw some similar ideas on Pinterest in the past. But the date ideas are my own, and the final project is unique to my own liking. The best part about this gift is it doesn’t have to be for Valentines Day. You can give it to your loved one ANY time, and you both get something out of it. All you will need to make this Date Jar is:

• Colored wooden craft sticks
• Sharpie
• Mason Jar, or any container you have lying around that you can fit them in
• Card stock or construction paper to put the Date Jar “key” on
• A list of date ideas that come from the heart ❤

The first thing I did was make a list. I had 6 different colors of wooden sticks in my package, so that’s how many categories I decided to work with. I broke the dates up into:

1. Eating Out
2. Staying In
3. Free Dates
4. > $50.00
5. < $50.00   and last but not least,
6. Adventure (my favorite!!)

Once I made a list I assigned a category to each color and wrote the date idea on each wooden stick. Since I live in Maine, and some of my ideas are weather permitting, I used a silver sharpie to mark the ones that require a summery forecast. I then used a black Sharpie to mark the date “nights” that would actually be date “weekend” getaways. That way if it isn’t a good time financially to board the dogs and rent a hotel, we will know not to pick that one. Well, because #bills. Here are a few examples of the fun I came up with.

Throw all the sticks into your container of choice with the date idea on the bottom (no peeking!) and add the date night “key” to the outside of the jar. TA-DA! Super easy, and a gift that continues to give, for months to come!

My plan is to “pick a stick” every other weekend. I think it is so very important to never stop dating your spouse or significant other. Sometimes when you have been with someone for a long period of time, it can be easy to fall into a rut. Date nights become PJs and Pizza on the couch, and Friday night grocery shopping. Now don’t get me wrong! I wouldn’t change those things for anything! But sometimes it’s good to get out, where you can really appreciate your better half.

Aside from the Date Jar, I also got him this sweet little book that you fill in each page with things you love about them. And course candy. Because what would Valentines Day be without it.

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentines Day. Spend today thinking about all the reasons you are with the person you love. Sometimes it’s easy to take the time you have with them for granted.

And if you don’t have that special someone to celebrate with, than celebrate yourself, dammit! Ultimately you are the most important person, and you deserve to feel special too!

Cyster Love,

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