As Valentine’s Day has recently passed, students planned and prepared gifts for the people they love. From chocolate boxes to flowers to a homemade dinner, there were a variety of gifts that were given. Here are a few of them!
Burr basket
A “burr basket” is a bundle of items that include a diversity of goodies such as candy, skincare, plushies, cozy blankets, giftcards and more. They are usually arranged nicely into a small basket that ties it all together. People often follow a color scheme and aim for a cute and aesthetic look, depending on the gift-receiver’s preferences. Burr baskets allow for a mix of goods that can be personalized to anyone, making them a perfect gift for any occasion.
Freshman Jakob Artes made plans to make a burr basket for his girlfriend for this Valentine’s Day. Artes saw the idea on social media and emphasized the convenience of it as he got “her favorite things like food, small plushies, candy and put them all in one basket.”
Hand-made crochet gifts
While burr baskets include many small items, another great gift idea that involves a more hands-on approach are crocheted gifts. Ranging from flowers, animals to even clothes, these handcrafted gifts are a touching gift.
With the rising popularity of crocheting, many resources and tutorials are available online. Sophomore Sophia Masiddo, despite being a beginner crocheter, made handmade bows by watching YouTube tutorials and taking her time. She explained, “It can be pretty time consuming, but it’s worth it for the smiles at the end of the day.”
In the future, Masiddo explained that she wanted to try making paper bouquets and buying perfumes, gift cards, clothes, plushies and handwritten letters for her friends.
Polaroid bouquet
Another cute crafted gift is a polaroid bouquet. A polaroid bouquet requires time and effort in order to collect many polaroids before making it. Then, the polaroids are usually arranged onto a styrofoam base with sticks before being wrapped with a wrapping paper. Additional flower stems or bows are often added as well. This long process of crafting results with a bouquet of memories!
Senior Camille Ayson explored Pinterest for Valentine’s gift ideas and was immediately caught by the polaroid bouquet as it appeared simple to make, yet still cute and “didn’t seem like a generic idea.”
Ayson explained some challenges she went through during the process of the gift making, emphasizing the delicacy of the wrapping paper and the difficulty of getting a good arrangement. After the steps of wrapping the gift, she was able to make the bouquet she envisioned: “In the end, everything came together,” Ayson shared.
This year, Valentine’s day was very exciting for many Wildcats. With creative and unique gifts, students had a fun time making this holiday special for their friends and loved ones.
Cats, we hope you had a great Valentine’s day!
