A special Valentines on a budget

Valentines day isn't really a big thing in New Zealand. Well, not that I know of! Most people just spend it with their partners going on dates and buying small gifts- the usual chocolates or flowers or just being extra nice. We don't do it as big as in America but thats OK. For me its all about showing your appreciation for your partner and reminding them how much you love them.

I usually don't do anything other than a small gift on Valentines but one never knows how many Valentines we will experience so I wanted to make this one extra special for my husband Eugene. My husbands right side of his body has been affected by his brain tumor so its very hard for him to walk and travel so I decided I would do something special at home. I didn't need to break my bank for a memorable date at home and I had such a beautiful time. The whole family got involved and were so happy to see Eugene and I happy together and in love. But enough mushy stuff...

We have a kind of shelter just at the back of the house so I decided thats where I'll set the scene.

What you'll need:

- Gun stapler and staples
- $3 table cloths (I thought they were rectangle but the were square- read the package people!)
- Coloured paper
- Scissors
- Vivid/ Marker
- masking tape/ sellotape

This was really fast and easy to set up. You can pick these up at most $2 shops and you can pick any colours. White looked really great with the white hearts. First you take one corner and staple it to the wood. Then, from the corner you just stapled, move the gun stapler down and staple the middle of the table cloth to secure it. Then you can staple the opposite top corner to the middle of the top wooden bar. Then gather the rest of the material and staple it to the post. I bought 6 table cloths in total plus the pink table cloth for the table. 

The paper hearts were cut from coloured paper and stuck to the table cloth. Easy peasy!

I like the white and red combo the most.

Left over hearts were stuck to the fence with masking tape. I find it much easier to stick to the wood and its easier to peel off.

You can kind of see the fairy lights at the top of the photo. They looked great at night time- Having dinner under your own personal universe. 

We even had flowers and candles. Just decorate the table with whatever you think looks pretty and Im sure it will look lovely. Even picking whatever flowers you have in the garden would be great.

I even made a special treat for Eugene which he has been asking me to make for him again. A South African recipe of Peppermint Crisp tart. This was my first try at making this and I couldn't believe it was so easy.

Heres a bonus recipe for y'all-

They sell the Nestle Peppermint Crisp chocolate bars in South African shops in Botany. 

200g Peppermint crisp chocolate

250ml cream

1-2 Pkt of Nice biscuits

1 can of caramel condensed milk

1. Mix the caramel so its smooth in a bowl.
2. Whip the cream and add to the caramel.
3. Grate the chocolate and add to the cream/ caramel mixture. Leave some chocolate bits for sprinkling on the top.
4. Place a layer of Nice biscuits in a baking tray/ slice tray then alternate between the cream/ caramel mix and biscuit layers till you reach the top. 
5. Sprinkle with the leftover chocolate bits then refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Eugene absolutely loved it and so did I. Well, this just shows you don't need to do much to make someone feel special on Valentines day. You don't need it to be Valentines to show your partner you love them. Just think about what they like and enjoy the moments you share together. 

Much love to everyone. 

Ella