Roses may be red, but bacon is just soooo good.
Sure, flowers are lovely, and you’ll never see us turn down a bunch of beautiful blooms, but there’s just one problem – they die.
So, if you’d like to treat your significant other to something a little unconventional this Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day!) and get more bang for your buck, read on, because we’re about to change the way you see bouquets forever.
1. Bacon
Yep, you read that right – bacon bouquets are a thing, and you can make them yourself. It’s easy! All you need is a bunch of plastic roses (your local dollar store should have them) and a rasher of bacon for each flower.
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan forced
- Line a tray with baking paper and place a wire rack on top
- Roll each bacon rasher into a rosette, secure with a toothpick then place on the rack
- Bake for 20 minutes, turning once halfway through
- Drizzle with two tablespoons of honey, then bake for a further 10 minutes (or until crisp)
- Meanwhile, remove the plastic roses from the stems – there should be plastic spikes underneath
- Secure the bacon rosettes onto the plastic spikes
- Wrap the bouquet in paper and give to your beloved!
2. Beer
Who says a bloke can’t enjoy a bouquet? Treat him to a boozy bunch of beers and his favourite choccies and he’ll love you forever. Heaps of online gift stores offer them, but if you’d prefer to save some money, it’s easy to make your own, too! All you need is a small bucket, some chocolates to fill the bottom and a few to go around the rim, then a couple of beers to top it all off. Easy!
3. Doughnuts
Need we say more? Plenty of dessert shops around the country are now offering doughnut bouquets, much to the delight of sweet tooths everywhere. Simply search “doughnut bouquet” and your city and you’ll find a delivery service near you. Otherwise, simply buy some doughnuts, a packet of skewers and a nice box and make your own!
4. Paper
Feeling a little crafty? Give them a heartfelt, handmade origami bouquet that’ll last far longer than any real flowers. The internet is full of great tutorials – all you need is some paper in their favourite colour and a bit of time and patience. Make it even more special by making flowers out of personalised ‘love coupons’ (or even a Scoopon voucher for a massage or dinner out!) that they can open throughout the year.
5. Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
Is there any food more romantic than these bad boys? A DIY chocolate-dipped strawberry bouquet may be inexpensive and easy to make, but trust us, it’ll blow away anyone who’s lucky enough to receive it. Simply dip some strawberries in the melted chocolate of your choice, let them set, then place them on skewers and arrange them like a bouquet with some brown paper and ribbon. Done!
6. Succulents
Flowers may not last, but succulents sure do! You could give them a nice, big succulent in a cute pot, or you could go down the DIY route to create your very own succulent bouquet. For this, you’ll need some small succulents, a few flowers and some greenery from your garden (optional), some floral stem wire (your local craft store should have this), floral tape and ribbon.
Cut or pull the succulent from its stem, rinse off the dirt, then run the floral wire through the stem, bend to form a loop, then twist together – you may need to do this a few times if it’s a bigger succulent. Repeat with each succulent, wrapping the wire with floral tape, then arrange as desired and tie up with ribbon!
7. Cake Pops
More and more cake makers are offering these beautiful (and delicious) bunches, but you can make them at home for a fraction of the cost. Simply find a cake recipe in their favourite flavour, bake it, then crumble the cake in a food processor and add icing (half a cup of icing for every two cups of cake crumbs), rolling the mixture to form balls.
While the balls chill in the freezer for half an hour, melt some chocolate and place in a container deep enough to fully submerge the cake pops. Coat the blunt end of a skewer in chocolate, pierce each cake pop and leave to set. Once set, dunk each pop in the chocolate, then stick the pointy end into some styrofoam to let them set. Decorate as desired, place in a mason jar or small vase and you’re done!
Left it too late for one of these DIY ideas? No problem!
Scoopon has the perfect last-minute gift for that special someone, from massages and beauty deals to delicious dining experiences and unforgettable getaways.
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💕
Image credit: @sprinklemeecakes/Instagram
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