Should one try to look for excuses so as not to disappoint the beloved?

"Honey, it’s better to stay at home. Traffic is so heavy and I don’t want to spend the night in the middle of the road. Besides, the hotels are fully booked."

Don’t be caught in this embarrassing situation. There are countless of ways to show one’s affection.

All it takes is a dose of creativity and a little help from the "do-it-yourself" queen Jhoanna Gan-So.

The "do-it-yourself (DIY)" trend is getting popular because people want to get value for their money.

In fact, there are DIY shops around the metro which offer pre-designed items ready for assembly.

Jhoanna is the president of Businessmaker Academy, an adult education center for business, livelihood and finance.

The academy offers various shortcourses on entrepreneurship, beads and decorative crafts, business communication, money & investing, digital arts, and online forex trading.

For Valentine’s Day, Jhoanna shares custom–made gift ideas that won’t break the bank.

"Since a bouquet of flowers is too expensive, chocolates make a better alternative. Chocolate bouquets are a big hit among teeners and to those who are allergic to pollens," Jhoanna suggests.

The cost of production ranges from R120 (6 pcs) to R180 (one dozen). A chocolate bouquet sells retail at R350 to R600, respectively. (See procedure below)

"Old" is in fashion. A style-savvy woman would love a beaded vintage watch.

"You don’t have to raid your grandma’s closet to look for one. Just do it yourself to make it extra special," advises Jhoanna.

Different kinds of "face watches" with matching locks are available in Divisoria. Just choose the beads and "spacers" for accent. To make the bracelet, string the beads, spacers and lock together using a metal coil.

"The beaded vintage watch is very elegant. In fact, I made one for my wedding. It’s something you can also give to your mom. It costs around R500 to R800 depending on the beads. It’s cheaper compared to the ready-made ones which sell for R2,000 in specialty shops," Jhonna notes.

Write love notes on tees for a change. Using a pencil, write the message on a plain shirt. Trace the letters using hot fix beads and iron them. Those who find it too mushy, can go for pre-designed beads which are available in Quiapo and Divisoria.

Stuffed toys are top picks for V-Day. Teeners dote on teddy bears with "bling-bling" or a beaded tiarra.

For men, opt for themed baskets based on his personality such as Coffee Addict Gift Basket, Chicken Soul for the Lonely Hearts, atbp.

"If your husband is a film buff, make him a Movie Buff Gift Basket filled with popcorns, DVDs and cinema tickets. Place a note or a card before wrapping. This way, he’ll think that it was custom-made for him. It works. I made one for my husband, Mark, and he loved it," enthuses Jhoanna.

For more gift ideas, enrol at Businessmaker Academy. (Visit their website at www.businessmaker-academy.com)

Owned by Jhonna, her husband Mark, and good friend Cindy Meghrajani Sajwani, Businessmaker Academy was established in 2003 to empower budding entrepreneurs and housewives by offering short courses on business, livelihood and finance.

It has a pool of 60 resource speakers teaching various short-courses from arts and crafts to business and finance.

"Since not a lot of people can afford to spend two to four years in formal study, the academy specializes in providing a direct, straightforward and experience-based approach to learning for fun and profit," Jhoanna explains.

HOW TO MAKE A CHOCOLATE BOUQUET:

Materials:

chocolates

balloon cap & sticks

Floral tape

non-woven wrapper

ribbons

floral accents

glue gun & stick

Procedure:

1. Wrap the balloon stick with floral tape.

2. Glue together chocolate with ballon cap & stick.

3. Form 3"x6" non-woven wrapper into a cone.

4. Insert balloon cap & stick with chocolate into the cone.

5. Pinch cone and tie with ribbon.

6. Curl the ribbon using a pair of scissors.

7. Glue in some floral accents.

8. Repeat steps 1 to 7 to create 6 to 12 candy stems.

9. Arrange the candy stems together.

10. Wrap the candy stems with non-woven wrapper.

11. Tie ribbon unto candy bouquet arrangement.