Valentine's Day English Lady's Way

Are you completely sick of forking out a small fortune every Valentines Day buying over priced flowers, cards and chocolates? I know it drives me crazy how a day which has been designed for lovers has become so expensive and commercialised!

Do you want to give your lover something special and personal this year or something sweet and sexy? Yes we all want to pamper our lovers on Valentines Day.

"But it's all so expensive!" I hear you exclaim!

Never fear VickyVickster is here and she is the mistress of sexy romance on a budget! I am now going to give you some ideas for cost effective, personal gifts that I guarantee your lover will adore! Take your pick from the list below ranging from the sweet and sincere to the saucy and sexy or just be inspired to do or make something a bit different this year!

Personalised is best when it comes to Valentines gifts.

Send an Ecard!

Ecard's are a wonderful and many faceted thing. I love Ecards and send tonnes of them to my friends online all the time. Basically they are a greeting card that you send through your email. You find all kinds from the simplest plain pictures to all singing all dancing java cards and animation cards. Ecard sites are easy to find and many of them are free! To find a suitable site just type the words "Free Ecards" into a search engine and bobs your uncle! Add to this search the word "Valentine" and you will be led to many pages of sloppy, lovey, funny, sweet and sexy cards. All you have to do is choose the one you love the best and fill out your details and send it off to your lover's email. As Simple as that.

Many Ecard site's have an option to choose when the Ecard is sent so if you're searching around now and find the perfect card see if they have a feature to allow you to send it actually on 14th February itself. That way you can write out your card and send it there and then meaning there's no last minute panic to find, write and send an Ecard on Valentine's Day itself. Lets face it there's so many better things to be doing and your dearly beloved is not going to be impressed with you sitting on the net and swearing at the computer for hours on the sexiest day of the year!

And I guarantee you'll find the card your looking for on one of those three sites or your money back! (waits for people to realise they're free)

Record a Special CD or tape.

This is a classic! Everyone loves music and every couple has at least a handful of songs that remind them of each other. Copy these from your existing CD's or tapes onto a new one, maybe adding a little voice message if you can manage that and voila! A thoughtful and meaningful collection of music that cost you the price of a blank cassette or CD. Much better than some commercial collection that you have to shell out a small fortune for right?

To make this even more special decorate the cover. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, just a few different colours to write your lovers name and you've added that little extra touch that shows how much time and care you've put into pleasing them.

Please note! Make sure the songs you record will be enjoyed by your lover! If their taste is different to yours make sure you cater for that. Don't add something you know they will hate as this could possibly ruin the whole collection! If you really want to add a song that you're not 100% sure would normally be your lover's cup of tea well the put it right near the end so they can skip it easier, especially if you're recording a cassette tape.

Write a love letter.

For this you might need to purchase some nice looking writing paper or a blank card but if you shop around you can buy good looking paper/greeting cards very reasonably! My top tip is to check in markets as they often have the best prices and a large selection. Don't wander into a large chain store type shop unless you can afford to pay that bit more as you will just get frustrated when you look through all the lovely cards and you realise you can't afford them.

When choosing a pen to write your love letter with make sure it is full of ink and isn't going to run out on you at any moment! Writing in colour is always sweet but bear in mind that poison pen letters are often written in red and it can be seen as quite an angry and harsh colour. Make sure it is comfortable for you to write with and don't try using a cartridge pen if you're used to a ballpoint. It might sound romantic in theory but a letter covered in ink blots is not that sexy. Try scribbling on a spare piece of paper to check your pen is OK then you're ready to write!

When you sit down to write your letter be in a relaxed state of mind. It might help to have a photo of your lover or some other memento to look at for inspiration. Don't force it just write how you feel. It doesn't need to be Shakespearian in its grandness; the whole idea of a love letter is that it comes from the heart. If all you want to write is "I love you with all my heart" then that's all you need to write. If you are more inclined to go on for a few pages then do so. Write as much or as little as feels right.

Content wise try to keep to your own words. If you quote someone else, give them credit for it. It is not going to impress your dearly beloved if they find the heartfelt letter they received was actually composed by some dead guy to his wife several centuries before! Again I stress the most important point; a love letter is from the heart. Be sincere and true to your feelings and give your lover something they can keep to remind them of you.

Ladies, if you fancy adding a little squirt of perfume to your letter then feel free but please spray the letter from arms length as you do not want to knock your lover out with potent perfume fumes as he opens his letter!

Create a picture frame.

There are several ways you can interpret this. You can either make a collage of pictures and images to put in a shop bought frame for your lover, creating a personal love collage for them or you can take one picture you really like of you and your lover together and create a frame to put round it. Really I guess it's a case of what you can afford to do!

A frame is pretty simple to put together, 2 pieces of cardboard around an inch bigger than your picture, cover them both in wrapping paper, securing the paper with lots of glue.

Then cut out a hole in one piece of card just slightly smaller than your picture. Please make sure you can see the photo properly and that it is fairly well centred. I leave it to you as to how precise you want to be!

Stick your photo in place(the easiest way to do this is to stick your photo to the back piece, check it is in the right position several times before you secure it though!) then stick the frame together and there you have it! Simply attach a piece of sting or wire to the top of your picture in a hoop so it can be hung on the wall and it's done.

Some artistic inclination is needed for this option; if it sounds too complex to you then I suggest you opt for a less arty option to show your love this year!

Make a scrap book!

All you need is an exercise book OR several pieces of paper hole punched and strung together. Once you have your book decorate the front and back cover in anyway you like! Collage images form newspapers and magazines over it, use stickers or wrapping paper or just draw. This is your present to your lover; you decide what you want to do with it.

The contents can be whatever you want too. Photos, love letters, famous (and relevant) love quotes, pictures you've drawn, a page of graffiti all based around the "I luv u" variety you used to cover your books in at school, poetry... the list goes on.

I made one for my husband when we were first together. In mine I added a few pages of love quotes form various Terry Pratchett books because we are both big Discworld fans, I put in a few quotes from songs that reminded me off him and some pictures, a graffiti page and I wrote an introduction page. It took me a long time but I was well pleased with it when I finished and my husband still has it now.

Fill your book with what you know your lover will love and you just can't go wrong!

WARNING!

This option can be time consuming, especially if you decide to do a lot of drawing and writing yourself. Make sure you start it a while before you need to present it as a gift, you don't want to have to rush it to be able to present it in time do you?

Ok hold onto your hats folks now we're getting into the sexy adult suggestions...give your lover something sextra special this year!

Vouchers

No, I'm not talking gift vouchers for your local department store I am talking sexy love vouchers. Hundreds of Ecard sites have these online, you can even find them to print out online too or you can simply type or write your own.

All it has to be is a slip of paper which gives details of a treat your lover can claim from you. They can range from the cute and practical to the seriously sexy and can be redeemed whenever your partner feels like it.

Voucher suggestions:

*An hour long all over body massage.

*Butterfly kisses to be placed wherever your lover wants them!

*A meal cooked by you and the washing up done by you too.

*A night of passion!

*Acting out a kinky fantasy of their choosing.

You can be as saucy as you like and you can give as many different vouchers as you like! A cute little extra to slip inside the valentine card you send to your love.

Sexy Lotto.

This idea is a step up from the last. It involves the same kind of vouchers but this time you write lots of them, suitable for both you and your partner to carry out. You place some of these vouchers in a hat or a pot or a bowl (fold them up especially if they're going in a see through container) and then take it in turns to draw out a piece of paper then carry out that action on/to or for your lover!

Similar suggestions as before apply but you can get a bit more explicit this time!

*perform oral sex on partner for 10 minutes.

*Give your partner 10 spanks to the bare bottom.

*kiss your partner for 5 minutes anywhere but on the lips.

*Do a slow sexy strip to the music of your choice.

*Tell your lover a fantasy of yours in explicit detail.

See I told you! This suggestion can be as sexual as you like. Add things you and your partner will feel comfortable doing, you do not want to embarrass them after all, you want to get them horny baby yeah! (Oops dropped into Austin Power Mode there!)

Make sure you have some time to yourself for this. You don't want children/flatmates walking in on you whilst playing this game! Also you want to feel totally relaxed and comfortable; worrying about keeping the noise down in case mother hears will not enhance the experience!

Sexy Photos!

This will work best if your love is at work on Valentines Day or somewhere other than in the house with you. Take some sexy photographs of yourself with a digital camera. They can be as graphic as you like. Please remember though if you're sending them to your partner whilst he/she is at work that he/she could get into trouble for looking at very explicit photos in the workplace! All they need to do is titillate. A picture of you in some seriously sexy lingerie (hey I'm talking to you too boys!) or just a picture of your lips or a shot of your cleavage or your "bulge" inside your jeans. Get creative and take a shot you know will get your lover erm, "interested".

Then send your picture via email to your loved one. This is fairly easy to do! If you have outlook express when you create a new mail you will see two little arrows at the top right of your message. Click this and you'll see "attach" in the drop down menu again click this and you will be able to select your picture from your hard-drive. Once you have done this click "attach" and voila! Your sexy pic is attached to the Email.

If you have a web based account like hotmail, when you create a new message you should see an "attach" link somewhere above the email message itself. Click this and it will show a long box with a button saying "browse" next to it. Click "Browse" to find your picture on your hard-drive then click "attach" or "ok" and this attachment will then be added onto your email.

If you're not sure about this try sending an attachment to yourself first to check it works!

Now you have your picture ready to send you need to think of a suitable titillating subject line and message text.

A simple "Happy Valentines Day" will suffice, I am sure the picture will then speak for itself BUT be as creative as you like! Or if you really want to mess with their minds just send a typical chatty email and have your sexy picture attached, cheeky and fun and who knows? You might get spanked for it later!

Write him/her an erotic story.

This is another time consuming option. Even the shortest of sexual fantasy stories is going to take you a few hours to write and edit. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time for completion before Valentines Day!

You do not need to be the best at fiction writing for this option. You can write a full on erotic story with created characters and scenes if you like but what is probably going to be more touching is writing out a personal fantasy involving yourself and your partner.

You can simply write it as if you're telling them what you will do to them later.

"When you get in from work you see me disappearing up the stairs in nothing but my black lacy French knickers....."

Or as if you're telling a fantasy that really happened.

"I let my hand crack down upon your bottom and saw the cheek begin to pinken."

Or you could write it as if you are the narrator telling a story.

"Tommy and Susie we're in love. They met in the park to feed the ducks but ended up naked in the bushes together."

The best advice I can give you though is just write. Take your inspiration and run with it. Write and write and write till you stop. THEN you can go back and edit your work. I definitely recommend typing your story as apposed to writing it. Writing is very time consuming especially with the editing process added in. Typing onto a computer however makes this process much easier.

Top tips for typing out your story!

*If you have Word use it! The spell check facility is fantastic. If not use word pad and find an online spell checker to check it with. (http://www.spellcheck.net/ is a good one and it's free!)

*SAVE SAVE SAVE! Save your work after every paragraph or so just in case your computer crashes or gets switched off. It could happen and you don't want your whole story disappearing in one go!

*Write your story then leave it. The longer the better really. Editing is much easier to do when you come to your story fresh as you are more likely to pick up on mistakes.

*Don't rely on your spell checker to pick up everything! If you have made a typo that just happens to be a real word then the spell checker won't pick up on it! So check through your work yourself.

When your story is complete it is often helpful to read it out loud to check it reads well! Once it is done email it to your lover or print it out. I am sure they will be more than pleased with their own personalised sexy story. I have written several for my husband and I can verify he was very impressed!

Give your lover a massage.

This has got to be one of the nicest things anyone can receive. A full body massage. You do not necessarily need an expensive massage oil to do this there are several cheaper options that work just as well. Baby oil or baby moisturising lotion works well as it stays wet for a long time whilst you rub it into your lover's skin.

If you don't have a baby or baby products get yourself some cheap moisturising body cream. In this case the cheaper the better! Expensive products absorb into the skin quickly, you don't want this as you'll be forever applying more cream. Cheaper ones tend to be oilier and stay on top of the skin longer. Check the smell though before purchasing as you don't want to be massaging with a lotion you don't like the smell of! I would say go for something with cocoa butter in it as these smell like vanilla mostly and this is a pleasant and mild scent.

To enhance the experience massage in a candle lit room, especially if your lover is a bit self conscious about his or her body. The bedroom is a good place to carry out a massage as the bed is comfy to lie on. Make sure your partner is comfortable before you begin your massage! If you are using oil you may want to lie down towels over your bed clothes but that is up to you.

Mood making music playing softly in the background will help; make sure you choose something sexy if you're expecting things to get raunchy after the massage! Playing something soft and relaxing my end up in your lover falling asleep.

My husband has a problem when he massages me; he gets distracted by my bottom. Oh yes it is nice for my bottom to receive some attention but if I am promised a massage I'd like the rest of me massaged please too! To stop this distraction you can drape a towel over the distracting area whilst you work on your lover's neck, shoulders and back. Then start off from the feet and up the legs and you will end up at the distracting bit when both of you are warmed up enough to well, be distracted!

Lover Buffet!

This is an idea which will take some preparation and time but I assure you will be well worth it!

You will be the plate for your lover to eat his/her buffet from. All you need to do is be naked, reclining on the sofa or the bed with plates of food lying around you. I suggest you use an old sheet or some old towel to lie on so that the food does not stain whatever it is you are lying on.

A typical sweet buffet could consist of:

Strawberries, bananas, chocolate bars (to insert inside places as well as lie on top of your flesh) peaches, whipped cream, ice cream, jam, yoghurt (to smother all over your body) honey, syrup, chocolate sauce, raspberry sauce (to dribble all over), sprinkles, chocolate chips, dried fruit (to sprinkle over to give a change in texture to the food all over you) and whatever else you can think of that your lover would like to lick off your body!

If your lover hasn't got such a sweet tooth you could try a more savoury approach:

Soft cheese, peanut butter, pate (to spread on your body!) sausages, whole cucumber (insertion!),tomato ketchup, Mayonnaise (in squeezy bottles for drizzling all over) and nuts, croutons and bacon bits for that added crunch!

Whatever you chose do not put a lot out, you do not want to make your lover feel sick! Cater to his or her tastes, if you think they would prefer just one thing or say a simple variety of fruit (maybe your partner is on a diet!) then just put those out. The experience should be enjoyable for both parties so if you don't think you'd enjoy having a cucumber inserted anywhere don't put it in your food selection!

Showering/ bathing afterwards will be an integral part of this experience too I think!

Oh a special note for fella's...pineapple rings... need I say more?

This would work best if your lover can let themselves in and find you all ready and raring to go. Do not plan to do this when you know the postman might arrive or your mother might pop over! If you place yourself up in the bedroom make sure you leave a note instructing your lover to where you are. Nothing would be worse than lying in wait for your partner and for them not to come searching for you but to settle down in front of the television instead!

I really hope this list has inspired you to do something special for your loved one this year. I would love to hear of any experiences people have using my ideas so send me a comment or put a note in my guestbook! Also if you think up a different idea inspired by this list let me know, I want idea's to surprise my husband with this year!