35 DIY Gifts for Your Geek Valentine (2024)

You get to use a lathe, soldering gun, and bench grinder. She gets a lovely pendant. Everybody wins.

This build by user Mrballeng starts with a simple hex nut. After shaping its hexagonal head into a circle and soldering on the ball that the chain will run through, you set the stone and polish.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Solitaire-Hex-Nut/

Even if you're visiting the jewelry store rather than building your own bling for your Valentine, you can easily craft a DIY way to present it. And in addition to being a slick-looking build, this wooden heart-shaped box is also a puzzle—it's designed to open in only one way.

User LMO got a successful proposal out of this project, so it must be good.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Secret-Heart-Box/

This year, get good chemistry with your Valentine. Kiteman's instructable shows you the basic skills needed to experiment with creating your own custom scents. It's thoughtful, plus you get to play with conical flasks. You're welcome.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Be-a-Romantic-Scientist%3A-Distill-your-own-perfume-/

One common sight in pages of the old Popular Mechanics was plans to build simple tabletop engines. Here, user mrfixitrick shows how to build perhaps the simplest of motors—made of just a neodymium magnet and a battery—and combine it with copper hearts to create a great homemade Valentine.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Pair-of-Hearts-hom*opolar-Motor/

"I hadn't tried it before but it's supposed to be fast and easy and involves fire," spike3579 writes. "Who doesn't like that?"

We certainly do. This plan calls for a CNC router, which will allow you to create foam molds of the heart shape. When you fill the molds with molten metal, the foam vaporizes and leaves you with the heart cast in aluminum. (Just remember to wear a respirator and goggles.)

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Entwined-Hearts-Cast-in-Aluminum/

These flowers will never wilt, and will say a lot more than store-bought flowers, as you'll have made each and every one yourself. But if you don't think origami is for you, try making a bouquet of Duct-Tape Roses instead.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Dozen-Red-Origami-Roses/

Geeky-cuteness and deliciousness is a guaranteed combination to bring joy to your Valentine this year. Each batch gives you and your couple ten extra chocolate-covered lives.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Zelda-Heart-Container-Cupcakes/

It may just look like a gigantic candied heart, but this DIY Valentine project is actually a lot more useful than that. You can make the heart any color of your choosing, and erase and rewrite loving messages to your Valentine as many times as the chalk you have at home will allow.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Chalkboard-Conversation-Heart/

Practical? Not really. Hopelessly adorable? Definitely yes. Sometimes that and a bottle of champagne is all a couple needs to have a great time on Valentine's Day.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-bottle-of-champagne-even-more-romant/

Are you confident of your woodworking abilities and looking to propose to your special someone in an unforgettable way? This template for a wooden puzzle hides the question under heart-shaped blocks, to be fantastically uncovered by your fiancé when the time comes. You'll also be able to show it to your children year after year until they get downright sick of it.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Heartpuzzle/

A little bit of wire cutting and soldering can create a heart that glows when the two halves are put together. The parts you need are surprisingly simple and easy-to-get: an old cell phone and a DVD case.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/LEDMagnetic-heart./

This three-dimensional heart broach can be pinned to just about anything. You can leave it blinking on a gift, on your Valentine's door, or if you're willing to do so, parade around the entire day with a badge of love glowing on your chest.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-3D-glowing-heart-broach-without-a-3D-print/

It's a beautiful gift your Valentine can leave hanging on a wall and a chance for you to showcase your artistic talents and technical know-how.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Etched-Copper-Board-Valentines-Day-art-wLEDs/

This is a project for DIYers with a boxful of spare parts and plenty of cynicism to waste. It's also very fitting if you're a fan of bad puns. Having said that, it's a cute little toy that will go over well as long as your significant other is friendly with irony.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Valentines-RoboGrinch/step6/I-HATE-VALENTINES-DAY/

This is a Cylon Teddy Bear. Its eyes glow red and it can even say the classic Cylon catch phrase "by your command" when you squeeze the little teddy's nose. If your significant other is a Battlestar Galactica fan, need we say more?

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Cylon-Teddy-Bear/

Get nostalgic with your Valentine and woo them with Legos. You can add a chain to the top for them to sport it as a necklace, keychain or bracelet. Handpicking the colors can add a personal touch and shows you actually listen when they talk to you.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Lego-Heart/

How many times have you heard "the way to the heart is through the stomach?" With these cinnamon sugar covered crackers you will be sure to sweeten up the mood. If you are not a fan of cinnamon sugar, trying getting creative and use icing, jelly or peanut butter for messages on top.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Heart-Shaped-Crackers/

The next best thing to heart-shaped pottery are clay tentacles. These intertwining parts require two different colors for the arms and another for the suckers.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-Valentines-Tentacles/

Make sure to give your self enough time to read over your spell book to separate a package of skittles into their respective colors, or just grab your faithful recipe for Skittles Vodka. These concoctions take about three days to brew, so start well before you plan to exchange gifts.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Love-Potions/

Not that creative? Go with old reliable and make some cupcakes. For an insightful addition add a Hershey's kiss to the inside for a little pop of chocolate and some candied message hearts on top. Make sure you only use the nice messages.

LINK: http://www.instructables.com/id/Valentine-Heart-Shape-Cupcake-With-A-Kiss/