Bright ideas
It will soon be Valentine’s Day when those who keep the tradition will be scratching their heads over what to buy for their loved one.
There’s always the obvious: flowers, champagne, chocolates, a weekend away, a romantic meal and jewellery.
However, homeware is increasingly playing a part in saying “I love you” on the most romantic day of the year.
Candles, cushions, crockery and art prints are becoming more common, though think carefully before investing in art as it isn’t always easy to find a place for it and it may not match your partner’s decor.
If you want to buy candles, make sure they are good quality and eco-friendly. Yorkshire has a number of companies specialising in soy or other natural wax candles with scents made from essential oils.
For quality crockery, it’s hard to beat the Emma Bridgewater pottery, based in Stoke-on-Trent. It has a selection of mugs declaring love, including the Love is Love half pint mug, £22. The front says Love is Love, the back Peace & Love and inside the rim are the words Love comes in all shapes and sizes. For every one sold, £5 will be donated to the Terence Higgins Trust, the UK HIV and sexual health charity.
Also meaningful plus relatively inexpensive is this heart made by plantabloomer.com. It costs £5.95 and is cut from seed paper, which is a mix of petals, mica flakes and seeds. When planted, the paper breaks down and the seeds germinate to produce seedlings.