Valentine’s Day is approaching like quicksilver and I’ve been on the prowl for clever little gifts that cost very little but keep on giving. The first of these is the Fulton Heart Shopper that’s made from strong, lightweight and waterproof material and comes in an adorable heart shaped bag.

The Fulton Heart Shopper is smothered in heart-shaped strawberries with a zip running along the side. Undoing this reveals a decent sized scooped bag that’s 45x35cm in size. It is very thin and feels plasticky but in a good way – your shopping will stay snug and dry inside this baby.

The seams on the bag are very tough. I yanked, tugged, pulled and stretched these but nothing gave way. I even tied the handle to the door and leaned backwards with my full weight and nothing even cracked. A great sign for those of us who stuff as much as possible into one bag.

The design on the main bag is also heart-shaped strawberries on a black background which sounds worrying but actually ends up looking chic and interesting. I have a thing for unusual fabrics and this fits the bill nicely.

Another feature I really like about the Fulton Heart Shopper is that the bag is attached to the storage bag by a thin strip of fabric. I can’t tell you how many times I have lost the containing bag for my reusable shopping bags so this is a total win.

The Fulton Heart Shopper would make an excellent Valentine’s Day pressie as it’s useful, cute and costs a very, very tasty £6 all in. The price, the quality and the design are all right for me and I am giving this the Worth Every Penny Award. It isn't available online yet, but it is coming soon.

These Valentines Fruit Hearts strike me as the perfect accompaniment to chocolates and sweet treats on the day of love. And they're easy to prepare too, so getting your toddler or young child involved will be a fun activity. Swap out the yoghurt for something a little sweeter - like a chocolate mousse and you have a healthy and tasty desert option too!

Do you know who makes those little Love Hearts sweets? Just in case you don't know what I mean, those are the little round sweets with messages on them, like True Love and Be Mine. They're made by a company called Swizzels Matlow. Now that's a pretty cool name, to me anyway. They also make Parma Violets, Drumsticks and Refreshers. Yum, yum and double yum. But Love Hearts are my favourite - so full of fruity, fizzy, chalky, sugary goodness.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I think it is totally unfair they've stuck it in the middle of half term mind you. If you've got kids it is harder to get romantic in the evening when you've spent the day looking at dinosaurs and queueing in the Natural History Museum. Mind you, when you've got kids it is harder to get romantic full stop.

It seems quite natural that there's a special range of Love Heart's products specially for Valentine's Day. The new range of Love Heart's is pretty cool. If you like these sweets (and make sure your loved one does before giving them!) then they make a fabulous alternative to the usual box of chocolates or a bunch of over priced roses. I know what I'd prefer! I received three items for review.

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This is a lovely idea for both Valentines day and Shrove Tuesday pancakes, if you're okay with being a little untraditional. It'll probably take some work to get it right, but then the best things usually do, don't they? It's lovely - but may be a bit messy with syrup!

This is possibly one of those things that looks easier and cooler than it really is... but maybe not... it could be a fun idea for breakfast on Valentines day, but I expect it might be worth practising it before hand! (Click on the image for instructions.)

Once you've got kids, things like Valentine's Day don't have quite the same sort of romantic resonance they used to. You, your partner, plus 2.4 kids and a dog don't quite make for the same luxurious love-fest you might once have enjoyed.

But the kids are only around for a little while, and you can inject some of your own romantic fun in there too. But it is also a good chance to have a bit of family fun too.

And making a big, fun, extra-ordinary breakfast is a good way of keeping the kids occupied too. I don't know how you do it, but in our house we decided to alternate Valentine's Day and our anniversary. So one of us gets spoiled with a sleep in, breakfast in bed, and some quiet time with the kids rushed out of the house if the day falls on a weekend. Or the school run covered if it is a week day.

And of course we have our special Valentine's Day breakfast. If you do this too, I have just one word of advice. Make sure that you include a cleaning up and washing up clause in your agreement, so you don't come downstairs all rested and relaxed to a wreck of a kitchen!

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If you've managed to get the crayons out of your heart shaped mould, here's another lovely and easy rice crispy hearts recipe that you can use it for and I'm sure the kids will love. It's going to get messy... but what fun!

Lynley’s feature on how to create utterly awesome Valentine’s Day cards got me thinking. I am not a fan of the day either but I do like the idea of using it to do something creative and fun without spending money on cheesy cards or sparkly rubbish. So I decided to find some brilliantly unusual ideas that could make great Valentines gifts as well as translate into other presents for birthdays or Easter or Mother’s Day.

Use this Build-A-Bear Workshop promotional code to get £3 off your order when you spend £15, a saving of 20%. This code can be used online or click on the printable voucher below to use instore.

A handy little saving at this time of the year, with Valentine's Day just around the corner. Could make a lovely Valentine's Day gift.

Click here to use your Build-A-Bear Workshop promotional code

• Discount: £3
• Minimum spend: £15
• Promotional codes: 497301
• Expires: 14th February

The Build-A-Bear shops are simply lovely places to visit, and the online shop is also full of lovely, sweet, cuddly toys. You have been warned!

For the printable code to use instore click here.

To use your code you’ll need to go through checkout. You’ll have to provide your delivery and billing addresses, then when you get to the Payment page enter it in the box under Do You Have A Coupon? Press the Apply button. You don’t need to enter anything else just yet if you only want to see if the code will work.

I tested the code out on this sweet 45cm Kisses For You Puppy. The cost £15, with £3.25 for standard delivery. The code took this down to £15.25 all in, so effectively the code gives you free delivery.

Thanks to cattarn at HUKD!

My view is that if you're going to say anything on Valentine's Day say it with chocolates. Well that might just be me, but I can't be the only person who loves nothing more than cuddling up with a chocolatey treat?

Personally I think that all chocolates are pretty much right for Valentine's Day, you don't actually need to make a special range with that as the theme. Especially if you're a chocoletier named Thorntons. But no. It would seem that not satisfied with making some of the most delicious chocolate treats known to mankind, they also have to make some stuff specially for this one particular day of the year.

I received three items from the range for review, and I have to say I gave them a thorough testing! What I found interesting is that these are not expensive sweets or chocolates. In fact, they were all priced at less than a fiver. A nice way perhaps to add that little bit extra to your day when you're on a budget.

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I loathe enforced holidays. Like New Year's. I hate that you're told you have to party. I'd much prefer to party because I feel like it, not because I am told to.

It is the same with Valentine's Day. Why all this emphasis on just that one day? Having said that of course, there's something really quite sweet about exchanging cards and telling people that you love them.

If you want to avoid the whole commercialism of it all, then make your own card. It also means something a little bit more, or at least that's what I think anyway. I've look around the internet and been amazed at some of the truly beautiful ideas that people come up with.

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There are only a few weeks left to Valentine’s day – good thing it happens after January pay day, not so?  Boots have a great range of fragrances available, so have a look below and see if anything grabs your fancy. These offers are available till 14 February.

•  Gorgeous Fragrances for Valentine’s Day
  
  
• Fragrance: Lacoste Touch of Pink, Eau de Toilette, 90ml
  Price: now £32.66, was £49.00 – save £16.34
  Description: Combines a playful burst of blood orange with the fresh sparkle of coriander, and notes of jasmine and violet, for the playful and light at heart
• Fragrance: Davidoff Cool Water Man, 75ml
  Price: now £25.33, was £38.00 – save £12.67
  Description: With fresh notes of peppermint and orange blossom, it’s a compelling masculine fragrance that evokes the dynamic vitality of nature and the ocean. Combined with mint, coriander, geranium, cedar, oak moss and musk, it’s ideal for daytime wear and will suit the sporty type.
• Fragrance: CK One, 100ml
  Price: now £22.66, was £34.00 – save £11.34
  Description: Loved by millions, it’s a unique, citrus floral and herbaceous scent. CK One begins with light and refreshing tones of bergamot, lemon and mandarin.  This scent will surely remind you of the good times.
  
• Fragrance: CK IN2U, Her Eau de Toilette, 50ml
  Price: now £21.00, was £28.00 – save £7.00
  Description: Fresh and energetic aromas of pink grapefruit fizz, zesty Sicilian bergamot and notes of luscious vanilla soufflé and smouldering red cedar, this is the key scent for romantic moments.
• Fragrance: Paul Smith Extreme for Men Eau de Toilette, 30ml  
  Price: now £16.09, was £21.45 – save £5.36
  Description: Slightly woody, with notes of bergamot and rosemary and the spice of nutmeg and Cardamom. The perfect scent for the lively and sophisticated man.

If you are on the lookout for a cute, quirky and quick Valentine’s Day present, then this little charmer from Penwizard could do the trick. It costs £9.99 to get one of these Me To You Love Book’s made and it is personalised with your partner’s name and other such details.

• Click here to make a Valentine book with Penwizard

The books usually cost more with their P&P charges but at the moment they have a free delivery code of 405689 which you can enter at the basket. So you can nab more than one if you fancy stocking up on personalised books…

The Me To You Love Book is great for Tatty Teddy fans and would be a really lovely gift for someone whose partner is far away or on business on Valentine’s Day. You enter your name and their name as you go and they will appear throughout the book. You will have to order your Valentine’s Day book by 09 February though, otherwise it won’t be delivered on time.

Your Surprise are a great supplier of seasonal gifts and I’ve used them for quite a few things recently and have always ben impressed by the quality of what I’ve received. They are offering PlayPennies readers an exclusive 10% off their range of Valentines gifts. The last order date for receiving items in time for Valentines day is 8 February.

Give your sweetheart a real treat for Valentines day

• Discount: 10% Off
• Expires: 14 February 2012
• Valid on: Valentines gifts
• Discount code: Valentine2012

Some of the items you can choose from are the chocolate hearts, chocolate lollies and chocolate bonbons, and I can tell you from experience that the Belgian Callebaut Chocolate that YourSurprise.com uses is really good, quality chocolate.

For something non-edible, you can look at pendants, underwear, snow globes or a keyring, just to name a few.

Depending on what you order, there’s about a four day delivery time, and I’ve procured some of those delicious looking bonbons for my hubby for Valentine’s day. I’m hoping he’ll share them with me though!

As part of the Valentine’s month of love, I was sent a bottle of Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Bath & Massage Oil to review. It sells for £7.95 (including free delivery) at Feel Unique.com and has several different uses, making it a rather versatile product.

Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Bath & Massage Oil is made from a bunch of local herbs, is free from nasties like parabens or PEGs, and has been dermatologically tested. You can either use it as a massage oil or you can drop some into your bath for the ultimate relax and unwind.

The oil itself has Evening Primrose and sweet almond extras included, making it very good for hydrating the skin, and the lavender and grapefruit extras are supposed to calm and relax the mind. Certainly my husband seemed very relaxed after I’d given him a massage with this oil!

The oil smells very nice, it has enough of a lemony edge to make it gender neutral. Your man won’t shy away from it in case he smells like a flower garden. My husband gave me a course on professional massage as a present so I knew exactly how the oil should work. And it did.

It stayed warm, spread well, and didn’t need constant reapplication. As a massage oil it is very good indeed.

Then I followed the instructions for a relaxing bath by pouring two capfuls under water. It was very milky and soft. I did feel a bit oily after I had finished soaking in the hot water, but it was a worthy trade-off against how yummy I smelled, and how relaxed I felt.

Overall, I think that Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Bath & Massage Oil is expensive but worth it. It smells good, does what it should, and a little goes a long way.

I’ve long been a fan of Build-A Bear-Workshop. In fact, I am the one who throws a tantrum when we can’t go inside. And yet I have never managed to build a good bear. Mine are either too stiff or turned out to be cats, not bears. Really.

So when I was sent the utterly adorable Love Bug Bear I melted. She costs £9, down from £13.50, has truly cute wings, and even had the dads going, “Aaah.”  In fact, I had to wrestle her away from one of the dads who was sort of bouncing it on his knee. A great big strapping man playing with the Love Bug.

The Love Bug is very well constructed and is soft, soft, soft. I am not entirely sure about the wings, though. The wings may start out looking perfect but after minutes they already have seam lines in them. The tiniest bend can cause a line to form.

This didn’t bother me much, if I am honest. I think a bear is supposed to be worn and rough and look as if it has been loved. Certainly the fur on this one is soft enough to encourage plenty of cuddling.

The Love Bug Bear from Build-A-Bear Workshop has replaced poor Jessie as the Toy To Sleep With at the moment. I even had to wrestle it away from my daughter as she tried to smuggle it to school in her backpack.

The Love Bug Bear is limited edition so he won’t be online for very much longer. If you happened to forget Valentine’s Day (gasp!) or have a birthday coming up, then this is a completely delightful gift.

Postage will cost you another £3.25 for standard shipping though, so perhaps you should nab your Love Bug from the nearest Build-A-Bear store.

Johnson’s Baby Soft Bath smells scrummy. You know, that smell that has been around for so long that it reminds you of your childhood and brings back all sorts of fluffy and cuddly memories? Well, this lovely bottle of bathing bliss is no different.

It costs anything from £3 and I found it at Boots for £3.05 with 12 club card points. It is really very good value for money when you consider that you’re getting 500ml and that you only need a few drops to keep baby clean.

Interestingly, I was sent this bottle as a Valentine’s Day idea. “Use it,” they said, “For a romantic bath.”

I honestly wasn’t sure about this idea. The smell of baby softness and romance don’t usually go hand in hand for me, and reviewing it on that level was edging into tricky waters. Excuse the pun.

I did use the Johnson’s Baby Soft Bath in my bath, though, and I found it very, very soft. My skin is sensitive and dry and it appreciated the fact that there is baby lotion included in the wash. I stepped out of the bath feeling clean and soft which is always a lovely feeling.

I also loved the smell. Although my husband said that he felt the urge to feed me a bottle rather than kiss me, so perhaps this isn’t quite the food for love type bath wash. Still, I did give the bottle to a friend with a baby to use and she raved about it.

The No More Tears formula meant that soap in the eyes didn’t hurt and make baby cry. The softness and moisturising qualities had baby’s skin soft and smooth. And the price point is excellent for such a lot of lotion. It’s a great buy.

I'm all about the expression of love on a budget at the moment, it seems, and here are some better than half prince or half price Valentine's gifts from Morrisons.

• Click here for Valentine's gifts for him and her

If you're anything like some people I know, you've not yet done anything for Valentine's day. Fortunately Morrison's have a few items you might find useful. Their gifts are divided into Gifts for Him, Gifts for Her, and some lovely Bouquets. Not all items are on sale, but all are still pretty well priced.

Under 'Gifts for Him' you'll find a giant Meerkat Valentine's card, (half price at £1.50), - it's cute, but not sickly sweet - two heart Valentine's Crackers containing fridge magnets and a 'fun' dice game (£3), and if your man's a big softy, a cute little 'I love you Monkey'. (£3)

If you're shopping for Her a bottle of (my absolutely favourite, in case you wanted to know) Nicolas Feuilatte Champagne is better than half price at £14, instead of £28.59. A ladies cami & knicker set in sizes 8 – 20 are £10, which is full price, but still pretty good value. Thornton's Premium Collection are an indulgent pleasure of milk, dark and white chocolates are down to £5 instead of £11.99.

There are twelve boquets to choose from, with the Grand Gala Rose Bouquet at £7.50 instead of £15. If your partner isn't into roses there are others, including the From the Heart Bouquet with a mix of red calypsos, exotic greenery and oriental lillies for £10. If you're really on a budget, there are two £5 bouquets and a single rose will cost you just £2.

And in the end, it's really more about the token of love than the gift, so just enjoy your loved one and have a wonderful day.

Sainsbury's have a meal deal for £15 that includes a starter, main, side, dessert, drink and chocolates.

• Valentines Dinner on a budget at Sainsbury's

While on the one hand there's something a little sad about getting your Valentines dinner ready-made at a supermarket, the fact of the matter is that we can't all be whisked off to Paris and Rome for picnics under the stars. And, as I've realised since becoming a mother, babysitters can cost you more than a night out.

If you're trying to be frugal this Valentine's day, a £15 dinner for two can be made as romantic as you wish. If it were me and I'd been out working all day, for example, I'd stop at Sainsbury's on my way home and pick up the Breaded Camembert for starters (add in a bed of salad for the pretty factor), Sea Bass Fillets With Ginger & Lime for main, with a side of Potato Dauphinoise and a chilled Pinot Grigio. For dessert, I'm not able to resist the Gü Chocolate Melting Puds, with maybe a bit of icing sugar sprinkled over, again for the pretty factor. To top off the evening, and if we had any more room, some of my favourite chocolates , the After Eight Dark Chocolates.

My meal choices would have cost £23.82, but with the Valentine's deal I'd only pay £15 – and I certainly didn't choose the most expensive options.

It may not be ideal, or the most romantic starting point, but with a few candles, some music and two people who love each other, it can still be a beautiful evening. Unless, of course, you're like me and your other half isn't around for Valentines day, or you don't have one, then it's still a great price for dinner for two nights.

Looking for something yummy and easy to make with your kids for Valentine’s Day? These are it. Green’s Cookies with Love are a tasty £1.25 at ASDA, are easy to make, and taste delicious.

I am not a very good cook. I adore baking but cookies and cupcakes continue to be my nemesis. I cannot get them right. So it’s great to be able to buy a pack of ready-to-go cookies that don’t taste fake or have a chemical aftertaste.

Cookies with Love come with strawberry icing and blackcurrant writing gel so you can write little messages on them, and have fun decorating them. They are perfect for making with the kids. My daughter utterly loved creating these with me.

All you have to do is pop the extra ingredients into the provided mixture, stir it all up, roll out the dough, and cut out the heart-shaped cookies using the provided cutter. Yes, you also get a cookie cutter in the shape of a heart.

Ours worked perfectly first time. You cook them for about 10 mins and then, once they are cooled, you can add the icing. The icing is a bit tricksy to apply and ours looked nothing like the picture on the box. More like they had been attacked by icing, but anyway.

The provided writing gel is tough to use. You really have to squeeeeeze the tube to get the gel out and it comes out in blobs. My daughter made great patterns with it but it was too difficult to make proper writing that looked seamless. This was the only negative, though.

Otherwise, Green’s Cookies with Love tasted delicious and we had loads of fun making them. These are a definite must for afternoon baking and creating with the kids for Valentine’s Day.