Just because you've waited until the last minute to come up with a gift for Valentine's Day doesn't mean you have to give a boring, generic present. Instead of stopping off at the grocery store for a plastic-wrapped bouquet and a teddy bear, why not turn to the Internet for some digital gift-spiration?
Digital gifts go way beyond electronic cards, and these great Valentine's gift options can be personalized to perfection.
Send an ecard with a personal audio message
Sure, plenty of cards play generic tunes, but what about a card that includes a personal photo and your choice of soundtrack?
The app Shuttersong lets you take photos (or use images from your library) and add a 15-second audio clip to them.
Then you can share your creation with your loved one by email or text or across social networks. It's a great way to send a personal message when you can't be there to say it yourself.
Price: Free on iTunes
Express yourself with a customized Valentine's video
If you can't get your feelings across in a single photo, how about a video? JibJab offers more than a hundred romantic video cards to choose from ranging from silly to sexy.
You can even insert your own photos with JibJab's Video Starring You cards, which are definitely our favorites. Just pick out your card — and all the options, which is really the hardest part — and then customize it with your own text and photos before emailing it to your valentine.
Some of JibJab's card options are free, but others (including most Valentine's options) require you to be a JibJab member at $18 per year.
Price: From free to $18 at jibjab.com
Karaoke your way into their heart
If JibJab's videos aren't hitting the right note, maybe a song will do the trick.
Snapverse lets you record personal karaoke videos on your iPhone from a wide range of songs, so you're sure to find just the right way to express your affections.
When you're done recording, share your masterpiece via social networks or send it directly to your valentine by email — just be sure to practice hitting those high notes before you click record!
Price: Free on iTunes
Create a romantic slide show
If you and the object of your affections take tons of snaps using Instagram, Lovestagram is the ideal tool for making your own Valentine's Day slide show.
Lovestagram lets you create a customized digital Valentine's slideshow or a single Valentine's card composed of your own Instagram shots, which it pulls up automatically when you enter your Instagram names.
Just pick your photos, select the right romantic filter, add a message and then email them to your loved one.
With its simple-to-use interface, creating a Lovestagram will probably be the easiest part of your Valentine's Day planning!
Price: Free at lovestagram.com
Create your own poem/playlist combo
Sometimes you need both poetry and music to get your message across, and that's where Playlist Poetry comes in.
You don't have to be a master poet to make these playlists. Just search Spotify for songs and arrange those titles, refrigerator magnet-style, into a poem and a playlist at the same time.
Once you've managed to make the perfect playlist, save it and share it — and if your loved one doesn't already subscribe to Spotify, why not treat them to a subscription so they can enjoy your playlist ad-free?
Price: Free at spotify.com
Autotune your way to musical greatness
Just because you can't hold a tune doesn't mean you can't give the gift of song.
The Songify app will take your spoken words and modify them to fit a melody of your choice that's musical in a way... if not quite singing.
The only problem is deciding just what to say—or sing—but whatever your Valentine's message, Songify is a fun way to get it across.
Price: $2.99 at iTunes; free at Google Play
Give a more personal gift card
You could always fall back on an Amazon gift card. While gift cards are appreciated, though, they definitely feel on the generic side.
Is there a way to give your valentine a more personal gift card that they're sure to love? Try Giftly, which lets you send money along with a suggestion of how you'd like your loved one to use it — from buying coffee in the morning to splurging on a spa day — to show you're really thinking of them. Once your valentine has spent it, they can share what they did.
Customize the way your Giftly gift card's looks with colors and a message, then choose to send it by email, text message or USPS, or print it out and give it yourself.
Price: As much as you'd like to spend plus a small service fee, from giftly.com
We hope one of these gift ideas will help solve this year's Valentine's Day gift-giving puzzle. Good luck making your gift a memorable one — and happy Valentine's Day!
Thanks for including us in your roundup Elizabeth!
From Vitaliy Levit on February 21, 2014 :: 3:56 pm
We hope your Valentine’s was as sweet as ours!
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