It only seems like yesterday that it was the Christmas that nobody wanted and now here we are on the cusp of February with another holiday on the horizon: Valentine’s Day. One good thing about the economy being in the crapper is that it’s given people who were cheapskates all along an excuse just to be themselves, without apology, even if their own circumstances have not been affected. And this year the demand for free ways to celebrate el día del amor (Can you believe that one time I thought I would be spared the heart-day hoopla because I was in Peru? Man, talk about opposite.) is being met by several establishments, including us—obvs, there’s no excuse not to compose a totally free Valentine for your honey (or your dog, mom, you get the idea) via the link on our home page. But if you want to go one further and make something with your bare hands the old fashioned way, so you can deliver something tangible, again without dropping a dime, Rerun (707 NE Fremont) is offering a hand. Way back in 2003 they threw an event called “Get Your Heart On,” which combined a giant community craft party with music and films and rollerskating and photo booths, and…. that’s not happening this year. But they still wanted to encourage people to avoid spending money by luring you into their store offering the space and unique supplies for valentine making. What they can offer you that you might not have at the ready at home is a trove of vintage print materials, from magazines to elementary school supplies to card stock and glittery whatnots. The dates are subject to change, but for now they’re saying the craft area will be operational from Feb 1-14 (note that they are closed Tuesdays). Oblation Papers & Press is also holding an event on Feb 7, also free, where from 10 am-noon you can whip up a valentine and even seal it with sealing wax (very goth). Also, it’s not exactly free, and I know it’s not Cat Friday or anything, but I also recommend, if you’re ready and able, adopting a pet for Valentine’s Day. My boyfriend and I did that once, and it’s the only memorably awesome Valentine’s day holiday I can recall ever having (although that one time he gave me cash money was good too). There are about a billion pet adoption agencies in town (use your Google), but I’ll give a plug to Oregon Friends of Sheltered Animals, the organization I got my cat Valentine (oh yes, we did) through. If anyone one else has more suggestions of free or cheap ideas (or if you think you can top the cuteness of pet-adoption), leave ’em in the comments.
I think that my Valentine’s day goal will be to recreate that image with the puppies in hearts, but with my cat and my boyfriend’s cat. Cheap AND cute!!
Potential issues: 1) his cat hates my cat; 2) his cat hates doing anything people want it to do; 3) my cat eats paper.
That was brutally TL;DR, but i must say that I like cats. Cats are awesome. Please adopt cats, please.