12 ideas for last minute Valentine's Gifts plus ship deadlines

So yes, of course you can brave the crowds, hit the store, and track down something perfectly lovely as a last minute Valentines gift this week. But should you have actual kids to wrangle, or you know, job responsibilities or Netflix to catch up on, I could see where you might want to stay home and shop online. So here are a few last minute gift ideas for Valentine’s Day that you can still order in time, plus drop-dead shipping deadlines from lots of stores that are keeping FedEx in business this week. Just be sure to confirm them before you buy.

And lucky you: This year Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday, buying you one extra day to brave the throngs at the local chocolate store, should you need it.

1. VALENTINE’S FLOWERS

Don’t scoff; there’s hardly a woman I know who doesn’t love the indulgence of fresh flowers, and I know quite a few men who love them too. The California collection of flowers from indie farm-fresh flower company The Bouqs can be delivered in time, and feature stunning options including mixed bouquets, orchids and roses, which is why we recommended them in our favorite romantic gifts for women under $50. Unlike the big floral delivery companies, these guys aren’t contracting out with individual florists, so what you see online will not be wildly different from what you get delivered, plus they don’t swap on you–if they’re out of your selection you’ll know it.

It’s great that to double your order is just $10 more. Plus, they offer free overnight delivery, including Saturday this week only.

Order by: Thursday 2PM ET.

2. THE PERFECT BOOKS

There’s often nothing more romantic than a picked-just-for-you book, and maybe some time to curl up and actually read it. You can always take a stroll to your local indie bookseller and see what looks just right for your valentine. But if you can’t spare the time, that’s where Amazon is your friend, especially if you’re a Prime member.

A few recommendations: The voyeuristic Other People’s Love Letters: 150 Love Letters You Were Never Meant to See. Make the day of a literary lover with The Gorgeous Nothings: Emily Dickinson’s Envelope Poems. Graphic design fans will love The Book of Hearts, And I am smitten with All The Love in the World, for which photographer Jesse Hunter traveled the world photographing 800 hearts in 44 countries around the world to celebrate the universal symbol of love.

And if you’ve got a Kindle reader to shop for, it’s so easy to gift e-books. Should you need some romantic recos, check out the Kindle Love Stories community — the sponsor of our Valentine’s Day gift guide this year. That’s a group of women who know what they like, that’s for sure. And psst…Kindles are on sale right now, with the Kindle Fire HD 7 $25 off, the Kindle Paperwhite $99 and more. (Also love the Jonathan Adler Kindle cover shown here for just $17.99)

Order by: Weds for 2 day shipping (free for Prime members); Thurs for overnight; some same-day shipping avail in select cities, and Saturday arrival may be available. And of course, there’s way more at Amazon beyond books. But we really like books.

3. SUBSCRIPTION GIFT BOXES

We have so many ideas for the best subscription gift boxes, you can surely find the perfect one. Your recipient should be able to receive a notification via email that the box will ship soon–which is one step better than an IOU. So, what’s their poison? There’s Mistobox and Blue Bottle for coffee; Bespoke Post for the well-groomed gentleman; Quarterly for the on-trend tastemaker; and of course the original Birchbox for the cosmetics junkie–now both male and female. Birchbox is even offering an I Heart You Box complete with a heart-patterned sleeve just for the occasion.

Order by: Any time for a notification, but the sooner the better so you make the next monthly shipment date. Be sure to check the site for their own policies about e-gift cards and notifications; most won’t arrive in time for Valentine’s Day at this point but they’re sure worth waiting for.

4. GOURMET FOOD GIFTS

The good thing about gourmet gifts is they often require overnight shipping to begin with, to keep the food fresh. Here are just a few of my total top number one favorites.

We called Jenni’s Splendid Ice Cream possibly the best in the country, and if you can manage to pick your favorite flavors without spending three days on the site (no easy task), you can get a frozen shipment delivered your way on time.

Order by: Weds for flat-rate ground $13 shipping for Friday arrival; by Thursday 10:30 AM for priority overnight (super pricy)

Jacques Torres is also known as Mr. Chocolate for good reason, and his shop offers tons of adorably Valentine’s themed chocolates ready to ship. But my favorites are actually the malted milk balls and the chocolate covered Corn Flakes. To die for. I used to work across the street from one of his NYC shops and oof, dangerous.

Order by: Weds noon ET for 2-day shipping; after noon for overnight for Friday arrival but double check with the site before you order.

We named Vosges one of our favorite local chocolatiers around the US, and this Chicago maker of all things outrageously chocolate can satisfy your Valentine’s cravings by Saturday if you order soon. Just order more than a little $12 mini pack to make shipping costs worth it. Or, just tell yourself that’s why you’re ordering so much.

Order by: Weds by 2PM CST for 2-day express ship; Thursday by 2PM CES for overnight ship.

Our friends at Mouth.com are always on our reco list for their amazing gourmet gift packs, lots with Valentine’s themes. And funny themes. And boozy themes. Yeah, there are a whole lot of themes there. And they’ll make you laugh, too. Everything comes beautifully packaged for men or women–not too precious, not too fancy. It’s all about the food, with Mouth, and I love how they really support small purveyors from around the US.

Order by: Weds, with the possibility of Thurs for overnight or 2-day shipping. Email info@mouth.com to confirm and make arrangements.

5. PRINTABLE ARTWORK

Etsy is of course full of lovely original art all ready for printing. You just add some nice paper, printer ink, and if you have time, a frame. I love this geometric printable heart artwork from The Motivated Type. Actually, I like a whole lot of stuff at this shop. And should you not be able to pick just one favorite, you’re in luck; coupon 3FOR2 currently gets you three prints for the price of two.

Order by: Any time. It’s printable. Though this artist is in the UK so keep the time difference in mind.

6. LINGERIE…EVERY MONTH

Getting new lingerie every month seems like a luxury to us, especially when our shopping bags are more likely to see juice boxes than lacy underthings. So the idea of Underclub, a subscription lingerie gift service is pretty awesome. Choose whether you prefer more “feminine and flirty,” “bold and fun” or one of their other categories—or let your recipient pick for herself–and they’ll send a pair of designer panties each month from the likes of Cosabella and Natori. As in, not the cheap trampy stuff. And yet it’s still less than $25 a month.

Order by: Feb 15. Even though that’s after Valentine’s Day, that guarantees you’ll get the next delivery at the end of the month. Maybe grab your own lacy something to go with a card as a teaser. So to speak.

7. KEEPSAKE JEWELRY

Check your favorite department store for their drop-dead shipping delivery dates for Valentine’s Day and you may luck out. Tiffany for example, offers next-day delivery if you order before 3PM ET but it will cost you $30. (A drop in the bucket considering what you might be buying from there.) Saturday delivery makes things a little easy.

Nordstrom of course has tons of jewelry for Valentine’s Day, and great customer service and flexible shipping options. Order by 3PM ET Weds for 2-day ship on select items; by Thursday for next-day business shipping; Friday by 3PM for Saturday delivery if you’re desperate.

For something from a smaller brand, we absolutely adore the splurgey but incredibly thoughtful Poesy Rings (above) we recently featured from MRK Style. You can still order them, along with lots of her other stunning keepsake jewelry, in time for Valentine’s Day. With free shipping, no less.

Order by: Feb 12, 3PM EST

8. A COFFEEGRAM

While Mistobox can deliver a whole coffee gift box subscription, for just $5 you can send a Coffeegram, which includes a sweet note and a 2-ounce sampler box of artisanal roasted whole beans. It could be the start of a beautiful, caffeinated relationship.

Order by: ASAP! It will ship tomorrow via first-class mail

9. A GIFT CARD…WITH A CAVEAT

Tread carefully with gift cards, which may not send the intended Valentine’s Day message, i.e. “I’ve thought long and hard about this because you mean so much to me.” However if you’re creative–say, a big Saks gift card for use in the lingerie department, on a trip there together?–you can score. Lots of gift cards can be delivered on the spot via email.

Or for the generous of heart, try a charity gift card from your Valentine’s favorite charity or from Charity Choice (above) which lets you choose your own from more than 1000 charities. The physical card ships next business day but you’ll pay for overnight delivery. Instead, send as an ecard, or print out the gift certificate and paste it into a real card. Talk about having a heart for Valentine’s Day

Order by: Any time for ecards or printable cards.

10. SOMETHING BUBBLY

Surely anyone can make a run to a liquor store for a bottle of (yeah, pretty overpriced this week) bubbly but we love the idea of going a little DIY with the champagne bottles to show you put a little more thought into it. We originally featured these glitter champagne bottles from the evite blog for New Year’s Eve, but they’re so cool for Valentine’s Day too. You could even do the glitter in pink and red and silver. Just….don’t get any in your actual glass, okay?

11. AN EXPERIENCE GIFT

Think: Coupons for a romantic dinner home, without the kids. A streaming movie marathon. A wine tasting course. Tickets for the theater. Tickets for a sporting event. A family membership to a favorite museum. Advanced tickets for a film series at a local film festival. Get creative! Time together is always time well spent, whatever it is you do.

12. A DIY VALENTINE’S GIFT

We have a whole post on handmade Valentines gift ideas but you don’t even have to be super crafty to figure out a fantastic DIY gift. It could be as simple as a special playlist, or a favorite photo printed out beautifully and framed. I made the one here just just editing a photo I had taken using the Brushstroke app on my iPhone, which can make it look like an actual painting. How cute are my dad and stepmother here? After more than 30 years of marriage, it may be the thing on this page that makes me happiest of all.

For more ideas and inspiration, see the 2015 Cool Mom Picks Valentine’s Gift Guide