It can take hours trawling through the net to find a half decent romantic ecard to send, so I have taken the hard work out of it for you.

Whether you are looking for a last minute ecard as an expression of your love or just want to spam everyone in the office with a valentine day card so nobody feels left out then this is where to find the best:

My Punch Bowl have some beautiful Valentines cards that can be customised and for those that like to say “bah humbug” they even have anti-Valentine’s Day cards. I just love this site.

Jimpix has some great flash Valentines and Romantic ecards and I particularly like ones that are interactive, give the blue heart a go it’s such fun (just run your mouse over it).

Fun Punch has some really funny free ecards for Valentine’s Cards and love cards.

Hi Greetings have a mixed bag, from funny to cute to romantic that can be used as Valentine’s e-cards.

Rather than just nipping in to the local petrol station or buying forced flowers from the supermarket, put a little effort in to selecting and sending flowers. However beware of what you are sending, red roses say I love you but yellow roses say we are just friends or denote jealousy. I have included which colour of flowers is the most appropriate for romance.

Most women are unaware of the meaning behind flowers so whether you send flowers yourself or through a florist make sure the card holds the information to the meaning of the flowers being sent.

Any good florist will know the meaning of the flowers, so if buying through a florist tell them the message you want to send and they will advise you on which flowers are appropriate.

10. Iris - Blue is faith and hope, purple means compliments or wisdom, white is purity and yellow is passion.

9. Acacia -Unspoken love, send these if you want to let someone know of your secret admiration.

8. Primrose – I can’t live without you (evening primose means happy in love).

7. Lilac - youthful or humility, also confidence.

6. Carnation -Fascination. Pink is maternal love, striped carnations mean refusal and say you cannot be with someone, yellow is rejection or disappointment but red means my heart aches for you or I am fascinated with you.

5. Orchid - Rare beauty, refinement, beautiful woman, long life, femininity or mature charm.

4. Lily – White is purity or virginity, yellow means walking on air but also falsehood and orange means I burn for you.

3. Tulip - Red is a declaration of love, multi coloured means you have beautiful eyes and yellow is hopelessly in love.

2. Daisy – Innocence or a loyal love.

1. Rose – Red roses say I love you but if you place red and white roses together it symbolises perfect unity. A thornless rose means I loved you at first sight. Each colour of rose has a different meaning but for love red is the only colour to send.

If a man were to send me flowers I would hope for orchids!!

Dating online often leads to long distance relationships and it may be some time before you are both able to bring your lives together.

It is quite easy to get into a routine, even when dating long distance. You visit every third weekend or a week every three months, you phone at 10pm every night or write every Saturday. You plan your time together in advance, down to what you will eat.

However with just a little thought you can keep the romance and excitement in your relationship.

Here are 10 ideas for gifts that will help the love flourish, no matter how far apart you are:

1. Swap Clothes

No you don’t need to start cross dressing. There is something very personal about sleeping in your man’s t-shirt. Guys if you are thinner than your lady then buy a big baggy t-shirt and sleep in it for a while before you give it to her, it needs to have that “lived in feel”. Girls give your man your winter scarf, as long as it’s not pink and flowery or if you are similar sizes then give him one of your t-shirts.

2. Use the Post

We have become so reliant on the internet, the speed of emails and texts makes communication so quick and convenient but it is far from romantic. You need to add a little surprise sometimes, post a romantic card, poem or a small gift.

3. Find a Colour

Send small gifts or pictures that all have the same colour theme. Is she passionate about pink or is he addicted to chocolate. While you are out and about find things to add to the collection, they don’t need to be expensive, something from nature or a picture from a magazine but using a theme makes it personal to you both.

4. Send photos

Make it interesting, start at your feet or finger tips and take a photo of a small part of your body, each week send a new photo until your partner has a full jigsaw puzzle of you. This can be as naughty or as nice as you like.

5. Swap Calendars

Fill in all the dates that are important to you, your family birthdays and anniversaries, important events at work or even silly things like the date your car needs an MOT. These all make them feel part of your life, they know what is going on with you even when you are not in touch each day. You can add things to the calendar when you find out what your partner has been or is planning to do.

6. Paper Chain

Make a paper chain by linking strips of paper in circles, add one link for every day you will be apart. This works best if you will be apart for over a month. Each day rip off one of the links and it is amazing how visually seeing the chain getting shorter helps the days fly by.

7. Plan a Weekend Surprise

Take it in turns to plan a romantic weekend but don’t give any hints to your partner, simply send instruction for what clothes they should bring. If you want them to go sailing then tell them to bring waterproofs.

8. Read a Book

Buy two copies of the same book and read it at the same time, you can discuss the book online and this helps you to share interests. If and when you finally come together you can make a small library for your shared home with one set of copies and give the second copies to a charity shop.

9. Swap Diaries

Buy two diaries and each day before you sleep write down a few thoughts. When you see your partner swap diaries before you part again but don’t read them together. You each continue adding your thoughts to the diaries but also have something to read from your love each night. They make a wonderful memory in future years.

10. Leave Surprises

Place small gifts or notes in their home, car, bag, wallet, etc. Don’t make them obvious, so they find them over time. Once they get used to this ask them not to go looking for them but wait until they come across them naturally. After a while start numbering them (eg 3 of 7) and they will have the anticipation of knowing there are more to find. If your partner leaves you notes or gifts please try to resist the temptation to find them all at once, you really will get more pleasure from finding them naturally.

I am passionate about pink, yet I have no idea why. I am not a traditional ‘girly girl’ or spend all day painting my toenails pink but there is something about pink that brings out the girl in all of us women.

My wellies are pink (which turns a few heads as I live in a rural farming area), my winter hat is pink and my ambition has always been to have a pink car (not a silly girly car but a beefy Jaguar painted pink …… I wonder if Jeremy Clarkson would have me assassinated?)

This is just so exciting, a website where I can buy nothing but pink, a blog where I can discuss my passion for pink and a refuge where I can indulge my pink girly side.

It is all very well being a modern independent woman but sometimes I just want to be fluffy and pink.

Girls head on over to the Irresistibly Pink blog and indulge your passion for pink. Guys watch out for the website to launch as every girl loves a pink gift or two.

I don’t need a weekend in Paris or diamonds to make my heart melt, a well timed ball of packaging string can do the trick (it was a personal and relevant joke but it worked).

So, you are seeing a nice lady but how can you win her over with romantic gestures that do not cost the earth? From £25 to free, try some of these and watch her eyes sparkle:

Under £25

1. Send flowers to her place of work. I am sick of hearing from men that say women do not appreciate flowers ….. that is because you buy them from the petrol station, you duffus. This is one gesture where you get what you pay for. Prefer something longer lasting? MadKat do a beautifully boxed etched bowl with delicate ceramic roses for just £13.95, you can see a photo at the top of this post.

2. Molton Brown sell ‘intoxicating davana blossom body crème’ for £25. It is beautifully packaged and such a gift suggests ‘care for yourself, because I care for you’. This can be purchased through their website.

3. A keyring. We carry our keys everywhere we go and try very hard not to lose them so rather than a gift that will just be placed in a drawer why not consider something that she will carry with her. Temptation Gifts do some beautiful mugs and gifts.

2. Mathmos mobile phone charm £5.95 – they are little lights that light up when you get a call. Place one in a gift box with a card saying ‘I never want you to miss one of my calls’. You can buy them at Getting Personal

4. MadKat also do beautiful scented candles with names like ‘Leather & Lace’ and ‘Skinny Dip’ which are bound to create an atmosphere.

Under £5

1. Send an old fashioned romantic letter or card. No, an email will not do, buy a stamp you scrooge. Go on be soppy and tell her why she is special to you. For the funniest love cards around check out Fuzzydon – Love & Valentine Collection

2. Make up a cd of your favourite songs, they don’t have to be slushy, she will enjoy getting to know you better through the things you enjoy.

3. Give her your last rolo in a gift box. Doesn’t need to be the silver or gold ones, just a good old fashioned chocolate rolo – the gesture is awesome.

4. If she is a reader buy her a relevant and romantic bookmark. Again it is a regular reminder of the person that gave the gift – YOU.

FREE

1. Listen to her, read her emails, take out snippets and remember them (write them down if you have to). Does she like hedgehogs or hate dark chocolate or love the beach? These are your indicators for great dates and small inexpensive gestures. Go hedgehog watching one night, don’t buy dark chocolate and go for ice cream at the beach. The thought costs nothing, it just takes effort on your part.

2. Pay her a sincere compliment, go on tell her she is the most beautiful woman in the world – we may not believe you but we love to hear it.

3. Wait until the weather turns and take her out to dance in the rain.

4. Go star gazing or lie in a field/park and find shapes in the clouds.

5. Make her laugh – laughter is the key to happiness.

When considering a gift for her, remember that a pole for pole dancing, too sexy undies and edible body paint are gifts for you rather than her. So make your gifts relevant, personal and all about her – she is a princess so treat her like one.

Packaging gifts is so important, you can buy the nicest gift but if the packaging is awful then the gesture is spoilt. If you can’t wrap gifts nicely consider buying a special gift box, Twinklepeeps do some beautiful and sexy boxes. This is my personal favourite, it just oozes sexiness:

So gentlemen, you have no excuse as I have done all the research for you, just click on the links provided and make tha lady feel special.