Only a week has passed since Cupid shot us in the thighs with chocolate-covered arrows, but already our bouquets are wilting and our pants won’t zip quite right.

Luckily, we don’t have to crush the one we love by dumping the whole disastrous mess in the garbage.

Pass that half-eaten box of chocolates off as a “thoughtful” and “creative” gift, right back to the poor schlep who was cruel enough to give it to you in the first place.

All you need is cupcake mix and a little time. Drop a chocolate into the bottom of each cupcake before baking and, voila, a sweet surprise awaits in each cake.

And give those almost-dead roses a new purpose, dry them out and create a centerpiece that will be sure to remind your loved one that flowers are not wasted on you.

“I’ve had people tell me that they’ve put their flowers into a dehydrator,” said Eric Snipes, from Boe’s Florist, in Rockingham. “I don’t think you have to do that to make potpourri, just dry the flowers out well and add fragrant oil.”

Just place the dried petals in a shallow dish, arranged around a votive candle. Or use the roses to make wreaths, potpourri or candles.

Newlywed, Courtney Davis, said “I’ll be keeping a rose from Valentine’s Day, since it’s my first one as a married person. I’ll probably just dry it out and put it in a book.”

The general consensus is that he easiest methods for drying flowers is placing them in a box, lined with paper, in a dry area of the house. An alternative method is hanging the flowers upside down for about four weeks, or until they are completely dried out.

Staff writer Kelli Easterling can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 18, or by email keasterling@heartlandpublications.com