Brick bloom

Fresh red roses are very expensive on Valentine’s Day. For the budget-conscious, they can try alternative flowers for their beloved, like the pop-up rose bouquet of local startup Pumapapel Pop-Up Design Studio (PPDS).

PPDS founder Amy Lopez Nayve, who personally makes the pop-up roses herself, pointed out to GMA News the advantage of the foldable paper flowers over real roses.

“You can send it anywhere in the world and not be concerned that it might wilt before it reaches the receiver,” Nayve said.

So much care and love go into designing a bouquet that would convey all the giver’s love to his special someone, the Industrial Design graduate of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde said.

Another alternative to fresh roses are do-it-yourself plastic flowers.

Even sturdier and more durable than the pop-up paper roses, the 10-inch long roses that come in pairs were described in a review as “a fantastic gift or decor piece that combines creativity with elegance,” MyLondon reports.

Another online review on MyLondon says, “The two roses look fairly realistic when made; they don’t take long to put together but they do look nice in a small vase and they don’t die which is a bonus.”

The Lego Roses Flower Set is sold for 10-13 British pounds in United Kingdom stores of the building blocks popular with kids.