Stargazing Indoors

First off you'll need to decide where you want to place the stars. Ideally you’d put them in the living room so you could throw down a blanket and pretend you’re lying in a meadow out under the night sky. Realistically though, living rooms may have higher ceilings and be more difficult to get pitch black with the extra windows. Plus, you won't be able to enjoy them very often in the living room like you would in the bedroom. Of course putting them in the bedroom assumes that you've reached a level of intimacy with your date, and that can be pretty sensitive territory. They both have benefits, choose what's right for you.

When buying the stars, choose stickers, not cutouts that require adhesive or glow-in-the-dark paint. You'll want to buy a pack of 400-500 stars with varying sizes, which can be found at major stores like Target and Walmart, or online at Amazon.com. The tiny ones can be a pain but they really give depth to the scene and just feel right.

When you put the stars up, make some interesting patterns like real constellations or maybe your own "I (heart) U" constellation. You'll also want to figure out how to get the room pitch-black ahead of time, for best effect. Try hanging blankets or using cardboard for any windows that leak a lot of light through blinds.

You can add some surprise to the date by not telling them about the stars. Invite them over to dinner and afterwards spread a blanket out on the floor, have them lie down and close their eyes. Quickly put up your extra room darkeners, turn out the lights, and join them on the blanket. Tell them to open their eyes and you should get a good response. Spend the rest of the evening talking under the stars, listening to music, or whatever else comes to mind.