Cindy‘Tis the season for gift-giving!
Christmas is one of the most magical times of the year, but buying gifts isn’t always easy on the wallet. Maybe you’re in college, and forking out a chunk of your budget to get presents for all your new friends isn’t exactly an option, or hey, maybe you’d rather gift your parents something super thoughtful than yet another Amazon purchase.
From handmade soaps to key chains and funky chandeliers, we put together some super creative DIY Christmas present ideas that everyone will be excited to open. Get your glue gun and let’s get crafty!
12 Homemade Gift Ideas to Inspire!
LED Paper Lanterns
Paper lanterns aren’t just fun to create, they also look incredibly gorgeous once they’re finished! Plus, materials are cheap as all you really need to have on hand is an LED light, paper, wooden sticks, and your glue gun.
If you’ve never created them before, there are so many templates online that will guide you step-by-step. The best part? They look way more intricate to create than they actually are, which makes them a perfect last-minute gift.
Homemade Soaps
Head to your nearest supermarket, get some shea or cocoa butter and your favorite essential oils, and make some homemade soaps for your closest friends.
Is there anyone who doesn’t need soap in their house? If you have time, get creative and make them all custom for each person – have a friend who loves dinosaurs? There are molds available on Amazon for that! Mermaids? You can find them here too…
DIY Chandelier
Have a friend who’s crazy for all things boho chic? Then a DIY chandelier is a perfect gift for them. The days of chandeliers only fitting into super fancy mansions are gone, cause #Pinterest.
Seriously, the options are endless here – grab some cardboard and create a funky looking chandelier, or get uber creative and recycle those old records collecting dust in your basement. The possibilities are endless here!
Scented Soy Candles
Much like soaps, you can’t go wrong with scented candles, especially if you’re wondering what to gift your kid’s teachers or that colleague you don’t really know all too well. Plus, going out to scout scents and essential oils to make the candles is a ton of fun!
If you want to get super extra, get a jar and decorate it with red ribbons and winter plants. Or, why not use coffee beans! It’ll make the perfect gift for the coffee lover in your life!
Christmas Tree Goodie Boxes
Goodie Christmas tree boxes are super fun to make, look uber cute once they are done, and are obviously delicious.
Grab some chart paper or cardboard, paint it green, cut it into pieces and paste them into a triangular-shaped box and bam! Get creative using ribbons or painting spheres around it and voila – your unique Christmas tree box is ready. Head to your nearest shop and buy their favorite candy to put inside it and you’ve got yourself a festive AND thoughtful DIY present.
Homemade Jewelry
Would it even be a DIY gift guide if it didn’t include jewelry? Seriously, few things are just as fun to make and you can customize each piece to fit your loved ones’ style, making it a super thoughtful present.
What we love the most about creating our own jewelry is how much space there is to get crafty. Earrings made out of paper clips? Sure! Knitted jute bracelets? Yes, please! Wooden earrings? Why not.
Wind Chimes
Wind chimes are another great gift to DIY. The best part is that this DIY gift idea can cost almost nothing to make, as you can make your own with almost anything! Beach stones, seashells, or even glass all make great materials for the chimes. All you need to do is get some paint to decorate the chimes, your glue gun, and a few threads – and you’re done!
Jam Jars
Homemade strawberry jam, apple butter, and marmalade are gifts you can never go wrong with, so this is one of our favorite DIY presents for those people we just don’t know all that well.
There are so many recipes online to play with, so head to Pinterest and get started! Not only is making jam jars inexpensive and thoughtful, but it can also be quite therapeutic (plus, you can make lots of them in one go!).
Customized Key Chains
Who doesn’t love key chains? I mean, there’s gotta be at least a person in your group of friends who always scrambles through their purse to find their keys.
Customized key chains can be made from virtually anything. A piece of fabric cut out into the shape of something they like, seashells, wine corks, and more. Extra points if you get their name engraved on it.
All you need is to buy a bunch of keyrings and add your own touch. Get crafty here!
Bath Bombs
Bath bombs are another great DIY gift, especially if you don’t think you’re crafty enough for some of the ideas we listed above or you just don’t have the time to make super intricate gifts for everyone you know.
They’re easy to make (easy enough that kids can make them!), and all you’ll need is some olive oil, tartar cream, baking soda, essential oils, and a mold.
Find lots of great bath bomb recipes here.
Fridge Magnets
We’ve all got that friend or aunt that collects magnets from every place they visit, so why not add a handmade one to their repertoire? Making magnets is easy peasy – all you need is to get a magnet crafting sheet at your nearest shop and get creative! A picture of you with your friend on holiday or their favorite book quote are just a few ideas.
Christmas Goodies
Love baking? Great! People love eating, especially when the December weather makes you want to do nothing but cozy up with a blanket and eat everythiiing.
Homemade toffee, sugar crackers, vegan brownies or pecan cookies are never not welcome, which makes for a perfect Christmas gift.
This is a great activity to get your kids involved in too. Perfect for those cold weekend mornings when you don’t want to venture outside. For ideas on how to wrap them up, see our post on DIY Xmas gift wrapping!
And that’s our list! I’m sure there are tons more ideas out there, but these are the ones we love to create! Have you ever gifted anything handmade? What are other super fun DIY Christmas gift ideas?
