It’s the most wonderful time of the year again. The winter season, late nights with hot cocoa, decorating the Christmas tree, and… trying to decide what to get all your loved ones for Christmas. This is most definitely me every year. I mean honestly, it feels like the winter season flies by! That’s why I decided to get a head start on present prep this year. Here are 11 homemade Christmas gift ideas that people will actually want. 

The Craft-Maxxer 

Starting with some artsy ideas. If you’re good at DIYs or have a lot of craft supplies lying around, these are for you. 

1. Crochet ANYTHING

More specific ideas that take less than a day to make are headbands, book covers, and coasters. This is one tutorial I love for hair accessories! 

2. Room decor 

Everyone is always looking for something to add to their room. Skip the Marshall’s trip and create something for them! Some recent crafts of mine include domino coasters, fabric garlands, or paper chains. Here’s a tutorial for butterfly paper chains. 

3. Personalized magazine. 

It’s one thing to have the December Cosmopolitan issue on your coffee table, but a whole different level if you had one featuring you on the cover! Canva is super easy to use to create these. You can make short quizzes, tutorials, photo shoots, and anything your heart desires. Here’s a tutorial on Canva. And a YouTube video going in depth on the process. 

4. Forever flowers

What’s better than a bouquet? A bouquet that never withers! You can make your loved one’s favorite flowers out of pipe cleaners, paper, beads, or even buttons! Personally, I’m trying this one this year 

5. Painted pottery 

This idea is not only a perfect present, but it’s so fun to make. You can either buy pottery from Walmart or Target and paint it with supplies you own, or choose a studio in your area. The great thing about this option is that all the supplies and pottery are included. I recently painted a custom bowl for $20 total! And you can get real creative with this too. You could do a birthday cake plate, a dedicated matcha bowl!

6. Custom Wine Bottles

This one turns out so cute and might just be the easiest on the list. Choose your loved one’s favorite wine (or try a fun one from Trader Joe’s LOL), take off the label and replace it with a customized one. Bonus points if you add ribbon or lace. You can hand-draw and decorate a label and tape it on, or design one on Canva and print it!  Something like this on Etsy! 

7. Patchwork/Embroidered Clothing. 

Skip the mall and grab a plain article of clothing from Hobby Lobby. Then look up doodles on Pinterest as inspo (for embroidery). These simple lines will be super easy yet cute to decorate the item you choose. However, if you choose patchwork, grab some old clothes or buy fabric swatches since you’re already at Hobby Lobby. You can create a more vintage feel by stitching them or just using fabric glue! Here’s a tutorial for embroidery. And here’s one for patchwork.

Wrap a Bow On It and Call It a Day

Maybe you’re not the super crafty type; that’s okay! There’s plenty of handmade gifts that don’t require a hot glue gun. 

8. Specialty Baked Good. 

This doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just as long as it’s made with love. Maybe cookies, banana muffins, or brownies! 

9.  Coffee Syrups

Bring the cafe to your friend! Nowadays, there are so many great recipes for syrups. I’ve personally tried making mango, pecan, apple, lavender, and pumpkin spice! It’s something most people don’t think to make, which makes it the perfect gift. Here’s a recipe for peppermint mocha syrup! 

10. Blind Date with a Book

Blind boxes are all the rage, so why not combine it with a book? You can thrift a book for 2$, wrap it in some brown paper, and add a bow. Then the customization! I’ve seen some blind books with a tea bag, bookmark, short DIY poem, or a little excerpt on the book genre. If your friend is a reader, this is perfect for them! This is the vibe for them. 

11. The Kit

And last but not least, ‘The Kit’. This can quite literally be anything personalized to your loved one. For example, if they’re a tea lover, make a tea kit. Include a dainty spoon, a few different types of tea, a thrifted china cup, and honey from the farmers market! Bonus points if you find a cute basket to put it in. Some other ideas could also be a bath, matcha, coffee, journaling, craft, or even a baking kit. 

All in all, the holiday season is about spreading love and joy, not spending hundreds of dollars on presents. The best gifts are the thoughtful ones from the heart. I hope you have fun making some of these homemade gifts for your loved ones, and happy holidays.

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• diy
• gift ideas