Finding thoughtful gifts for everyone on your list (and staying within budget) can be really difficult – and stressful! Making your own gifts can be a great cost effective way to get everyone something special without spending a fortune. But often times, DIY gift ideas can get very repetitive. I mean, really, how many framed pictures can a person fit on their walls? And while hot chocolate in a jar can be a great gift for a teacher or a mail person, it’s not the most thoughtful gift to give a loved one.
Here are some relatively easy to make DIY gift ideas that are sure to bring some holiday cheer.
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STATE OF ART
Many New York City residents were not born in New York State. It is America’s melting pot, after all. Pay homage to your loved one’s home state by turning it into string art! It’s pretty easy to make and can be customized in a variety of ways.
The picture above was made for a friend of mind who was originally born in LA, but now call Brooklyn her home. I stained two pieces of wood, then hand painted the city’s name repeatedly (I first used a ruler to light draw lines in pencil for guidelines). Then I printed out an outline of each state, cut them out and traced it onto the wood. I then hammered nails around the outline and made a heart of nails around where each city would be located. I used different colored yarn to fill in the state, and red yarn to fill in the heart.
Here are tutorials for other examples of DIY state art.
Not into states? Here are some other things you can make using the string art method.
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WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU
A deck of cards, a hole punch, and some kind words are all you really need to make this thoughtful gift.
If you prefer letters over numbers, this is another version of the same idea that is just as touching.
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SIPPING PRETTY
Start someone’s morning off in style by making them a stylish coffee mug. There are SO MANY different DIY mug tutorials, the hardest part will be choosing which one you like best.
If the person you’re making a gift for already has too many mugs, you can make a pretty wine glass as well.
Or even mason jar – which can be used for drinking or decoration!
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WING IT
A few years ago, I found this DIY tutorial on Pinterest on how to make angel wings from old sheet music. I loved the idea of angel wings, but wasn’t so into the sheet music part. So I decided to tweak it a little, after all isn’t that what DIY is all about?
My mom LOVES angels. She also loves red and yellow, so I decided to replace the sheet music with fabric in her favorite colors. I purchased pieces of fabric in different colors and patterns from Walmart. Look for the clearance fabric bins or fat quarters like the ones below. At less than a dollar each, you can get a bunch of different coordinating prints. You shouldn’t need more than one sheet, depending on how many different prints you use. I also added some white lace.
First, I cut out the wings from cardboard (great way to make use of all of that Cyber Monday packaging!)
Then I cut up the fabric and lace into small rectangles of the same size. Starting from the bottom, I added each piece in rows using a little hot glue.
For the middle, I cut out an oval from a piece of cardboard, printed out “Believe” in a color and font that I liked, then glued the paper to the cardboard, trimming off the excess. I also added a little glitter grapevine garland around the middle to give it a little shine.
A really pretty, custom piece of artwork that is super easy to make. Once the supplies are purchased it can be completed in a day!
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WRITING ON THE WALL
Letter art is another great DIY gift. They can be customized so many different ways, and can be hung on a wall or door, or placed on a shelf or dresser.
Plain wooden, cardboard, and tin letters can be found at just about any craft store or craft section.
Here are some great tutorials for wall letter projects.
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A MAGNET-ICENT GIFT
Magnets can be those things that everyone needs, but no one wants to spend the money on. Help you friends and family out my making them some one of a kind magnets that will make their fridge stand out.
These DIY magnets, are a great way to turn plastic toy animals into pretty decorations for your fridge.
I saw this tutorial on DIY polaroid photo magnets and thought it was such a great gift idea!
This is a great idea for turning plain childish letter magnets into something little more grown up.
BIG CITY small wallet 