Feeling Creative in 2019? Here are Some Amazing Do-It-Yourself Gift Ideas

Homemade gifts are always exclusive. If you are the crafter, then you can make sure that the gift is customized to the liking of the recipient. My son likes green color and super heroes, so if I have to bake a cake for him or knit a sweater for him I will make sure that it is green in color and has a picture of his favorite superhero on it. It isn’t certain that I will get the similar combination in stores. Homemade gifts are always a clear winner when they are compared with store bought gifts. Homemade gifts are a delightful way to show-case your talent and love for your near and dear ones.

If the person for whom you are buying the gift for is more of a gadget person, then it is better to buy the gadget since a gadget is not very easy to make at home! You really need to be a tech junkie if you plan to do so. Also, if your relationship with the recipient is formal, then it is good to keep it generic and store bought items should be preferred in such cases.

Well, in this article we are going to give you a comprehensive list of some exclusive DIY items that are a clear winner when compared to the ones available across the web. In many cases we do see items that look really amazing and beautiful but we are not able to source the material used in making them. There are so many common things that every site offers when you search for DIY gifts but none of them gives you ideas for alternatives you can choose if the material suggested by them is not available.

In this article we will focus on creating the some gift items using alternate methods and arrangements. The list itself includes the best DIY items that you can make and we bet you will want to try your hands on them as soon as you go through our list.

If you are confused about what to gift your friend if you are visiting their house for dinner and do not want to go empty handed, these tea coasters are the most appropriate thing to present. We recommend making at least a couple of sets as they can come in handy at many occasions.

Take a look at the link given below for reference. We are going to create a similar product by using alternate materials as getting a wooden log and cutting it can be really tedious and cumbersome.
DIY Painted Wood Slice Coasters

Material Required
• Cork sheet coasters
• Paint or color of your choice
• Paper to use as stencil
• Black marker

Instructions
• Cork sheet coasters will make your life a lot easier as all you have to do is paint your coasters as you want them. In case you wish to reuse something from your home, you can use exam boards that are no more being used now.
• Cut the paper in the desired shape and use it as a stencil over the coaster.
• Once you have kept the coaster stencil, just paint it in the desired place, remove the stencil and outline your drawing using a black marker.
• You can choose to color the background or just leave it as it is.

Tip – Do not use water color as the cardboard will absorb the moisture and color along with it. Using acrylic color will help but if the hues do not appear as expected, apply a thin layer of Gesso on the area you want to paint.

With Valentine around the corner, all I can think of is hearts, so it becomes imperative for me to include it in our DIY gifts. We got our reference for a heart gift from www.funkyjunkinteriors.net. They have got really ingenious ways to use junk. But for this junk heart, we do not feel it is possible for us to get a piece of wood cut into a desired heart shape. So our alternate material for this craft would be a cardboard.

Material to create the background
• Cardboard – If you have the carton from your recent online purchase, you can use that too. Just make sure that the size of the cardboard is big enough to accommodate all the letters.
• Thermocol sheet – This is optional, you can choose to build your background with thermocol sheet or just leave it like that.
• Glaze paper or wrapping sheets as per choice
• Adhesive

Material for Letters
• Thermocol sheet – Buy a thick one or make your own letters out of cereal boxes or cardboard whichever is easier for you to work with.
• Yarn
• Adhesive
• Cutter/scissors

Instructions to create the background :

• Cut the cardboard and thermocol sheet of the same size in heart shape.
• Apply glue or adhesive over the cardboard and paste the thermocol sheet over it.
• Leave it overnight so that it gets fixed firmly.
• Once the base is set, cover it with wrapping sheets.
• Multiple colors can be used to make it look attractive. Here is one of the ideas from us:
www.dreamstime.com

Instructions to create letters:

• Use cardboard or cereal boxes to make letters. Draw the letter on the cardboard and cut it neatly with scissors. Add height to your letters using cardboard and paste the pieces with an adhesive.
• The length of the letters should match, so use a ruler and also make sure that the height and width of the letters is such that they can be arranged on the heart shape background that you have created.
• Wrap the letters with different color yarns and fix the yarn to cardboard letters using adhesive.
• Now arrange the letters to background one by one. Here are some tips and tricks which you can use:
www.sisterssuitcaseblog.com

I found this idea very interesting but, then again, it got really difficult for me to collect all the the material used in this post so here we are including the material that we used and which is something readily available at a very low cost.

Material required:
1. Wooden Duster
2. Eyelets Screw hooks
3. Printouts and Photos

Instructions:

On the back of the wooden duster, place the eyelet screws and secure the position by pushing the screws in. This can be done using hands by applying little force. Place two screws together so you can place the pictures between them. You can make 3 to 4 arrangements of these kind on one duster.

To decorate the duster you can use a colored print out that reads Family, Love, Friend or any other words on your choice that describe your relationship with the recipient. Paste the cut out on the sides of the duster. You can choose to get creative and use some mirrors, glitters or sequins in decoration.

We found this idea of gifting bracelets to someone very adoring. There are many choices and ways of doing it for women, starting from beads to shells, but the idea of making bracelets that men will really like has not been really explored well. So in this article we are going to share an idea on bracelets that men will really adore.

Material Required:

1.Strap – This can come off from a watch that’s no more in use or you can use a belt that was worn off from the ends. I used a strap from the belt of my purse that was no more in use and I also thought of using the material from the straps of my sandals. If you want to use something new the faux leather and suede straps are available on www.amazon.in

2.Rivets – You can choose any rivet that are used in bags and boots. Rivets are available in different styles; we found the one with spikes more attractive than others. It is available at www.amazon.in

3.Snap Fastener – For fastening the bracelets, we chose snap fasteners as they are very convenient to use and are easily available. If the strap you are using already has a buckle than you can use that as well. Most watch straps and waist belts already have buckles.

Instructions:

1. Start by choosing the color of the strap that you plan to use and also finalize the thickness that you would want to work with. If you are reusing a material, and are not able to cut it to the dimension of your choice, then you can take it to a nearby cobbler and have him cut it. It works best if the thickness is large.
2. Once you have the right size that you desire, you can work on making it beautiful.
3. If you use the suede straps or thin straps, you can also use multiple strands and form a cross or braid pattern. It just adds to the volume and makes it look trendier.
4. Now, on each strand, fix the spine rivets in queue. Rivets can be fixed using a hammer. It will be good to make a marking before you hammer in the rivets as that it gives you a fair stencil to work on.
5. Once you have decorated the strands, you need to work on how to fasten it. If you already have a buckle on the strap then this step is redundant. For fastening the straps we will use snap fasteners that are also fixed using hammer. Magnetic fasteners or buttons that we use on denims can also be used.

Tip: If you are using multiple strands then before attaching the fastener, you will need to collate them, you can do so by using an adhesive. After applying the glue it is advised to use a cloth or leather piece to hold it together.

A stack of photos coming out of a box is a great idea and makes for a perfect gift for your near and dear ones. It takes very little effort to make this gift box but finding a good box to make it can be a challenge. So what we recommend is either you buy a wooden piggy bank or you can use a box that came with your watch or ring.

Material Required:

1. Wooden piggy bank or wooden Jewellery box- They are easily available at www.amazon.in at quite a reasonable price.
2. Black chart paper
3. Scissors / cutter
4. Adhesive

Instructions:

1. Cut the chart paper according to the size of the box. It should be cut in a manner so that it can be pulled out of the box smoothly.
2. Make a fan of the chart paper by folding the strips equivalent to the size of the photographs.
3. Paste the photographs of your choice and paste the end of the chart paper to the bottom of the box.

The whole idea is to create a beautiful, larger than life centerpiece that looks exotic even after using inexpensive material.

Material Required:
1. Clear water beads
2. Marbles of your choice
3. Floating gel candles
4. Tall glasses
5. Dried flowers, which add fragrance to centerpiece


Instructions:
In the tall glass, add marbles, dried flowers and water beads in layers and top them up with the floating candles. Tie a satin ribbon on the glass to match the color of the bead and marbles.