Related articles

Why Go the DIY Way?

Source hative.com

Be it a gift or something around your home, the first thing that comes to your mind is to get it professionally done or buy it in a store. But more and more people are going the DIY way these days. It not only provides for a well-earned respite from the busy life, but it also makes for a fun time. Still not convinced that it is not a waste of your time! We put together 5 reasons, why DIY is the way to go.

Self-Satisfaction Really Matters

Source www.thriftyfun.com

Even if it is a simple handmade card, the idea of making something with your hands brings immense satisfaction. The feeling that you get when you look at the beautiful end-product is so satisfying. The value of the object also increases in the eyes of the person receiving the gift. It is not just about the effort, it is also about the love you have for the person and how much you value the person.

Learn a New Skill

Source apairandasparediy.com

Each gift that you make teaches you something. If not teach, it helps you to hone your skill and helps you accomplish something. When you start working on a gift, the amount of work that needs to be done might deter you. To avoid that, start small. Learn the little things. Gradually move to bigger and complicated gifts. Even with the big projects, split them into little ones and you can visualize the end result.

Better Quality

Source thatsweetgift.com

The misconception that people have when it comes to handmade gifts is that they are not as good as a store-bought gift. But that isn't the case when you take time and effort to learn and apply yourself. Sometimes, the best of the products that are natural and organic might cost you a huge sum of money. But if you consider the raw materials, they might not be as expensive. All that is left is to learn the trade. And you can make a gift with better quality at a much cheaper price.

Materialise Your Vision

Source motivational-tips.com

Making a gift by hand helps you bring your vision to reality. Instead of compromising on some aspect like in the case of store-bought gifts, with handmade you can make everything to your specification including the price. You can pick and choose the colour for gifts and perfumes to your friend’s preference. You shouldn’t have to choose a gift just because your preferred colour is unavailable.

Quality for Much Lesser Price

Source stylesatlife.com

Quality is expensive; If you want quality, you should be ready to pay for it. These are the myths that should have been busted long ago. If you want quality, make it yourself. When you go DIY way, you know what goes into your products and also the quality of the ingredients. You also would need to buy the ingredients in bulk and the price of one gift reduces quite a bit when you consider everything.

Makes for a Fun Family Time

Source www.greatschools.org

In the age of tablets and mobiles, family fun time is very much lacking. Everyone is on their laptops and tablets doing one thing or the other. Making a DIY gift helps you switch off from the digital world and bring the family together. This holiday season, make it a point to make DIY gifts for your friends and family. Bring your family together and make DIY gifts along with your children. You would be giving them a sense of importance and teaching them that family comes before everything else. Not just that, you would be giving them a chance to bring their creativity and imagination into play.

10 Creative Handmade Gifts for Birthday

Homemade Candles

Source www.thesprucecrafts.com

If you are looking for one thing to light up space and make your home feel cosy is candles. Who doesn't love candles? They also make for awesome gifts and you can choose the fragrance accordingly.

Homemade Candles

Materials:
  • Container
  • Wax flakes (Bees Wax or Soy Wax)
  • Wick
  • Perfume
  • Pan
  • Hotplate

Instructions:
  • Melt the wax flakes in the pan on a hotplate.
  • Add the desired fragrance or essential oil and colour to the melted wax.
  • Place the wick in your container.
  • Pour the melted wax in the container.
  • Hold the wick in place with ice cream sticks.
  • After the wax has cooled down, trim the wick to the desired length.

Gold Dipped Wine Glasses

Source www.handmadeintheheartland.com

Who wouldn’t love some gorgeous looking fancy wine glasses? You do not have to drink wine or alcohol for that matter. You could just own one; even if it is to showcase it in all its glory.

Gold Dipped Wine Glasses

Materials:
  • Wine Glass
  • Crayon
  • Painters Tape
  • Gold Metallic Spray Paint
  • Clear Enamel Spray Paint
  • Measuring Tape

    Instructions:
  • Measure approximately 2 ½ inches from the glass rim and mark it around with the crayon.
  • Tape the areas where you don't want it to be painted gold with the painter's tape.
  • Pack the glass with paper towels.
  • Spray a light layer of gold spray paint and let it dry.
  • Once its dry, lay down another layer and finish off with the clear enamel coat once dry.
  • Once it is completely dry, the glasses are ready to be gifted.

Custom Colour Nail Polish

Source abeautifulmess.com

Is it really possible to find a woman who doesn’t love nail polish? Imagine making your mom’s/sister’s/best friend's favourite colour yourself for her birthday!

Macrame Mason Jar Plant Hanger

Materials:
  • Suspending Nail Polish Base
  • Cosmetic glitters or mica or oil-based cosmetic colourant
  • Empty nail polish bottles and mixing balls
  • Mini Funnels
  • Icecream sticks

Instructions:
  • Place the polish mixing balls in the empty nail polish bottle and place the mini funnel.
  • Scoop out the intended colour into the bottle. The amount of colour depends on the sheerness of the polish. If you want a fully opaque polish you can go up to ½ teaspoon of the colourant. You can also add glitter.
  • Add suspending polish base to the bottle and shake it vigorously for about 60 seconds so that the colour is well mixed with the polish.

Macrame Mason Jar Plant Hanger

Source www.thesprucecrafts.com

Macramé is the art of knotting strings to make decorative items. After being out of the limelight for a long time it is making a comeback with these mason jar. If you have got a plant lover for a friend, the macrame mason jar plant holder is an ideal gift. Add an air purifying plant or a succulent and your gift is ready.

Macrame Mason Jar Plant Hanger

Materials:
  • Macrame Cord
  • Mason jar
  • Soil
  • Scissors
  • Plant

Instructions:
  • Cut four pieces of the macrame cord each about 3 yards long. Fold them into two and knot them at the top with a loop above the knot.
  • Separate the cord into pairs and knot them together about 4-5 inches from the top knot.
  • Under each knotted pair, make spiral knots until you have about 4 inches of spiral knots.
  • Leave about 12 inches after the spiral knots and make another knot on every pair.
  • Lay all the pairs out and take the right cord from the first cord and the left cord from the second pair and knot them together. The knot should be 3 inches from the previous knot.
  • Knot all the cords together at about 3 inches from the individual knots.
  • Trim the ends leaving about 12 inches of cord hanging free.
  • Fill the mason jar with soil and your selection of plant. Insert it in the macrame holder.

Sweater Mitten

Source www.cremedelacraft.com

Have a cute sweater that has shrunken beyond use? Why don't you give it a new lease of life by converting it into a cute mitten for your friend for her birthday? Few simple materials lying around your home and the most basic of all stitches your handmade mitten is ready.

Sweater Mitten

Materials:
  • Woollen Sweater
  • Marker
  • Straight Pins
  • Scissors
  • Embroidery Floss
  • Needle and thread
  • Buttons and accessories

Instructions:
  • Make sure to wash the sweater in warm water and dry on high heat. This will shrink the woollen fibres and the sweater won’t fall apart when cut for the mitten.
  • Trace your hands on the wrong side of the sweater in the shape of a mitten with a marker. Leave half an inch around the edges to make for the seam and an inch at the bottom for the cuff. The edges of the sweaters are ribbed so make sure to lay your hand such that the ribbed part makes for the cuffs.
  • Cut out at the traced edges and do a simple running stitch with the needle and the embroidery floss.
  • Flip the mitten over and decorate it with buttons and other accessories.
  • Repeat the steps for the other mitten too.

Buckets of Joy

Source crazylittleprojects.com

This is quite an easy gift to put together and can be personalised to your wishes. You can put anything from candy to chocolate bars and trail mix. If you are buying for your girlfriend or sister you can formulate a small spa set with pedicure supplies, body scrub, nail polish, candles and even aromatherapy diffusers for a relaxing evening. You can visit Crazy Little Projects for printables and stick it to your bucket. It doesn't cost a bomb and your friend is sure to be touched by this gesture of yours.

Fizzy Bath Bombs

Source www.thesprucecrafts.com

Imagine ending a long day with a warm bath and a glass of wine! The only thing that can make it better is a fizzy bath bomb. Bath bombs are quite popular but also expensive when bought at a store. But to make it at home, not only is it easy but also quite inexpensive.

Fizzy Bath Bombs

Materials:
  • 1 cup baking soda
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • Essential oil of your choice
  • 1/2 cup citric acid
  • Water
  • Food colouring
  • Mixing bowls
  • Bath bomb molds
  • Spoon

Instructions:
  • Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  • Add a few drops of essential oils. Incorporate it little by little and keep mixing to avoid clumps.
  • Add food colouring to the mix. The colour depends on the amount of food colouring that you use in your mix.
  • Add water little by little. ½ teaspoon at a time and keep mixing. The texture should be that of damp sand.
  • Mix in the citric acid.
  • Mould the ball and place it in its mould. Pack it in tightly and close the mould. Press both the sides together.
  • Unmould carefully and smooth the sides with a back of the spoon.

Vanilla Hot Chocolate Mix

Source www.popsugar.com

With the cold weather creeping up on us, there's nothing like relaxing with a warm mug of hot chocolate and a book. How about gifting your loved ones a delicious batch of hot chocolate mix that takes all the way to food heaven?

Vanilla Hot Chocolate Mix

Materials:
  • 4 Cups Sugar (granulated)
  • 1-1/2 pounds semisweet chocolate
  • ½ Vanilla bean (Split crosswise)
  • 8 oz milk chocolate
  • 2 Cups unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Whisk
  • Mason Jar

Instructions:
  • In a large mixing bowl add the sugar, the seeds scraped out of the vanilla bean and also the pod. Work the seeds in the sugar and cover it with a plastic wrap and let it sit overnight.
  • Coarsely chop the semisweet chocolate and the milk chocolate. Grind it to a fine powder in food processor. Work it in 4-second pulses.
  • Remove the pod from the sugar and add finely ground chocolate and the cocoa powder.
  • Mix it well using a whisk.
  • Transfer it to a mason jar and decorate it for the occasion.
  • Don't forget to add instructions as below: “Mix ¼ cup of hot chocolate mix to 8 oz scaldingly hot milk. Serve with marshmallows and whipped cream.”

Great Websites to Buy Craft Supplies Online

Source holidappy.com

Now that you have an amazing list of gifts you can try at home, we hear you ask “Where can I buy the raw materials?”. We have put together a list of websites where you can buy craft materials in bulk and retail. Go ahead! Shop and get crafting.


Create For Less: Portland-based craft supply store where you can get materials for scrapbooking, sewing, knitting and kids crafts.

DollarDays: A website dedicated to providing everything from everyday stuff to jewellery and craft supplies at a low cost. If you are looking to buy supplies at a cheap rate then this is the place.

Itsy Bitsy: Anything you need for your project you can find in ItsyBitsy at a competitive rate. And no second thought about its quality. You can find everything from washi tapes to succulents and art supplies.

Amazon: Is there anything you can't get from Amazon? Amazon offers craft supplies at discounted rates and if you are a prime member you are bound to get further benefits.

Crafts Corner: Anything to do about crafts, you can find on CraftsCorner. Their collection is massive and when you are there have a look at their blog for inspiration. Their designer Rupa has some awesome tutorials.

Writer
Sunandha Wilis
After spending 12 years in the hectic corporate world, Sunandha quit the industry to follow her passion for writing. She enjoys writing on a variety of subjects including travel, health, beauty, fashion and technology. Apart from writing she also dons the hat of an editor from time to time. Her time off is spent listening to music and wrestling with her boys.

Related articles

From our editorial team

A Homemade Gift Is Not A Reason To Give Second Rate One

The purpose of giving handmade gifts is to give something that is personal and individual to the person receiving the gift. You might not always save money, but you give a particularly meaningful gift. But remember to be fair to the people you're giving gifts to. Especially in a gift-exchange situation, make sure that the gifts you're giving are high quality as you would wish to receive from somebody else. Making your gifts at home isn't an excuse to cut corners or to give a low-quality finished product.