5 Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas
Handmade gifts come from the heart. They’re unique, memorable and affordable. With the holiday season drawing near, here are 5 easy DIY holiday gift ideas for you to wow your loved ones with.
- Terrycloth Soap Reindeer
These little guys are adorable. They’re small, quick and easy to make, and also useful. Perfect for stocking stuffers! For this project, you’ll need:
- Soap, bath salts, or scrub
- A piece of terry cloth (a square large enough to cover your soap, plus leave 2-3 extra inches of fabric)
- A rubber band
- Gift tag
- 2 pieces of brown pipe cleaner for the ears
- Glue
- Googly eyes
- One pom pom for the nose
- Any other desired decorating materials (glitter glue, ribbon, bells, etc.)
Click here for step-by-step instructions. If you want to make a variety of cute critters, try using our white terry cloth to make polar bears—just fold the reindeer “ears” down to make bear ears, and draw the mouth on a paint marker.
- Flannel PJs
Everyone loves cozy flannel. These PJs will be greatly welcomed during the frosty winter season—make a set for your family to wear on Christmas day for a fun holiday tradition. To make your pajamas, you’ll need:
- Solid flannel or plaid flannel
- A pair of pajamas already being used by your giftee (this helps with measuring accurately and eliminates the need for a pattern!)
- Scissors
- Sewing machine (or thread and needle if you want to sew by hand)
- Sewing pins
- Elastic
- Safety pin
Click here for the complete tutorial.
- Flannel Heat Packs
DIY your own heat pack! Everyone could use a little warmth during the cold holiday weather, making this an ideal gift for any loved one. It also smells great! This unique and cuddly present is especially good for mothers and grandmothers. For your heat pack, you’ll need:
- Your choice of flannel (two 10.5” x 5.5” pieces)
- Your choice of ribbon (one piece, 2”)
- 500 g of wheat
- 2 tablespoons of your choice of aromatherapy (dried lavender, mint, eucalyptus, etc.)
- Matching thread
- Sewing machine
- Needle
- Funnel
Get the full set of instructions here. For a twist on this project, check out these instructions on DIY hand warmers.
- Chenille Snowman Ornaments
These are a beautifully detailed and unique gift, and a fun craft to make. Chenille is known for its soft quality and signature look, so it’s an ideal fabric for a festive winter gift! This would be a cute and fun gift to make with your kids for their teachers. You’ll need:
- Chenille fabric
- Mason jar lid rings
- White spray paint
- Black and orange acrylic paint
- Ribbon
- Hot glue gun
- Stylus
- Scissors
- Clear glass beads
Read the full tutorial here.. By getting creative with your colors, you can make a variety of unique ornaments. Try out a Santa or elf face, penguin, or reindeer.
- Duck Cloth Rug
Who doesn’t love a nice rug? Duck cloth is a great fabric for rugs since it is strong and resistant to tears. A handmade and hand painted rug is useful and unique, so this will make for a really special gift. To DIY your own duck cloth rug, you’ll need:
- Duck cloth
- Vinyl flooring scraps
- T-square
- Mat knife
- Fabric
- Paint brush
- Spray glue
- Water-based polyurethane gloss finish
- Duct tape
Click here for step-by-step instructions. To personalize your gift, paint your own design. You can use stencils to create a design, pattern, quote or monogram. You can also make your rug double-sided by adding duck cloth to the back. Paint the back a different design to get two rugs in one. This project can also be used as a placemat for holiday parties—decorate with a festive design or scene for an added personal touch on your food displays.
Merry DIY! Let us know how the projects go in the comments below.