A DIY Holiday: Creative Ideas for Homemade Gifts

2025-12-03 | 06:51:04

These days, a homemade gift is a real treasure. The ideas below require a few crafting basics, small (mostly online) purchases, or thrift store trips – but they’ll leave great impressions on any recipient!

If you try any of them out, I’d love to see a picture of the results! 

1. Clay Magnet Sets: Get some white air-dry clay and a few basic colours of paint from a craft store or online. Roll the clay out to 1-2cm thickness and use cookie cutters to punch out shapes. Paint the shapes as ornaments, snowflakes, trees, or whatever other festive items you like. If you want a durable finish, you can seal the dried and painted clay with a coating like varnish, mod podge or acrylic sealant. Once dry, super glue some strong magnets to the back. Make as many sets as you want to give!

2. Custom Potato Prints: Make a custom stamp out of a potato and look out world! All you need to do is cut a potato in half and carve the inside to the shape you want (a star, tree, holly, stocking, whatever). Make it easier by using a cookie cutter and punching an outline in the half-potato - then cut off the excess. Get some paint and use your potato stamp on anything from a canvas tote bag to denim to blank cards. Or, make custom wrapping paper by stamping the large sheets of crumpled paper from your last online shopping order.

3. Teacup Candles: Get yourself a candle making kit – which needs to include wax, wicks, and a melting vessel at minimum. Pillage your unused China cabinet or visit a thrift store and pick out some teacup and plate sets (or other mugs or jars you want to use). Finally, you’ll want some dried herbs, dried flowers, essential oils, or other candle enhancers. Once you have everything, melt the wax in the vessel using a double boiler method. Dip the wick into the wax and stick it to the bottom of the teacup. Pour the melted wax into the teacup and add your scents or whatever else you’re using – stir gently. Leave it to firm up for 24 hours, trim down the wick if it’s too long, and you’re ready to wrap these up! 

4. Hand Painted Bottle: Upgrade the classic wine gift by painting the bottle itself! You can use some basic craft paints and brushes (from a dollar store, craft store, or Amazon) and design a beautiful pattern of holly, a string of lights, a winter scene, write their names, a nice message, or whatever else you want. This small gesture will make your gift instantly more memorable and is still a great consumable for the person who has everything.  

5. Homemade Bath Bombs: Get a silicone mold in a cute shape. Combine 1 cup baking soda, ½ cup each of Epsom salts and citric acid, scents (like ground cinnamon or ginger by the teaspoon, or essential oils a ½ teaspoon at a time), and 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil. Combine the ingredients, using a spray bottle with water to gradually moisten the dough until it forms a dry-ish paste that will hold a shape. Smush it into the silicone mold until the shapes are about ¾ full and let them dry for 24 hours. Pop the shapes out, package a few together, and you’ve got a great gift!