Christmas Gift Ideas D.I.Y.

If you want your gifts to stand out this Christmas, consider making them yourself. Get some ideas here.

Christmas Gift Ideas You Can Do Yourself

There’s something special about a Christmas gift that is not purchased in a store but instead made by the hands of the giver. In the days of the old vintage style Christmas traditions, gifts weren’t purchased in department stores and all gifts were made by the heart and the hand. Spreading the cheer of the yuletide season is so much sweeter with gifts that have been created specifically for the recipient. If, however, you feel apprehensive about making a gift for whatever reason, don’t worry, because our Do-It-Yourself (DIY) ideas for holiday gifts can be taught via video tutorials.

Pinecone Fire Starter Favors

The tutorial for these pleasant-smelling and great-looking pinecones is available at “Something Turquoise.” Although these are perfect as wedding favors, there shouldn’t be any reason you can’t have them for everyday use.

Paint-Dipped Kitchen Utensils

From “Cleverly Simple” comes this interesting tutorial on kitchen utensils that are dipped in bright, assorted colors. Any foodies in your family or friendship will appreciate these utensils instantaneously.

Mint Sugar Scrub

Why spend a considerable amount of money on name brands when you can make your very own mint sugar body scrub? “Love Grows Wild” shows you how peppermint extract and coconut oil can yield such sweet-smelling results to make the perfect gift.

Grapefruit Lavender Soap and Coconut Mint Soap

And speaking of coconut nut, why not check out “A House in the Hills” for instructions on how to make soaps from grapefruit and lavender and coconut and mint? These soaps are easy to make, and even they double up as inexpensive potpourri.

Stenciled Animal Mugs

Download, print, and cut out animal shapes that you wish to stencil on your mugs. Place each animal shape on top of a piece of contact paper and outline it lightly in pencil. Cut the paper out with a knife and discard it. Peel off the backing and affix the stencil on the clean surface of a mug. Fill in the outline and let this set for several minutes. Remove contact paper and allow your work to dry completely.

Animal Bookends

Instilling a love for reading for kids is a terrific idea and giving them a pair of animal bookends to keep their soon-to-grow book acquisitions neat and organized will make it more fun. Check out “Hi Sugarplum!” for complete instructions on how to make the cutest bookends with plastic zoo animals, that cost less than a dollar, some spray paint in your favorite shade, and rocks or stones with flat surfaces.

Homemade Dog Biscuits

For the dog lover in your life, give him/her homemade dog biscuits (get the recipe from marthastewart.com). These doggie treats not only ensure that you control what and how much ingredients the dog consumes, but they also assure you that the canines don’t ingest anything with preservatives, additives, and other potentially harmful chemicals that are usually found in commercial dog biscuits.

Homemade Bread and Jam Gift

Hardly anyone bakes bread at home nowadays, right? And canning preserves, jellies, and jams may soon be a lost art, too. Revive the giving of homemade bread and jam by checking out thecouturecontessa.blogspot.com or google Jordan Ferney for complete instructions. This gift set isn’t exclusive and limited to share during Christmas; give it as a party favor, housewarming gift or as a thoughtful snack for sharing with a neighbor.

Spoon Rings

You would want to thank your lucky stars for this tutorial on spoon rings from Kirsten Danielle Design. If you have one too many of those decorative spoons, turn them into fine art that you can not only give as unique Christmas gifts but sell as well. There is a printable set of instructions and updated photo tutorials on blog.kirstendanielle.com, which you can check out on how to make these spoon rings.

Felt Slippers

With instructions from zipperteeth.com, these no-slide, two-tone, no-slip, and comfy felt slippers ensure that feet stay warm. For more details on how to make these slippers, check out those sewn by Stephanie Hung on vimeo.com/32458552.

Shark Towel Hoodies

Kids will find these shark towel hoodies so cool they may want to wear them even when they aren’t bathing. Sure, there is a plethora of themed or branded towel hoodies on the market but doing one yourself – with instructions from justcraftyenough.com – can definitely save you a lot of cash. If you would rather stick to the yuletide theme, check out crazylittleprojects.com to download the pattern’s pieces and instructions.