Gift giving is the most stressful part of Christmas. Not only is it financially stressful, but also it’s also just regular-stressful. You don’t want to spend a lot (or you can’t spend a lot), but there isn’t much that works into your $10 per person budget that isn’t, well, total crap.
So, what’s the solution? You’re a little too old to paint a watercolor picture for your parents, unless of course you’re a good artist.
Luckily, DIY has taken over and become crazy-popular. In fact, even people whose budget is more like $500, will comb through Etsy pages to find something homemade and awesome, because something awesome and homemade just beats a JC Penny sweater. Simple as that.
Etsy is great, but can get pricey. So, here are some ideas for DIY gifts you can make for your friends and family yourself!
DIY Wood Block Frame
I saw this on a great site called shanty-2-chic.com. It’s the perfect gift for anyone in your life – family, friends, teachers, and neighbors– quite unique and quite easy to make. All you need to do is go to your local hardware store and have someone there use a 2×6 board. They can cut the board into blocks – whichever sizes you want. Then, all you need to do is pick up some wood stain, rub it on with an old t-shirt, wrap the block in twine and add a picture.
Candy Cane Body Scrub
Love this one. I had a friend who made it for me. If you go to a boutique or whole foods, you will spend a fortune on only a few ounces. But, you can make it on your own very inexpensively. This is a great gift to pamper the women in your life.
There are many recipes you can find by searching online. Here’s a great one for the holidays, though, taken from freutcake.com.
Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar, sea salt, or sugar in the raw.
*Use whichever exfoliant base you like best! For this recipe I used white granulated sugar to maintain the white and red candy cane colors.
1/3-1/2 cup almond or coconut oil.
*Again, use whichever oil you like best and add more or less until you reach a consistency you like. I used almond for a milder scent.
Peppermint essential oil- about 6 drops
Two candy canes broken into pieces
Other optional ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil- good for healing skin
1 teaspoon cocoa or Shea butter- for added moisture”
All you do is break the candy canes into small pieces and melt them on the stovetop in ¼ a cup of water. You should get a red, melted peppermint syrup.
Next, in large bowl, mix the sugar, oil, peppermint essential oil, and if you want, add the optional ingredients – cocoa butter and vitamin E oil.
Then, separate the scrub into 2 equal parts and add the cooled peppermint syrup to one of the bowls.
Mix syrup until it is pink and has the consistency of wet sand.
That’s that. Spoon the pink and white scrub in layers into a pretty jar and voila. The scrub has a shelf life of about a month– longer if you refrigerate it.
DIY Domino Set
This is great for the game-lover in your life. All you need for this great gift are 28 smooth, flat stones and a white paint pen so you can draw lines and dots. Simply draw a line across the center of each stone. Then, on either side of the line, mark two sets of dots in every combination from 0 to 6.
Monogrammed Sharpie Mug
If you don’t have much of an artistic flair, a Sharpie and a stencil can assist you in creating a beautiful monogrammed mug. Here is a good design to try from listotic.com.
Homemade Men’s Shaving Cream
This is a recipe I found at couponsandfreebiesmom.com.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup shea butter
1/4 cup almond oil
2 vitamin e capsules or 2 tsp. of oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking soda
10-15 drops essential oil of choice”
The site suggests trying the following scents: sandalwood, peppermint and rosemary, eucalyptus, bay rum, and wild orange and clove.
To make, put Shea butter and coconut oil in a microwave safe dish and heat until melted. Stir in almond oil and essential oils. Then, put mixture into the refrigerator until it’s almost solid. Next, take out of the refrigerator, add baking soda, and whip it until light and fluffy. Transfer to an airtight container and you’re set.
There are countless other ideas you can find on Pinterest. Have you had any DIY gift success of your own? Share with us in the comments section below.
