As the holiday season rolls around, the challenge of having the perfect gift arises. Gift giving is one of the best, but also the hardest things to do because of that uncertainty. That feeling when you just know you gave the perfect gift to your loved one is the most satisfying moment ever. Of course, trying to find that perfect gift within the boundaries of money and time without spending hours of effort could occasionally dampen the spirit. The simplest solution would be to make one yourself — a gift that’s sweet and personalized while being easy on your wallet as well.
1. Pressed Flowers
- Method One: Traditional
- The flowers will retain their color, but it’s time-consuming.
- Choose a variety of foliage, your favorite flowers and leaves in different shapes and sizes.
- Once you have collected how much you want enough, snip off the stems, then place them between two sheets of paper. Slip the paper between a heavy book, like a textbook, and wait for 1-2 weeks.
- Method Two: Microwaving
- Microwaving can be much faster and easier to do in a pinch.
- Place the flowers between two pieces of parchment paper, then place that paper between two microwave-friendly plates.
- Microwave in 30-second intervals, routinely checking on the flowers to make sure they don’t turn brown.
- Remove and cool under something heavy, like a book, to set flat.
- Arrange the flowers in any way you want!
The best thing about this idea is that there isn’t just one way to do it. Arrange the flowers into a bouquet to stick onto a card or use it to decorate a handwritten note. Either way, these flowers are a lovely addition to any handmade card or gift.
2. DIY Photo Collage
- Select a few photos of special moments of you and your loved ones and print them out.
- Gather any decorative materials around the house, like markers, glitter, yarn, etc. Choose a colorful piece of cardstock.
- Arrange the photos onto the cardstock and attach them with a glue stick. Decorate them with captions, glitter, drawings, to make it as colorful and bright as possible!
This handmade photo collage is the perfect way to highlight all the memories with your loved ones, placed onto a single piece of paper. Instead of cardstock, it can also be stuck onto a canvas to frame as well.
3. DIY Candle
- Choose a mason jar of any size.
- Melt wax over a pot of water on a stove.
- Stir in fragrance oils and color dye of your preference.
- Secure a wick on the bottom of the jar using glue, and use a pin to make sure it stays in the center.
- Slowly pour the wax into the jar, making sure to leave around an inch of space from the top.
- Embellish the jar with ribbons, stickers, and markers.
You can create more than one candle in different sizes as well and gift them as a package. Have fun experimenting with different scents and colors, even making themed sets with holiday-specific scents like peppermint. You could even pour different colors of wax into a single jar for a colorful effect!
4. DIY Custom Phone Case
- Take a clear phone case.
- Place a single photo in the case or make a miniature photo collage with pictures and stickers.
- You could also choose your favorite color of paint to coat the phone case with.
- Once dried, stick tape in whatever design you like. When you remove the tape, you’ll be left with a unique design.
- Make sure you use painter’s tape so the paint doesn’t peel off along with the tape.
With this idea, there are numerous ways to decorate your phone case. If you’re feeling artistic, you could use paint markers for a truly personalized drawing or sketch. If you’re good with clay, you could use polymer clay to make adorable figurines to attach. The ideas above are just a few, and you could do whatever you like.
5. DIY Snow Globe
- Take a clear mason jar with a metal lid.
- Select a few figurines, or if you want, you can even make some with clay.
- Using epoxy glue, stick the figurines to the inside of the lid.
- Epoxy glue is the best choice, but super glue works as well.
- Pour water into the jar and your desired glitter. Add different colors and different shapes!
- Adding baby oil or vegetable oil helps since it makes the glitter fall slower.
- Screw the lid onto the jar, be careful of the figurines, and secure it with epoxy glue.
This gift is perfect for the winter season. Get creative with the figurines, even making a little scenery or adding cute trees. If you want, you can add other materials instead of glitter, but glitter works best.
