Have a slew of cousins, or a gaggle of teachers, or a bevvy of co-workers to give holiday gifts to? It can be quicker and, yes, easier, to DIY gifts, especially when the alternative is fighting holiday traffic, slogging through the mall with a billion other cranky shoppers, and anguishing over which scented lotion gift set everyone will hate less.
Compare that to an afternoon in the kitchen or craft room, your favorite music playing, a glass of wine at your elbow, perhaps a fellow crafter to keep you company–doesn’t that sound nice?
Before you head to the nearest big-box store with a shopping list in hand, check out my list of truly easy DIY gifts. These gifts look great, aren’t complicated to make, and are easy to mass-produce. Find your favorite below and make your holidays a LOT easier:
1. bath bombs. These take do some time to get just right, but you can control the ingredients, so it’s a good choice for friends and family with sensitive skin.
2. blanket scarf. Even though this project requires some sewing, it’s still very quick and easy. You can make several of these scarves from a single blanket, so figure out who wants matching gifts!
3. chalkboard mug. You’ll need chalkboard porcelain paint and thrifted white mugs for this project, which would be a super cute gift to make for everyone in a household.
4. crayon and colored pencil holder. This is a great gift to put a kid in charge of making–teachers, especially, would love it!
5. decoupaged blocks. You’ll need plain blocks–either stash or bought from an unfinished wood store–for this project, but you can make a ton at a time. Sit down in front of a movie, make 50 of these from pretty paper, and give eight kids six each or six kids eight each. Keep two for yourself.
6. extracts and flavored alcohol. These do generally need to sit for a few weeks to infuse, but that just means that you have more time to bask in having completed your holiday gift-making.
7. flannel hand warmers. Made from the flannel in your stash and the dry rice in the pantry, these sew up fast. Sew two for everyone on your list!
8. foot scrub. If you’re really short on time, this two-ingredient foot scrub couldn’t be quicker or easier to make. You’ll need an individual container for each person, and you can attach a pretty label.
9. homemade granola. You’ll need a container or plastic baggie for each recipient (you can add your own pretty label with scrapbook paper to make it more festive), but then you can make all the granola that you need in a couple of giant batches. Don’t forget to make plenty for yourself while you’re at it!
10. magic pillowcase. This project is too time-consuming to make in bulk, but it would be a great gift for the kids in your life, especially if you invest in some novelty fabric that highlights their favorite things. Character-themed products, in particular, can be pretty poorly made, but character-themed fabric is generally good quality.
11. matching skirts. This project is also a little more time-consuming, and a little more personal, but it’s not hard, and think about how cute all of your little cousins will look in their matching skirts!
12. microwave bowl pot holder. There are several steps to this sewing project, but if you have the batting already, it would be a fabulous way to de-stash your 100% cotton fabric.
13. no-sew fleece scarf. If you have some fleece in your stash, you won’t need any extra materials to make these scarves.
14. Scrabble tile magnets. Buy a used Scrabble game at the thrift store, and some strong magnets, and you’ve got a quirky gift that everyone will love. A complete Scrabble game contains 100 tiles, so you could give ten people ten magnets each.
15. seed bombs. I’m still on the fence about seed bombs, but some people do swear that they work. If you have a collection of silicon novelty muffin pans, you can make a giant batch, fill them all up, then bag a set of seed bombs in assorted shapes for each recipient.
16. teacup candle. You will likely have to hit up your local thrift store first, but once you’ve got the teacups, you can make as many of these as you need in way less than an hour.
17. warming ginger spice sugar scrub. You’ll need a 1/2 cup glass jar for each recipient, so find that friend who never throws away a jam jar! Once your jars are clean and dry, you can make all of the sugar scrub that you need in one giant batch, then pop it into the individual jars and you’re done!