15 DIY Christmas gift ideas

Whether you’re on a budget or simply prefer the personal touch, a DIY present this Christmas is a winner all around.

Take a look at these 15 DIY Christmas present ideas and get creating!

Sugar scrub cubes

Sugar scrub cubes are gorgeous and easy gifts, and you can personalise them with scented oils if you want to make them extra special.

Just mix ¼ cup of coconut oil (or any oil, really) with ½ shredded soap into a microwave-safe bowl, then microwave at 10-second intervals, stirring each time until the mix is melted together. Then add a cup of brown or white sugar, any additional scents you’d like to add, and pour the mix into ice cube trays.

Present in a sealed glass jar to preserve them and win plenty of brownie points with your giftee.

Scrabble letter ornaments

Ramp up that Christmas spirit and find a use for that old Scrabble box you haven’t touched in 20 years (or just pick one up from your local thrift shop).

Use the letters to spell out festive words such as ‘joy’, ‘love’, and ‘santa’. Use PVA to stick them together, then glue a little Christmas ribbon to turn the ornament into something you can hang from a tree.

Hand warmers

Maybe it’s not quite the right time of year for anything with the word ‘warm’ in it, but you still can’t deny how easy, cute, and useful these hand warmers will be in a few months.

You’ll need some fabric, rice, and basic sewing supplies. Simply sew together little pockets of fabric, fill them with a handful of rice, then sew them closed. You can also use pinking shears to give the edges a polished finish and help keep the bags from fraying.

Note that each warmer will only need 20 seconds in the microwave to heat those little hands to perfection!

Chalkboard mugs

You’ll need a porcelain mug, painter’s tape, and porcelain chalkboard paint (note that normal chalkboard paint will not work on porcelain).

Start by wrapping the tape roughly two-thirds of the way up the mug before painting the chalkboard on the bottom portion. Peel the tape away as soon as you’re finished painting for a smooth edge.

Add a pack of chalk to the gift, so it’s ready to go on Christmas day!

Playdough

Sure, playdough is something kids traditionally enjoy the most, but don’t be afraid to gift some homemade playdough to your child-at-heart friends either!

Mix a cup of flour with ¼ cup of salt, then add ½ cup warm water and a few drops of food colouring. Wear rubber gloves during the process unless you want your hands to be a nice shade of Grinch-green for the holidays. Rinse and repeat until you have all the colours you’re after.

Store each colour in an airtight container and enjoy!

A snowglobe

Head down to your favourite toy department and pick up a few miniature figurines and toys. It can be anything from reindeer to cars to tiny dolls, so long as it fits in a glass jar. Next, glue your toy arrangement to the inside of a mason jar lid.

Glycerin is ideal for the liquid as it helps the ‘snow’ float nice and slowly, but water will do just fine if you can’t get your hands on any. Fill the jar with glycerin (or water) and add two teaspoons of glitter for the sparkly bits, then slowly screw the lid back onto the jar so that your toy arrangement is inside.

Invert and enjoy!

Cookies in a jar

Do you have a great recipe for cookies or even a cake?

Throw all the dry ingredients together in a jar and add a little note about adding the final touches (keep it simple with just eggs, oil, milk, etc.) and cooking instructions. This fun and simple idea will give your giftee something easy to bake for Christmas day, and you can’t go wrong with something so tasty!

Pro tip: Put the fine ingredients (i.e. flour) in first, followed by granular items (i.e. sugar), then chunky ones (i.e. chocolate chips) for a layered final look.

Reusable shopping bag

Going green is all the rage these days, and you can never have enough of those fabric shopping bags to take to the supermarket and use instead of plastic.

You only need some funky fabric, a few sewing supplies, and a bit of common sense to pull it all together (two sides to the bag, two handles, etc.). Just be sure to double layer the sides, and double and triple stitch those handles. Do a strength test with some of your own groceries before gifting.

Pro tip: Use old pairs of jeans you don’t wear anymore for extra denim durability and eco-friendliness.

You are here’ bookmark

Start by measuring out a piece of elastic band so that when you sew together its end, it will slip around a page and the back of the book to create a very simple bookmark. Then, cut out two identical pieces of cardboard into arrow shapes that are big enough for you to stick them together around the elastic band.

The idea is that you’ll stick the arrow tips and the arrow base together over the elastic so that you can slide the arrow up and down to whichever line the reader is up to. Be sure to decorate or paint the arrow as well!

Photo coasters

Pick up some plain white tiles from any hardware store, then print some of your giftee’s best photos and cut them down to tile size. Note that it’s best to cut them small enough to leave around a centimetre smaller.
Use PVA to stick the photo onto the tile and add another layer of PVA to coat the tile for a durable and awesome personalised coaster.

Fortune cookies

Get everything ready by generously buttering a cookie sheet, writing your fortunes on tiny slips of paper, and heating your oven to 200 degrees C.

For the cookies, start by mixing one egg white with a ⅛ teaspoon of vanilla extract until foamy, then add a sifted mix of 1 pinch of salt, ¼ cup of white sugar, and ¼ cup of flour. Carefully place a teaspoon onto the cookie sheet and jiggle the sheet around to make the batter form a 3-inch (approx.) circle. Only do two or three of these to start, as they cool very quickly when you pull them out of the oven so you won’t have much time to fold them.

Bake these circles for just 5 minutes each or until the edges start turning golden brown. When you pull them out, use a spatula to flip them over, place the fortune in the middle, then fold them into their classic fortune cookie shape. You may need to watch a short YouTube clip on how to do that last part!

Sleep masks

It’s the middle of summer and time for sleep-ins and siestas, but sometimes the sun just won’t play nice when all you want is a dark room for a little shut-eye.

Head to your local fabric store for some thick material such as felt, material with a fun pattern for the top layer, and some elastic bands. Putting it all together only takes some basic sewing skills, and you can easily fancy it up by adding lace details or iron-on patches.

Birdseed cakes

You don’t have to be a bird lover to appreciate a few cute little twitterers in the back garden. To make a birdseed cake that your giftee can hang up outside to attract more wildlife, you’ll need birdseed, a straw, string, gelatin, and a few cute cookie cutters.

Start by mixing a pack of gelatin with two tablespoons of cold water, then add ⅓ cup of boiling water and mix until the gelatin is dissolved. Add two cups of birdseed.

Spray the insides of your cookie cutters with cooking spray then tightly fill them with the seed mix. Stick a straw into the centre (this will be where the string threads through to hang it up), then put the whole lot into the fridge to set.

Dog treats

Does your giftee have a fur child in the family? Make them some dog treats and include that fluffy friend in the Christmas fun.

Turn your oven to 180 degrees C, then mix 4 cups of whole wheat flour, 2 cups of oats, 2.5 cups of warm water, and ½ cup peanut butter. If the mix is too sticky (depends on the peanut butter), add a little water until it’s more like a cookie mix.

Then roll it out, use cookie cutters to make some cute shapes, and bake for 40 minutes.

Bookends

Grab a couple of equally sized pieces of wood, a pair of plastic toys or ornaments, some superglue, and some spray paint. You can get quite creative with what you’re using, so think about what your giftee loves and go wild!

Pro tip: A layer of primer will help give the spray paint a more professional finish, but it’s not required.