6 Last-Minute DIY Christmas Gifts
There's nothing like a handmade Christmas gift. They're relatively inexpensive, but even without the hefty price tag, they still manage to show that you care about the recipient. Handmade gifts take time, and that's what shines through and ends up being more important than any amount of money you could spend on a gift. So essentially, investing the time and care that it takes to make a gift for someone else shows them how much they mean to you, and that's a beautiful thing, isn't it? In this spirit, check out our 6 great ideas for last-minute DIY presents that are sure to impress!
1. Christmas Pots
You'll Need:
- small planters
- acrylic paint & brush
- wooden stick
- cookies or candy
- red & white yarn
- buttons
- glue
Here's How:
1.1 We're making 2 different planters, one of which is going to look like a snowman, the other one being Santa-themed. Put the wooden stick into the first planter from below and paint the lower part white and the upper edge black. Draw a snowman face on the white surface, let the paint dry, and remove the wooden stick. Now you can fill your snowman pot with cookies or candy.
1.2 On to the second pot, paint the upper edge white on the inside and outside. Wrap red yarn around the lower part of the planter and white yarn around the upper part. You can use glue to make sure everything stays where it's supposed to. Now glue 2 buttons to the red yarn and fill your Santa-themed pot with cookies or candy.
2. Personalized Photo Ornament
You'll Need:
- acrylic ball
- photograph
- tape
- glitter
- red bow
- string for hanging
Here's How:
Cut out the photo so that it fits inside the acrylic ball, glue it to the inside, add glitter, and close the ball. Tie a red ribbon and a piece of string to the ball and hang the personalized photo ornament on your Christmas tree or give it to a loved one!
3. Snowman Key Chain
You'll Need:
- 2 different-sized wooden balls
- acrylic paint & brush
- wooden stick
- felt tip pen
- felt
- thick string
- glue
Here's How:
3.1 Put the smaller wooden ball on top of the larger wooden ball and place them on a wooden stick. Paint the balls white and draw a face on the smaller ball with felt pens. Glue some buttons to the bigger ball, which will be the body).
3.2 Thread a thick piece of string through the balls and knot it under the larger ball. Decorate the balls with a piece of felt to give the snowman a scarf.
4. Christmas Gift Tag
You'll Need:
- colorful straws
- scissors
- glue
- yarn
- star
Here's How:
4.1 Cut the straws so that you can put them together to form the shape of a Christmas tree and then glue them together.
4.2 Glue a small star to the top of the colorful tree and thread a piece of yarn through the top straw. This cute Christmas-themed gift tag will definitely add a personalized touch to your gifts!
5. Candle Holder
You'll Need:
- oven-bake clay
- star-shaped cookie cutters (6 different sizes)
- hot glue gun
- candle cup inserts
Here's How:
5.1 Roll out the oven-bake clay and cut out multiple stars in 6 different sizes. Place the stars on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes at 225°F.
5.2 Stack the stars on top of one another from largest to smallest and glue them together.
5.3 Glue a candle cup insert to the top star and add a lovely atmosphere to any room with these DIY candle holders.
6. Snowman Bath Bomb
You'll Need (for 4):
- gloves & face mask
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 cup powdered milk
- ¼ cup sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (SLSA)
- 3 tbsp glycerin
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- essential oil (optional)
- orange food coloring
- juniper berries
- allspice berries
- toothpick
Here's How:
6.1 Mix all the dry ingredients (corn starch, baking soda, powdered milk, and SLSA) together in a bowl.
6.2 Mix the glycerin and coconut oil together (and essential oil for a pleasant scent) and add to the other ingredients. Put on plastic gloves and mix everything with your hands.
6.3 Form 4 equal-sized balls for the head and 4 equal-sized balls for the body.
6.4 Dye a small amount of the mass orange and form it into the shape of a nose. Form the connecting pieces for the heads and bodies from the rest of the mixture (4 more balls, pressed down slightly). Let the pieces dry overnight before assembling the snowmen.
6.5. Use juniper berries to give the snowmen eyes and allspice berries for buttons on the bodies. Place the nose in the center of the head (this works best if you use a toothpick to make a small hole beforehand) and shape the base of the nose so that it fits into the hole.
6.6 Use a toothpick to put all the different parts together and give the snowmen more stability. If you're giving away one of the bath bombs, be sure to let the recipient know about the toothpick so they don't hurt themselves in the bathtub later on.
Merry Christmas and happy gifting!