Christmas time is a time of love, family, fun, and traditions. Many people give gifts to celebrate (traditionally these symbolize the gifts the wise men gave Jesus). I like to give gifts from the heart–ones I’ve spent time on, or that I know will be truly cherished. I wouldn’t consider myself a big “crafter”, but I do enjoy making things with love for others. Below are three of my favorite DIY gifts to give:
1) Photo calendar
This is a great gift that’s easily personalized and perfect to enjoy the entire year. It’s my go-to gift for both grandparents and greats. Walgreens can get it to you in a day and Shutterfly within a week, and both offer coupon codes for great discounts. You can spend as much time as you want personalizing these calendars with layout options, and multiple pictures per spread. I spent the time to download pictures and add birthdays and anniversaries for all of our family.
2) Crochet headband
If you know beginning level crochet, this is easy to whip up. If you don’t, it’s a great hobby, and perhaps the gift of classes might be fun to explore? Each skein of yarn is about $3.50 and will make two headbands. I can typically do about one headband per TV episode.
I created this pattern using three simple stitches. This makes a nice, thick headband perfect for Iowa winters.
Yarn: medium 4
Hook: J 6mm
– Chain 55, skip 1
– single crochet 54, slip stitch to make infinity
- When I weave the ends in, I complete the chain portion. Doing it this way helps me to not twist my work with the foundation chain.
- Try it on to make sure it’s not too tight. If it is, add in multiples of 2.
– chain 2
– skip 1, puff stitch entire row, slip stitch, flip work
(Repeat for 10 rows total)
– single crochet 50
– weave in ends
3) Sugar scrub
I have very dry skin, and it only gets worse in the cold winters. I recently went to a local Aveda salon to try a scrub and see how it helps my skin. It’s never felt so smooth and soft. The girl that did my application shared with me that the recipe she uses is very easy to whip up and makes great gifts. She recommended doing the application about once a week.
I’ve been so happy with a scrub that I am making batches for myself. Most supplies you probably already have, so just take an hour to make a big batch, put it in mason jars, put a cute little ribbon and label on, and you’re all set! This is a great gift for girlfriends, colleagues, neighbors, and mamas.
[yumprint-recipe id=’13’]
What are your favorite DIY gifts?
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