Looking to save a few bucks on your holiday gift list this year? Deciding to DIY some gifts is a great way to save a few bucks when it comes to the holidays. Whether you’re making them as a gift for a specific someone, or just for something extra to share with hostesses, or your neighbors, this list of DIY Gift Ideas is sure to be appreciated by all, not only during the holidays, but any time of year!

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Any time I have received a DIY-ed gift from someone I have kept it. As long as it is not something you can use up, or that is perishable, like food, you better believe that I will hoard it somewhere. I am so excited that Greta is finally getting to the age where she is developing more skills and starting to make things. Now that she is in school, I have enjoyed seeing all the projects she brings home. I can’t wait until she’s able to start making me gifts!

I recently met a family who does nothing, but DIY gifts for Christmas. I thought that that was a great idea, and also a great way to keep Christ and the spirit of giving at the center of the holiday. DIY gifting is a great way to steer away from materialism that we too often get tied up in during the holiday season, and it is also a great way to focus on sharing your love with others!

WHY DIY?

MADE WITH LOVE

DIY-ed gifts really do come from the heart. Just think about it for a minute… Whoever DIY’s a gift for you had to think about you, plan in advance what they want to make you, and then take the time out of their day to make something for you. Depending on what kind of gift that is, it could take hours! It’s so easy to just click and, boom, your done; but to DIY? That takes a little more commitment.

SAVE MONEY

You can save a lot of money when you DIY. Yes, there might be a little bit of an up front cost in gathering all your supplies, but you will end up being able to make several gifts for pennies on the dollar. If you need a bunch of gifts for people and don’t want to break the bank (have a wedding coming up?!), DIY is the way to go.

CRAFTING IS FUN

Now that my kids are getting older I can’t wait to get messy in the kitchen, cooking, crafting, and DIY-ing with them. DIY gifts are a great way to spend some quality time with your family while creating gifts for others as a bonus!

When it comes to DIY gifts, the possibilities are truly endless, but here are my favorite DIY gift ideas:

TOP DIY GIFT IDEAS

CANDLES

Who doesn’t love a great smelling candle? This is a really fun and easy project that anyone will love! There are also so many scents to choose from, the possibilities are endless with what you can do. Pick an aromatherapy combo you want and go! When you use essential oils as fragrance, I really don’t think there can be a bad combo. All mixtures seem to be refreshing and uplifting.

Making candles is so simple, all you really do is melt and pour! The hardest part (at least for me) is finding something around the house to stabilize your wicks with. I don’t have a wick holder, so I found a couple silicone straws, and one of those black paper clips to hold the wicks in the center… It worked!

This last time I made candles, I did my best to create the “William’s Sonoma Smell,” for the holidays. I mixed rosemary, lemon, lavender, and a little pine essential oils together in the wax once all the beeswax was melted. I think it would have been perfect if I had a little orange and cinnamon essential oil too, but I didn’t have that in my cabinet with all my oils (hope I’m not the only one), so I just worked with what I had.

Here is a run down on what to do:

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SOAP

When it comes to crafting, soap is definitely one of my favorite things to make. Not only is it a fun process, but is a great life skill to learn too! You never know when there could be a shortage of soap… I mean, let’s hope 2020 will not repeat itself in the future. But let me tell you, I was not worried when I heard that news headline, because I had a ton of extra soap on hand from testing different recipes in the past! I haven’t made any soap this year yet, but I do have my eye on some of these Christmas Soap Recipes to give me all the holiday feels.

HERE IS A GREAT TUTORIAL for an easy soap recipe.

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BODY SCRUB

Body scrub is definitely my favorite thing to use in the bath, and I love to use it all over my whole body, which is why I never buy body scrub from stores! Yes, there are SO MANY ahhhhmazing scrubs you can buy out there today, but it is so easy to DIY one yourself and you can save so much by making it yourself. In addition to being insanely moisturizing, I like having the peace of mind that a scrub made from ingredients found in my kitchen is clean and not full of synthetic fragrances and other endocrine disruptors that some companies like to put in their products.

Making any body scrub is so easy. All you need to do is take your main oil (I usually melt & mix coconut and olive oil together), add your desired fragrance (lavender is a go to for me), and then add sugar until the oil and sugar make a good paste consistency. Transfer to your desired containers, and presto! You have yourself a gift everyone will love.

Find my body scrub recipe and more on exfoliation HERE. 

Beware

The lawyer in me, of course, needs to warn everyone that body scrubs contain OIL and are therefore, slippery! Be sure to take care, and warn those you give this gift to, to wipe down their shower or tub after using this gift so there are no accidents. It’s super easy to print out a little warning label to put on your body scrub jars. A little dawn soap with a dish scrubber in the shower is my favorite to clean up after a good scrub!

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BATH BOMBS

It has been a while since I’ve made my own bath bomb, but it is definitely a fun activity to do with your kids (or just for fun regardless!). If you have all the ingredients, but don’t have a round mold, no worries. You can use muffin tins, silicone baking molds, or leftover easter eggs.

Here is a great link to a Lush style bath bomb tutorial.

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KNIT BEANIE

I do not know how to knit, but it is a skill that I wish I could do! Maybe one day after having kids… When I have time to learn a random, new skill I will give it a try… Last year, I received a knit beanie as an unexpected gift from that same family I mentioned earlier that only gives hand made gifts for Christmas. Not only was it adorable, but the fact that someone knitted it just for me just warmed my heart. That made with love factor really is something!

I am loving this free pattern and tutorial for a chunky pom pom beanie. 

DIY Stocking

If you have a sewing machine, a DIY stocking is an easy gift you can sew up for someone and fill with just about anything. Cookies, peanut brittle, a bottle of wine… The possibilities are endless of what you can put in a stocking!

SEE A STEP BY STEP HOW TO HERE.

SHIP’S TIP:

The key to making any DIY gift is to plan ahead! Figure out what you want to do and approximately how long it will take to do, and start getting it done early! That way you won’t feel rushed to get something done and you can also make something that is great quality.

If you’re not into DIY, stay tuned for upcoming holiday gift guides! You can also follow @ShipsHQ on Instagram and  in the LIKEtoKNOW.it shopping app for the latest deals I love and more! Also, please Pin and share this post if you enjoyed reading this.