There’s no denying the truth; store-bought gifts are often generic and repetitive. No matter what the occasion, a handmade, well-thought of gift is much more meaningful than an overpriced gift basket from the store. During our busy lives, it’s not uncommon to forget an anniversary, birthday or work event. We’ve tracked down five of the best DIY last-minute gifts that are pure genius, affordable, easy, and best of all, shows the receiver that you care enough to put some effort and time into something that is personal to them. Read on for the simple steps on creating five incredible gifts meant for anyone, on any occasion.
Personalized Cutting Board, Box, Anything Wood!
Whether the receiver is a cook, a parent, a student or someone who simply enjoys personalized décor, this gift is ideal for customization. A personalized cutting board for an avid cook or mother is an easy, beautiful gift that will be loved for decades. There are various ways to customize cutting boards, or anything wooden, depending on what your receiver likes and wants. To personalize something small like a cutting board, all you need is a regular at-home printer, a roll of wax paper, and a vision in mind. Cut the wax paper into standard size printer paper, choose a high-resolution image to transfer, then reverse the image using a photo program of your choice. This can also be searched on Google for steps!
Once your photo has been reversed, put the waxed paper into the paper tray of the printer and print your image. If the wax paper will not go through your printer, tape it to a standard piece of paper. As the paper prints, keep your hand near the wax paper to guide it out so that it doesn’t smear. Choose the wood you want to transfer the picture too. Always choose a smooth, unfinished wood, such as a cutting board, table, box or bench. Press the picture hard and tight onto the wood and swipe the edges and photo using a ruler or credit card. When you feel the image is properly transferred, life the wax paper and you’ll have a wonderful work of art ready for gifting!
Hand-Stitched Road Map
Everyone has taken a trip they want to always remember. Whether you went on the trip with them or not, a hand-stitched road map is the perfect gift to take a trip down memory lane. What you’ll need for this personalized gift is a road map of where the tip was taken, a frame of choice, an embroidery needle and thread. You can always find a map on Google to help enlarge the exact traveling destination. Once you have the map, cut it to fit the frame you chose. You will then use the embroidery needle to place small holes in the map along the route you took. You will them simply sew along the path using a backstitch, which is where the thread needle comes from the back of the map from one hole to another. The map can easily be customized to your liking by putting a large red X on the destination traveled or even a picture from the trip. The possibilities are endless.
Transform a Deck of Cards
This gift is sweet and considerate for birthday’s, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, or even just because gifts. You can literally transform a deck of cards to say anything you want! Whether it’s to a spouse, mate, child, mother, friend, or boss! There are several ways to accomplish this task, depending on how much effort you have and how fancy you want to make it. The simplest way we’ve found is to use a template on Adobe Illustrator. On this program you can measure the cards exact size and fill-in the middle with words, then you can print on hard card stock paper. Once printed, you then cut the typed words into squares and glue them to the cards using mod-podge or rubber cement; even simple glue may work depending on your choice of paper. It’s best to use a one-hole punch to make the holes where you desire. Take the extra joker card from the deck as a practice and guide for where to put each hole. The rings holding the cards in place can be found at any office supply store, hardware store, and even retail stores such as Walmart.
What’s truly great about this DIY gift is you chose the words. You can be loving and caring, funny, and even write inside jokes that will make the receiver belly-laugh! This craft is not a precise one; it will be a little loose and messy. The rings may not hold super tight and the holes may not be even, but it’s a wonderful idea and the receiver will not likely notice!
Use Olive Oil to Store Memories
Antiques are hot on the market! Inside of spending hundreds on authentic looking items for your home, we have the perfect solution for making a personalized décor gift. All it requires is vegetable oil, glass jars (preferably mason jars), two photos of choice, and optional décor such as dried flowers. These memories in a bottle are the perfect personal touch to a timeless DIY gift. Once all your items are acquired, you fill the jars with vegetable oil, place two photo back-to-back and slide them in the oil. You can add dried flowers, twigs, branches or other items if your desire. Once it’s complete, twist the lid tight and add a sweet note!
Decorate Mugs
There’s nothing better than pulling a mug out of the cabinet, filling it with hot tea or coffee and waking up to a sweet memory, note or even recipe. Decorated mugs are the ultimate go-to DIY gift, and everyone can do it! All you need is an inexpensive porcelain or ceramic mug, Bling wipes, Sharpie paint pens that are oil based, Q-tips or cotton balls and rubbing alcohol. If Sharpie pens do not work well on your mug, be sure to use real porcelain paint pens. To design your mug, first ensure the mug is cleaned with rubbing alcohol and remove all stickers. Using Sharpie paint pens or porcelain pens sketch your design on the mug. If you make a mistake, the rubbing alcohol will remove the paint and Q-tips can help clear away smudges. Let your mug dry for 72 hours (3 days) and them bake in a cold oven on 425 for one hour. Once the hour is up, let the mug cool off completely in the oven.
Why DIY Gifts Work
Do-it-yourself gifts are the exact opposite of fruit cake. Choosing the right gift for your friends and family can be a tough decision. Although making your gifts at home may not cost much less, it means a lot more to the recipient. DIY gifts are unique and one-of-a-kind, they are crafted with love and personalized for the people you love. Not to mention you’ll have a blast making the gifts!
