You’ll Be Amazed You Can Make These DIY Gifts

By Neil Gladstone

If you’re having a tough time finding a distinctive, memorable, and/or cost effective gift this season, you can always rock it DIY style. Thankfully, this is not the kind of DIY that will require standing in a ripe basement for hours on end. Rather, here are five not-too-hard, handmade gifts that will exhibit your personal flair.

1. Cocoa in a Jar

Sometimes all you need is a Mason jar and some ingenuity to come up with a heartwarming holiday treat. Grab a handful of ingredients for your favorite cocoa recipe and layer them stylishly.

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2. Tile Pendant Necklace

Learn how to turn a glass tile into a statement piece with this tile pendant necklace how-to. You can easily pick a featured print from a magazine ad or even scrapbook paper that suggests a friend’s sensibility or celebrates an inside joke.

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3. French Press and Coffee Cup Sleeves

If you know your way around a sewing machine and want to stitch together something that will remind your recipient of you almost every day, try making a stylish French press cozy and coffee cup sleeve.

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4. Knitted Coaster Tiles

This cute knitted gift is guaranteed to be unique. Knitted tile coasters can be personalized in so many ways that you can be sure the lucky recipient won’t get a similar set under the tree.

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5. DIY Terrarium

Build a world: A DIY terrarium is basically an ecosystem in a jar. You can make it look like the Hobbit’s Shire or Yoda’s swamp, or just add a clear Christmas ornament to make it holiday festive favorite!

Bonus Gift!

6.  Recycled Mustache Ring

The ‘stache is in, and you can turn an earring card into a darling piece of facial-hair jewelry with a pair of scissors and some ingenuity. This mustache ring can also be made with a sheet of Shrinky Dinks. Kids shouldn’t have all the Christmas fun!

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Originally Published April 17, 2013. Updated April 2, 2021.