16 DIY Christmas Gift Ideas You Still Have Time to Make!
With Christmas less than two weeks away (eek!) and this being the last week of school for most kids (double eek!), you might be starting to feel the holiday shopping and crafting crunch! Even though I am on top of classroom and teacher gifts for the first time ever, I still have a few people on my list who I need to make/find gifts for before Christmas (and this baby!) arrive. I thought you might be in the same predicament, so today I’m popping in with a quick round-up of my favorite DIY Christmas Gift Ideas that I have made/given over the years. All of these are great for teachers, classmates, co-workers, teammates, neighbors and more…and depending on how well stocked your craft room is AND how fast you work, these really are quick and easy enough to make in time for your next gift exchange…even if it’s tomorrow!
Sweets and Treats
Edible gifts are always a hit with just about everyone and are a great way to share your traditional family delicious with new friends. Inexpensive boxes from the craft store and printable tags are an easy yet effective way to take the cuteness factor up a notch! You can see more packaging ideas and get these printable tags HERE!
Baking Gift Set
Absolutely no DIY skills are required to put together this cute and thoughtful gift, but it sure looks fun! A quick stroll through Hobby Lobby yielded all the festive and coordinated baking tools, glass jars, and bucket. A few stickers and off-the-shelf baking items complete the set in mere minutes! You can see more on this idea HERE.
Coffee Lover’s Set
Would you believe me if I told you I pulled together this gift in about 15 minutes using all things I had on hand? Admittedly, my craft room and kitchen may be stocked more than most, but all these items are budget-friendly and easy to find! I simply put some red tree stickers on some oversized white mugs. I filled the mugs with K-cups, a Starbucks gift card, and some wooden spoons adorned with snowflake decorations I made with punches. Loaded into a basket from the Target Dollar Spot, it makes for a thoughtful and festive gift for any coffee lover in your life!
Personalized Water Bottles
I made these a few years ago for all of Henry’s little friends, and they were a huge hit. A quick run to Marshalls yielded all the water bottles I needed. I then personalized each one with the child’s name and favorite image from vinyl using my Cricut Explore. Cups and vinyl can both add up, so perhaps reserve these for special friends or teachers (use the school logo!)! See more on this project HERE!
Snowflake Drink Charms
Craft stores are filled with so many fun and festive craft supplies right now; and with a little bit of time, so many can be turned into really charming gifts. These started out as a package of plain wooden die-cut snowflakes. Paint, glitter and pre-made hooks turned them into adorable drink charms that can be used all winter long! You can see the full tutorial for these HERE!
Christmas Light Drink Charms
This drink charm project is even easier since I started with a pack of pre-glittered mini light ornaments. Adding the hooks can be done in minutes, making these the perfect gift to bring to all your girls at book club, girls’ night out, etc! You can see the tutorial for these HERE!
Wine Lover Set
If you want to take the drink charms up a notch, add a bottle of wine and a tree ornament and you end up with the perfect hostess gift! A cute container (Hobby Lobby) and bow help keep things corralled for easy gifting! You can see more about this gift idea HERE.
Photo Christmas Ornaments
Do you have a family member (or maybe even a teacher?) that is hard to buy for? A pack of cardstock, a lot of hot glue and some favorite family photos are all you need to make these thoughtful Christmas tree ornaments. Not only is this a super budget-friendly and thoughtful gift, but it is a great way to capture and reflect on the memories of the year. You can read more about the special reason I made these ornaments and how they come together HERE.
Mini Monogram Wreaths
These 8″ yarn wreaths were born simply out of a desire to play with all the pretty and sparkly bobbles at the craft store. #seriously Even though my motivation was somewhat selfish, they turned out to be adorable gifts for Henry’s preschool teachers at the time. I recommend wrapping all the wreaths (which takes the most time) while you’re watching TV or sitting at sport practices and then embellish with a variety of deeply-discounted finds available at craft stores right now! You can see the step-by-step tutorial HERE!
Holiday Pencil Wreath
This project can be done with either pencils or paper straws (check the Target Dollar Spot for very festive versions of both!). I personally love the pencils for a teacher’s gift, which is how we gave it a few years back. Admittedly, this one is hard to box up for giving but the effect (and $10 price point!) sure made it worth it. See the full tutorial HERE!
Patchwork Scarves
I made these YEARS ago for my sister and niece (and her American girl doll). Not only were they really easy to make and used up a bunch of my cute holiday fabric in a fun way, but my recipients LOVED them! If you have the time and skills, these are a great alternative to food, candles and gift cards! See more HERE!
Fabric-Embellished Dish Towels
This is another “oldie but goodie” and a great hostess gift when you don’t want to give the standard bottle of wine or chocolates. I simply added some ruffles in holiday fabric to pre-made dish towels. If you have an embroidery machine, you could even add a monogram or holiday image. My in-laws STILL put these out every year (and I gave them 5 years ago!). See the tutorial HERE!
Holiday Craft Bags with Paper Toppers
These are STILL one of my favorite things we did for Henry’s class and neighborhood friends a few years back. When I saw them on sale, I stocked up on a ton of mini holiday craft kits at Michaels. I then cut these bag toppers using my Cricut Explore and stapled them to the top of each bag. Giving crafts is a great way to deal with classroom allergies and provide something that can be used over break! You can read more about these HERE!
Candy Bags
Whether you fill them with candy, cookies, stickers or other fun holiday treats, clear bags topped with a paper topper is a quick and easy solution for classroom, team, and neighborhood friends! These come together in minutes using just paper punches and a stapler (so this is a great alternative to the above project if you don’t have an e-cutter!). You can see the full tutorial HERE!
Christmas Character Treat Bag Toppers
Okay – these are neither quick nor super easy but I had to throw them in this roundup because they are too cute not to! If you have a Cricut Explore and some helping hands to glue all the pieces together, these really are the cutest way to back up treats for anyone on your list! They can also double as gift-card holders or cards, so be sure to check out the full tutorial HERE!
If you’re stuck or in need of some last-minute ideas, I hope the projects shared here get your wheels turning a bit! I’d love to hear if you have a tried-and-true gift that you turn to over and over during this busy time of year! I’m always looking for good things to add to my gift idea lists!
Hope your week is off to a great start and I’ll see you back here on Thursday!
Megan