The majority of participants in a study agreed that they would far prefer DIY gifts to store-bought. There’s something about a handmade gift that feels very thoughtful and personal, and really shows you’ve put in some effort.
If you love the idea of creating a handmade gift for someone but aren’t sure where to start, we can help.
Here are some ideas for DIY gifts you can create in under an hour.
1. A DIY Mug
If you’re making a gift for someone who drinks coffee every morning or just appreciates a good hot chocolate, a DIY mug is one of the best handmade gift ideas.
You can buy a porcelain pen and a plain mug and draw your own design. If you don’t consider yourself artistic, consider a handwritten message instead.
2. A Jar of Sauce
Are you making a gift for a foodie? Consider creating your own BBQ or buffalo sauce to present to them in a jar.
This is a great gift because you can customize it to the person. If they’re a spice fiend, get more peppers in there to really turn up the heat. If they prefer something sweet, you could make a sauce with more sugar that will really please their taste buds.
3. A Date Night Jar
Trying to think of ideas for a creative project for your significant other? Consider a date night jar!
Get any plain jar (that you can decorate if you want) and cut up some strips of paper. Write some date night ideas on them, fold them up, and put them in the jar.
Whenever you want an exciting night or can’t decide on where to go, your partner can pull one out of the jar!
Try to include places and activities that you know they love.
4. Personalized Coasters
Coasters can be an amazing personalized gift, as you can find a kit to make them and then decorate them with things you know the person loves.
Whether it’s images of their favorite movies, logos, or text, they’ll know you made it just for them.
You can use cork, ceramic tiles, or a bunch of other materials depending on what you can easily access and there are plenty of guides available on how to do it right.
5. Jewelry
58% of women would prefer to receive jewelry as a gift over anything else. Jewelry is something you can wear for a long time that reminds you of the person that gave it to you — and it doesn’t just have to be for women either.
Consider creating a necklace or bracelet for the person you want to give a gift to. You can string beads together and even find beads with letters to have it say a message, like a name or a love note.
6. Bookmarks
Do you have someone who loves to read on your hands? Do they still often opt for physical copies of a book over an e-reader?
Consider making them some bookmarks! The great thing about these is that you can make them from a whole bunch of things.
You could get some cardboard, decorate it, and laminate it, or you could find strips of fabric in their favorite colors and patterns.
The possibilities are endless. Look online for plenty of design inspiration!
7. Artwork
If you’re artistic and want to keep it fairly simple, you could give them some artwork for room decoration. Paint them something, or create a list of reasons you love them in fancy typography.
If you’ve traveled together or there’s a place you know they love, consider getting a photograph blown up on a canvas. This doesn’t take long to order at all and really has that personal touch to it.
8. A Phone Wallet
Know someone who’s always dropping their phone and having to pay for cracked screen repairs? Consider making them a phone wallet out of felt or another soft material.
This is really easy to do as long as you know the rough size of their phone and, best of all, you can customize it. Choose a pattern or color you know they like and if you want to go all out, you can add a message to it and they’ll think of you every time they look at it.
9. Knitted Bows
Considering a knitted project but don’t have the time to take on something that will take over an hour? Consider some bows!
Some people love to wear bows in their hair. Even if they don’t, bows can be used to decorate a whole manner of things — and much like some of the other ideas, they’re very customizable.
Make them in black and white for a sleek monochrome look or pick some fun colors if they’re more into that.
10. No-Bake Cake
Instead of sauce for a foodie, consider a cake. Baking usually takes a long time and between the prep work and baking itself, you could be there for well over an hour — but what about a no-bake cake?
There is plenty of cheesecake and other cake recipes online that don’t require baking at all. Simply mix up the ingredients, organize them as the instructions tell you to, and put them in the fridge for a certain amount of time to let it set.
Once you discover no-bake recipes, you may never go back to more traditional cakes!
Consider These DIY Gifts
The best gifts are handmade, but that doesn’t mean you need to carve hours of the day to put effort into them. There are plenty of DIY gifts that you can make in under an hour, and your recipient will really appreciate them.
Need crafting materials? Check out our bundles and kits as well as all of the other materials we have on offer.