For one reason or another, many of you will be making some gifts. Maybe you can’t afford to purchase gifts. Maybe you just want to add a handmade touch to your gift-giving. Maybe it’s the last minute, you forgot to purchase a gift, and you have supplies on hand but not finished items. Whatever your reasons for wanting/needing to craft gifts, I hope you’ll find some useful ideas here.
(And if you’re planning to make some and buy others, or if you’d just rather purchase your gifts, check out the rest of the gift guide. There are some pretty neat products/companies here that I discovered while putting it together.)
Obviously, there are hundreds (thousands? millions?) of tutorials and patterns “out there,” and I can’t possibly link to them all! What you’ll find here is a list of ideas for things that can be crafted, with one or a few links to specific tutorials. Many of these are a great use for scraps!
(By the way, most of these should be relatively simple. I’ve assumed that if you have mad skills in some particular area, you have no shortage of things you can sew, knit, or whatever your specialty is. This list is for the rest of us so, while there might be simple sewing, knitting, or crochet skills required for some, there’s nothing too involved.)
- bookmarks {corner, magnetic, patchwork, elastic}
- hairthings {bow1, bow2, covered clips, crocheted hairband, fabric headband, another headband}
- stones (with sayings, like these or these) {idea1, idea2, idea3, idea4}
- coupons {matchbook coupons, kid coupons, Daddyland coupons, more coupons for kids}
- candy {recipes and information}
- matchbook notebooks {tutorial}
- greeting card notebooks {tutorial}
- mp3 player or cell phone cozy {sew from felt, sew, knit, crochet}
- mittens {knit, crochet, upcycle a sweater}
- lip balm cozy {crochet, sew}
- mug mat/coffee cup sleeve {basic mug mat, oval mug mat, mug mat w/ pockets, patchworked sleeve, reversible sleeve}
- pencil or makeup case {basic case, basic lined, side zipper, wide bottom, boxy, ruffled}
- magnets {marble, glass, fabric, Scripture, alphabet, or glue a magnet to the back of just about any small item}
- soap (or felted soap) {real-but-easy soap instructions + recipe (shortening is simple and inexpensive to start), melt-and-pour, melt-and-pour fun, felted soap, crocheted soap saver}
- ornaments {wired, fabric-covered balls, shrink film, embroidered, felted acorns, multiple links}
- socks {crochet, knit, knit 2-at-a-time on one needle, knit 2-at-a-time on two needles, sew, or just embellish purchased socks}
- lip gloss/balm {easy balm, vegan balm, gloss1, gloss2}
- hat {knit, crochet, sew baby hat, fleece hat, bucket hat}
- jewelry {paper beads, popsicle stick bracelets, t-shirt bangles, stamped washer necklace, patterned washer necklace}
- candles {soy candles}
- stationery {print from MSWord, design in PhotoShop, make simple cards, envelopes, envelope glue}
- fabric balls/hacky sacks {ball, crocheted hacky sack}
- stress ball {instructions}
- finger puppets {felt1, felt2, scraps, felted, paper, knit animals, knit people, basic shape}
- playdough {instructions}
- scratch-off tickets {tutorial}
- handwritten love letter {things to consider, writing tips, words for children, starting point for children, more tips for children}
- silly putty {recipe}
If you are going to be putting together some sort of gift basket, consider making your own container:
- tote {tutorial}
- fabric box {basic, nesting, collapsible, with handles}
- fabric bucket {tutorial}
- bucket apron {tutorial/pattern}
- felted bowls {knitting required – tutorial}
- upcycled paper basket {idea}
- buckets from jugs {photos}
- fabric trays {with ties, permanently stitched (or use snaps/velcro), round}
- lined bins {how-to}
Great list of stocking stuffers… I am definitely putting some of these on my DIY to-do list!