Add some seasonal decorations to the present pile this year for a low-cost and eco-friendly stocking filler. These also make great gifts to send by post as they can be disassembled and laid flat.
To make, draw two same-sized triangles on sheets of thin plywood and cut them out using a craft knife or fine saw. Sand the edges smooth. Draw a line down the middle of both triangles and mark the centre.
Cut along the lines, halfway down on one triangle and halfway up the other. Paint the shapes any way you like, then slot them together to create 3-D Christmas trees.
These mini pentagonal pots are the perfect gift for plant lovers. You can pick up similar mache planters from hobby stores, or use terracotta or concrete versions.
Start by painting the outside of the pots with chalk paint. Once dry, use a fine brush and gilding wax to highlight the edges – a metallic paint or pen would also work well.
It’s a good idea to protect the outside with clear varnish or wax before planting a mini cactus or succulent. If your planter is made from paper mache, use a separate container inside to avoid water damage.
Customise a coffee table with the gift of DIY coasters. This simple but effective macramé design is beautifully boho, with a playful tasselled finish that'll add plenty of cosy texture to a living space.
Ready to start crafting? You can follow the step-by-step tutorial by Peas and Needles on Love Crafts.
Make a glass storage jar more exciting with a little festive imagination. We love how this glass cookie jar has been transformed into a snowy scene complete with an iced gingerbread house. Surround the bake with icing sugar and edible glitter to add some extra Christmas sparkle.
These adorable snowman sticks are easy to create and make sweet gifts when added to a plant pot or bouquet. All you need are wooden beads in three sizes, one for the head and two for the body.
Draw eyes, a carrot nose, a dotted smile and buttons using pens. Glue the beads to a wooden stick and finish with a scarf made from baker’s twine tied in a neat bow around the snowman's neck.
Nuts are not only a tasty festive snack, but can also be used to make these cute vases. Use a hot glue gun to stick a selection of large nuts together to build up a tapered tower – walnuts, brazil nuts and hazelnuts still in their shells work well.
Once dry, decorate with mini pinecones, pearls and sprigs of pine. Finally, pop in a test tube or flower tube filled with water and place a cut poinsettia in it.
These eye-catching icy blue ombré soaps will add a festive touch to your recipients' bathroom. They're simple to make using a melt-and-pour soap base kit and a few drops of specialist soap colours.
You can even customise the scent by adding in ginger, sandalwood or patchouli fragrances. Visit Hobbycraft for the full soap-making tutorial.
If investing time into crafting a full-size quilt seems daunting, start small by gifting a jazzy quilted cushion cover instead. Crazy quilts are all about irregularly shaped patterns so you really can't go wrong. Broadcloth Studio has a funky tutorial on Love Crafts that's easy to follow.
Help keep the wardrobes of your fashionista friends in tip-top condition by transforming plain wooden hangers. Use brightly coloured wrapping paper to decoupage the front and colour the back and sides with spray paint.
Alternatively, you can paint your hangers in pretty coordinating pastel colours and pop a small fabric pouch of sweet-smelling lavender over the metal hook and secure it with a ribbon.
These dip-dye pillar candles are stylish and striking, plus they can be customised in a range of colour combinations. Fork & Flower has collaborated with IKEA to create an easy tutorial that proves just how easy it is to make these on-trend candles. They look especially striking displayed in simple white ceramic candle holders.
Create a stylish living gift that's easy to care for with a homemade succulent planter. Choose a long wooden planter and fill the bottom with shingle to make a false drainage system.
Then add soil and cute yet hardy houseplants like these lush green succulents. Start with the largest in the centre, then add your plants in order of decreasing size on either side.
Turn everyday glass vessels into unique vases with a wash of rustic colour. Make sure your jar is empty and dry. Place it lip-side down on a piece of cardboard or newspaper.
Spray your preferred paint colour onto your jar, ensuring you start at the top and work your way downwards. For the full tutorial, visit Kilner.
DIY candle making is having a moment, and with so many kits and tutorials out there, it couldn't be easier to make your own for gifting.
You'll get much better value for money if you make more than one at a time, so you can bulk-make a batch and tick all your friends' Christmas presents off your to-do list!
Personalised gifts show you really care and this trinket tray can be whipped up in an evening. To give yourself a head start, buy a star-shaped paper mache or cardboard tray, then brush on acrylic craft paint and leave it to dry completely.
On a piece of paper, practise your lettering or design until you’re happy with how it looks. Copy this onto your tray lightly in pencil then go over it in metallic pen. To finish, add some embellishments like dots and stars around the name or word. Hobbycraft has a free template for the calligraphy and all the materials you need.
Help keep your friends organised for the year ahead with a stylish pegboard. This sleek white design coupled with light pine pegs is easy to make and looks effortlessly stylish. Best of all, this simple woodworking project by Wickes can be completed in an afternoon.
Who doesn't use their fridge as a makeshift memo board? Easy homemade fridge magnets are a great way to add colour to your friends' homes. You can buy these pretty clay rainbow magnets ready-made from Etsy, but you can make a similar design easily at home with polymer clay. Simply layer and shape the clay strips, then bake in the oven. You can then add magnets to the back using a hot glue gun.
Poinsettias are a symbol of Christmas so what better plant to gift at this special time of year? Make your gift personal by decorating the plant pots with foraged woodland foliage such as dried leaves and bark.
Bird lovers will be delighted by this vintage bird feeder that makes a gorgeous garden upcycling idea. Use an old cup and saucer from the back of the cupboard or a charity shop. Stick the cup to the saucer with super glue and once secure, fasten it with twine or ribbon to allow the recipient to hang it from a hook or tree. Gift the DIY bird feeder with a packet of bird feed.
Gift the biophilic trend to your green-fingered friends with a woodland terrarium. You will need a glass terrarium or a large glass vase, moss, moss branches, pinecones, Christmas tree trimmings and a few decorations.
Start with the compost and moss, then add in your pinecones and moss branches to create depth within your terrarium. Faux eucalyptus injects an extra pop of colour.
Give plain glassware a colourful makeover by adding personalised names, motifs or phrases. You'll need a Cricut machine, permanent vinyl and a computer or smartphone to create your design. Once printed out, simply remove the excess vinyl from around your pattern and stick it onto the glass.
Brighten up a plain cushion with a photo print or Cricut transfer. This floral design adds a pretty vintage twist to a plain cushion cover for a bedroom or lounge. Alternatively, turn a family photo or favourite celebrity snap into a transfer to surprise your nearest and dearest instead.
Get creative with a fun Christmas-themed box picture frame. Choose a wintery photo scene and stick festive stickers around its edge. To finish, fill the box frame with tiny baubles and slot in a lovely festive photo. Choose colours that you know will match your loved ones' décor.
Give the gift of an inspiring word art canvas this Christmas. Stencil or freehand a meaningful phrase onto a painted central circle. Highlight the circle with a black pen and frame with layers of pretty pastel paints to create a rustic, whimsical feel.
Embrace the art of macramé and make handy key rings for your loved ones. Your beneficiaries will never lose their keys again with this colourful boho embellishment.
You can buy complete kits online, then reuse the pattern to make as many keyrings as you like by picking up low-cost yarn from charity shops and markets.
Tap into the art of mindful gifting with a calming DIY wall hanging that's perfect for a boho-style interior. To make this gift you'll need a wooden dowel, large and small wooden beads, a ball of yarn, a hardcover notebook for wrapping the yarn to make tassels, and scissors. Visit Furniture and Choice to follow the step-by-step DIY tassel wall hanging guide.
Here's an easy stocking filler house-proud friends will adore. In clean, empty pump spray bottles, add lavender, lemon or rosemary essential oils to a solution of distilled water. Add an emulsifier to make sure they mix – this can be alcohol, sea salt or witch hazel.
Travellers will love this cute embroidery wall hanging. You could start them off by stitching in the destinations they have been to, then they can continue filling in countries as they explore the world.
The more sights they see, the more colourful their map will become. You can either purchase a DIY kit or create your own wall hanging and trace on a map of the world with fabric pens, ready for them to fill in.
Give plain wooden candle stick holders a shot of colour by painting them with bold and bright chalk paints. Make a fun statement by choosing clashing colour combinations in bold, playful hues. Add a vibrant, tall candle to your rainbow holders to complete your colourful gift.
Bring a smile to your Christmas dinner guests' faces with a timeless gift at the festive table. A beautiful velvet cracker personalised with the diner's name makes the perfect place setting, which can be taken home to treasure.
You can make your own with a roll of card, velvet in a colour of your choice, ribbon ties and a fabric pen.
Inject a sense of calm and greenery into your friends' or family members' homes with a hanging box planter. For this DIY gift, you'll need a flat wire memo board, a wooden crate, a roll of fake leather, brass rivets and a utility knife.
Once the planters are hanging securely from the notice board, fill the crates with the real or faux greenery of your choice. Visit Furniture and Choice to follow the step-by-step DIY planter guide.
A teenager will love lounging on this beautiful bean bag chair. Its large size means it'll be an impressive package to open on the day, but it's super simple to make.
Plus, this Hobbycraft tutorial shows how to make it with a separate inner lining, which means you can make new outer covers for the bean bag as often as you like.
These delightful office organisers are a great way to show off your favourite fabric prints. The stylish stationery storage and dazzling display boards will brighten any home office.
Visit the Hobbycraft tutorial page to choose the one you want to make – or do them all!
Christmas is a great time to get pickling or, for that matter, jam-making. Help your delicious homemade gifts stand out from the supermarket versions by storing your conserves in beautifully crafted jars. Complete with authentic gingham fabric, the cute pots will look delightful displayed on your giftee's kitchen shelf.
A hoop wreath made with dried flowers can be displayed all year round. Lay a hoop on a flat surface and experiment with where you would like the foliage and flowers to sit. Once you're happy with the layout, secure the design by twisting floristry wire around the flowers.
Brighten up someone's Christmas with these cute decorative embroidery hoops made with felt fabric and cross stitch. The three hoops come as a kit, with a template for each letter of the alphabet so you can personalise the design for your loved ones. Visit lovecrafts.com for an easy guide to this thoughtful craft.
If you happen to have a Cricut machine to hand, then you could whip up some pretty foiled bookmarks for all your friends. Easy to customise, you can cut them into any shape you like, then use a foiler transfer kit to create a pattern or personalised design.
The creative experts at Hobbycraft have teamed up with macramé pro Isabella Strambio to show us how to create beautiful bespoke decorations for our nearest and dearest.
The perfect gift for friends and family, or even for yourself, these pretty tactile baubles are surprisingly easy to make. Head over to Hobbycraft HQ for the full, step-by-step tutorial.
Wine lovers will appreciate receiving a bottle of their favourite tipple along with a beautiful handmade bottle stopper. Look out for decorative and ornate cabinet knobs and simply screw them into tapered corks, which can be purchased from most hardware and craft shops.
Bookworms will love these snowcapped mountain bookends, which are made from offcuts of wood. These geometric triangles are super stylish and the icy tops add a modern Nordic edge.
We particularly love this two-tone peach version by House of Pixel Dust, who has a full tutorial you can follow.
Give pieces of vintage crockery a new purpose by transforming them into pretty teacup candles. Every antique shop and flea market is filled with mismatched cups and saucers, so converting them into charming candles for the tabletop is inexpensive and easy with a candle-making kit.
One person's trash is another's treasure and there are plenty more upcycling ideas out there to transform your old stuff into something amazing.
Vintage glass, china and ceramic cupboard knobs make a lovely hook display for bags and jewellery. Collect a mix from flea markets and screw five or six to a painted length of wood. The finished effect is really pretty and can be customised to the recipient.
Mix up a homemade hand scrub that loved ones can keep by the sink; a great gift for gardeners. Mix coarse sea salt and natural oils (such as coconut or almond), and add lemon zest with a few drops of lemon juice.
Transfer the mixture into a mason jar and tie a ribbon around the neck in the same colours as their kitchen scheme.
Keep spirits high with inspirational metallic wall art. With a gold leaf pen, trace a favourite quote onto the glass of a photo frame and, hey presto, you have a picture-perfect typographic frame that will look stylish and opulent on a wall or shelf.
Follow the step-by-step guide from Rust-Oleum.
Fancy taking on a fun fabric project? This gallery wall of indigo displays the art of shibori, an ancient Japanese tie-dye technique. Best of all, each print will be unique.
This process also looks stunning on cushion covers, tea towels and tablecloths. Visit Furniture and Choice for the full wall art tutorial.
Decorative letters are perfect for a quick crafty gift that always adds a personal touch. Whether it's a decoupage cardboard word to personalise a living room or a pretty rustic letter for hanging jewellery in the bedroom, typography is a quick win for homemade gifting. Most craft stores will sell stencils or even ready-made wooden cutouts that you can personalise.
Have fun sprucing up basic ceramic vases with a stylish minimal pattern. Choose two accent shades and paint sections of block colour diagonally to turn them into beautiful and bespoke vases.
Pencil out the design and use masking tape to get crisp lines, letting each layer of paint fully dry before adding the next. How's that for a DIY hack!
This woven place setting has been artfully transformed into tribal-inspired basket art by Happiness Is Creating. Use an Aztec-style stencil and acrylic paint to add colour and character to the textured weave. The finished piece looks seriously like the real thing!
A standard knitted throw can take weeks to make, but giant knitting – which uses super-sized needles and jumbo balls of yarn – means that, once you've mastered the technique, a full-size blanket can be ready and wrapped in just two days.
Check online for tutorials or buy complete DIY blanket sets from independent creative business sites such as Not On The Highstreet or Etsy.
This brilliant craft video by vlogger Dainty Diaries shows you how to give plain glass objects a mercury mirror effect that you can use to glam up any number of items to gift.
Using a 50/50 solution of water and vinegar, a can of Rust-Oleum mirror spray paint and a rag, you can easily customise a star-shaped trinket tray or tealight holder.
After you've made your personalised gifts, you'll need to find the perfect way to dress them up ready for slotting under the tree. In a bid to reduce plastic waste, there has been a big rise in reusable wrapping paper in recent years, and what better way to present your DIY gifts than in beautiful homemade fabric wraps?
Simply cut squares of fabric and seal their edges with your sewing machine. If you're short on time, you can also buy ready-made eco wraps from Wrapuccino.
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