Easy DIY Christmas gifts for the home
For the love of giving

Nothing makes a loved one feel special quite like a thoughtful homemade Christmas gift – and, at what can be an expensive time of year, they're usually a thrifty option, too. From DIY picture frames to whimsical teacup candles and stylish macramé decorations, these easy-to-make festive presents for the home are sure to be a big hit. Click or scroll through to get inspired...
Cosy floor cushions

A teenager will love lounging on this beautiful bean bag chair. Its grand size means it'll be an impressive package to open on the day, but it's super simple to make, plus the Hobbycraft tutorial shows how to make it with a separate inner lining, which means you can make new outers for the chair as often as you like.
Stunning stationary hangers

We are absolutely in love with the new Joules fabrics at Hobbycraft, and these delightful office organisers show them off beautifully. The stylish stationary 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!
Little jars of joy

Christmas is a great time to get pickling (or, for that matter, jam-making). Help your delicious homemade gifts stand out from mass-market supermarket supplies by storing your conserves in beautiful craft jars. Complete with authentic gingham fabric, the cute pots will look delightful when displayed on your giftee's open kitchen shelf.
Tye dye wall art

Fancy some fun with fabric? This gallery of indigo displays the art of Shibori, an ancient Japanese tie-dye technique. Each print will be unique, and the process also looks stunning when used to make cushion covers, tea-towels and tablecloths. Visit Furniture And Choice for the full wall art tutorial.
Cotton keepsakes

Brighten up someone's Christmas with these cute little 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 to personalise for loved ones. Visit lovecrafts.com for an easy cross-stitch how to.
Personalised foiled bookmark

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.
Magical macramé decorations

The creative experts at Hobbycraft have teamed up with macramé pro Isabella Strambio to show us mere mortals 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.
Colourful fridge magnets

Who doesn't use their fridge as a makeshift memo board? These easy homemade fridge magnets are a great way to add colour to your home (or a friend's). Save Pantone or paint colour chips from the local hardware store and stick them onto cardboard and coat with a paper glaze. Once dry, add a magnet strip and you're good to go. How About Orange has an easy online tutorial.
Pretty wine stoppers

Wine lovers will appreciate receiving a bottle of their favourite tipple along with a beautiful and unique hand-made bottle stopper. Look out for decorative and ornate cabinet knobs and simply screw them into tapered corks that can be bought from most hardware and craft shops. Home Depot has a step-by-step guide which involves drilling and screwing the knobs into place.
Stamped salt dough decorations

Salt dough decorations are so easy to make. Salt, flour and water are the only ingredients needed for the dough and you can experiment with natural dyes like tea, cinnamon powder or lavender oil to change the tone and add a scent. These rustic versions by Twiggy Nest have been made with Christmas-shaped cookie cutters, but the stamps are generic so the hardened ornaments can be hung on a door handle or from a coat hook all year round.
Mountain bookends

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.
Snowy Christmas candles

It certainly will be a white Christmas with these delightful winter candles. Little snowy mason jars are full of festive cheer and can be brought out as decorations year after year. The snow effect is a mix of Epson Salt and glitter, applied with decoupage glue. Blogger A Pumpkin And A Princess explains how to complete the project.
Colourful wooden coat hangers

Keep fashionistas happy and their wardrobe 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. Live Love DIY shows us exactly how it is done. For a full closet makeover, why not pop a small fabric pouch of sweet-smelling lavender over the metal hook with ribbon too?
Homemade terrarium

Create a stylish living gift that is easy to care for with a homemade terrarium. Choose an open glass container, fill the bottom with shingle to make a false drainage system, and then add soil and super cute hardy houseplants like these lush green succulents, starting with the largest first. You'll need gloves for those cacti!
Confetti serving tray

Brighten up a tea tray with some simple confetti. Buy the confetti or make your own from tissue paper and a paper punch. To create this colourful effect, paint a layer of PVA craft glue on the tray and sprinkle a layer of the confetti on top, along with glitter if you fancy some sparkle. Allow to completely dry and seal with another coat of glue. This would make a fabulous gift paired with colour co-ordinated coffee cups.
Teacup candles

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 man's trash is another man's treasure, and there are plenty more upcycling ideas out there to transform your old stuff into something amazing.
Cabinet knob jewellery holder

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 intricate and pretty, just like this one from IonaDesign, and can be customised to the person receiving the gift.
Enamel-painted vases

Turn everyday glass vessels into unique vases with a wash of colour. Slightly dilute emulsion paint with water in a glass jug and then pour the solution into a jar. Pour it back into the jug, swirling to coat the inside. Repeat until evenly covered and dry upside down. Keep the colour bright by popping a smaller plastic bottle inside to fill with water. These tutti-fruity versions by Sugar and Charm will brighten up any room.
Rope candle votives

These dip-painted rope candles are super cute and can be customised in any colour. Simply wind and stick cotton or rope trim onto glass votives with a hot glue gun and paint the bottom two or three rows with acrylic paint when dry. Check out Freutcake for a full tutorial. They also have an alternative twig version for those that prefer rustic farmhouse décor.
Lemon salt scrub

Mix up a homemade hand scrub loved ones can keep by the sink; a great gift for garden lovers. 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.
Wall art embroidery hoops

Turn leftover fabric swatches into treasured wall art. Designed to hold fabric in place for needlework, embroidery hoops make ideal and interesting frames for instant displays of colour and pattern. Simply place co-ordinating material in different sized hoops and cut off any excess around the edge. If you are feeling extra crafty, try embroidering some additional embellishment onto the cloth with thread; a floral frame or the recipient's name will look impressive.
Personalised planters

A personalised plant will look adorable on a home office desk and is so easy to create with a Sharpie pen. Buy letter stickers and place them on the pot to spell out a friend's name. Then, with an oil-based permanent marker, dot around the stickers, keeping the markings more concentrated around the name and fading out further away. Wait till the ink is completely dry, then peel off the stickers to reveal the silhouette. Cutesy Crafts shows you how.
Terrazzo-style sliced soaps

Terrazzo is a super hot trend right now, so think of the look on an interior-lover's face when they open this colourful speckled soap. It looks ridiculously complicated, but all you need is melting soap (from a craft shop), food colouring and a toilet roll tube! Check out Fall For DIY for the full tutorial.
Say it with words

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 on Make It Yours.
Chopping board calendar

Make a feature of a warm wooden chopping board by transforming it into a stylish calendar for the kitchen. Simple and functional, this one is made with free online calendar printables and finished with a pretty vintage baking mould. Kate's Creative Space shows you how to make one for your foodie friends.
DIY block wood memo board

Keep friends organised with a geometric memo board. Against raw wood, a graphic design with colourful elastic shoelaces is easy to make and looks oh so stylish. Best of all, this simple woodworking project by I SPY DIY and can be completed in an afternoon.
DIY coasters

Customise plain cork coasters with a rainbow of colour. Start by gluing one felt ball in the centre and then work outwards in circles until the cork base is covered. Inspired by Charm has a full photo tutorial. Why not try making coastal versions with pebble shades or a striking monochrome pattern?
Jam jar photo frames

Upcycled jars look quirky as novelty photo frames displayed on a shelf. Assemble jars in an assortment of sizes and then simply pop small polaroids (slightly rolled) into the jars upside down. Check out Rikki Hibbert Photography for step-by-step instructions. Vintage and antique bottles are ideal for this, too.
Homemade botanical cushion

Brighten a plain cushion with photo print transfers. These botanical prints create a pretty vintage twist that will look the part in a traditional conservatory or summerhouse. Blogger Bless'er House has added some burlap wording for an applique touch, but you could print anything you like, from passages from your favourite books to black and white pet photos!
Decorate a letter

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.
Colour-blocked vases

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. Acrylic paint is water-resistant and easy to use. How's that for a DIY hack!
Beautiful basket art

This woven place setting has been artfully transformed into craft-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!
Jumbo knit a blanket

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.
DIY mercury mirror tray

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.
Fabric wrapping paper

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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