DIY Gift Ideas That Don’t Scream ‘DIY’
Twenty-two DIY Gift Ideas that you will be thrilled to give and the recipient will be thrilled to receive. These creative homemade gifts are useful, and unique and don’t scream ‘DIY!’
Full confession, I can be a bit of a snob.
Not a full-on, nose-up-in-the-air, thinking-I’m-better-than-you kind of snob; more of an I-do-appreciate-nice-things kind of snob. To that end, I like giving my friends and family nice things at gift-giving times.
I get the whole ‘it’s the thought that counts’ thing, but at the same time that I’m thinking of what to gift someone, I like to go just the extra little mile to make sure that the gift I give is one that they would want and use. I am sensitive to giving gifts that just end up as clutter…ain’t nobody got the room for that! And if I can MAKE a useful and appreciated handcrafted gift, all the better!
Giving handmade gifts imparts a little of the love that made it along with the gift.
I’ve rounded up some fun, useful, and lovely DIY Gift Ideas that you could get started on now and get a jump on your holiday gifting.
22 Creative Handcrafted Gift Ideas
Lemon Peppermint Hand Scrub
My brilliant and gracious friend, Kathleen, makes this antibacterial and moisturizing Lemon and Peppermint Hand Scrub to gift to her friends and family. And I love the packaging she puts together…she clearly just goes the extra mile to make it extra special.
Wine Stoppers
These wine stoppers are beautiful handmade gift ideas that can be made to reflect the recipient’s likes or personality.
Moisturizing Hand Balm
Tins of this Hand Balm can be scented with any of your favorite essential oils. Made with Cocoa Butter, Beeswax, and Grapeseed Oil, this hand balm nourishes dry skin on your fingernails, fingers, and knuckles.
Moisturizing Heel Balm
Along the same lines, make tubes of this moisturizing heel balm to give along with the hand balm for the start of a great spa gift basket.
French Knot Monogrammed Pillow
Simple French Knots gather together to form a lovely monogram. Make a pillow that your gift recipient will cherish.
Handknit Washcloths or Dishcloths
For my knitting friends, knit up a slew of washcloths to give with a lovely bar of soap, a bottle of bubble bath, or bath salts. These handmade washcloths are always in demand! This post shares seven free knit dishcloth or washcloth patterns for various skill levels.
Microwavable Neck Warmer
I’ve made several DIY Lavender-Buckwheat Filled Microwaveable Neck Wraps to gift and they are so very appreciated. I mean, who doesn’t love a warm hug around their neck? This post walks you step by step on making these neck wraps.
Wire Macrame and Beaded Votives
Put a fragrant candle in one of these macramé wire votive holders for a unique and much-appreciated gift. Very flexible wire and beads come together for a glistening votive holder. Video and step-by-step instructions.
Personalized Mixing Bowl Set
Personalize a set of mixing bowls! Certainly, a homemade gift that is useful! Personalize the bowls with favorite sayings or names.
Handmade Gifts for Cooks
These 3 Gifts for Cooks are so easy to make and much appreciated. Rosemary Fleur de Sel, Vanilla Fleur de Sel, and Peppermint Sprinkles. Homemade gifts from the kitchen are always a hit.
Turk’s Head Knotted Trivets
These Turk’s Head Knotted Trivets are not only handy but quite lovely, especially for a ‘nautical’ look. A video and template are provided to help you learn the knot.
Upcycled Candlewick Handtowels
These Upcycled Candlewick Handtowels, paired with a lovely bar of soap or jar of bath salts, are such a great gift. My friends and family LOVE these hand towels. Pop by your local thrift store and nab an old Candlewick bedspread to whip up a bunch of these.
Crochet Edged Linen Cocktail Napkins
Who can’t use some linen cocktail napkins? Sew up a couple of these linen napkins and then spend a few evenings putting a crochet edge on them. This is a handmade gift that will really impress!
Lavender Filled Sachets
I have yet to find a person who doesn’t appreciate lavender’s relaxing and welcoming fragrance. Whip up a couple of these handmade lavender sachets that you can personalize with the recipient’s hair and eye color.
Monogrammed Leather Cord Keepers
I made quite a few of these cord-keepers earlier this year and have already depleted my stash, but they really were easy handmade gifts. You could make a whole bunch and leave them un-monogrammed for easy stocking stuffers or as an add-on DIY gift to some new tech gadget.
Handknit I-Cord Trivet
This tutorial shows you how to knit an i-cord with double-pointed needles and then how to coil the knit i-cord to make a lovely and useful trivet. This Free I-Cord Knit Trivet Pattern features step-by-step and illustrated instructions to ensure your i-Cord Trivet success!
Handknit Garter Stitch Trivet
With this Free, Knit Garter Stitch Trivet Pattern and a spool of rope, you could knit several handy trivets in a day!
Trivets are one of those things that everyone can use and make great gifts, especially for anyone who spends any time in the kitchen. If you like to make and give handmade gifts to your friends and family, these trivets are fantastic DIY Gift Ideas.
Melt and Pour Goat’s Milk Soap
This easy goat milk soap recipe uses a melt-and-pour goat milk soap base, shea butter, and essential oils. This is an excellent recipe for first-time soap making.
Easily put together a gift basket of a bar of your soap, a few handmade washcloths or store-bought washcloths, and some herbal bath salts for a very welcome, thoughtful, and useful gift.
Hand Stamped Napkins
I hand-stamped these napkins with trees for the holidays, but the possibilities are endless. I have some fern stamps patiently waiting to be stamped on napkins for a spring and summer gift idea.
Handknit Linen Stitch Potholders
The Linen Stitch is a perfect choice to knit a potholder. It lays flat and doesn’t have too much texture. Plus, it just is a lovely stitch! Add some faux leather tabs, personalized or not, to finish the potholder.
And, I’ve yet to meet the person who can’t use a new potholder. If you do meet that person, please give my address to them!
Crochet Thermal Stitch Potholder
I don’t know about you, but it seems that ‘potholders’ are something that often make it on my ‘stocking stuffer gift ideas’ list that I give to my family. With that in mind, I figure that they are great DIY Gift Ideas for your handmade gift stash.
This crochet potholder pattern uses the thermal stitch for a double-thick fabric without having to crochet two separate pieces.
Herbal Bath Salts
When added to your hot bath, this Herbal Bath Salts recipe offers many beneficial properties for your mind and body and is easily made in bulk for your own use or to give as gifts.
Think of combining the bath salts with a bar of handmade soap or one of the moisturizing balms. You could even add a neck warmer or some washcloths.
Do you keep a stash of homemade DIY gifts? I’d love for you to share some of your favorite DIY Gift Ideas.
If you are anxious to get busy with your handcrafted gifts, then bookmark this page or pin the following image.
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Pinning right now! I love homemade gifts that don’t seem homemade. I totally understand what you mean. 🙂
I knew we were kindred spirits Stacey!!!
Ditto Stacey! I was so excited when I read the “I’m a snob” line! I knew exactly what you meant because I am the same. These gift ideas are great and you can bet I am going to use some of them (the ones I can do!). Thanks!
Oh good…a fellow ‘snob’…but in a good way…right? I am so glad you found a bit of inspiration…that’s my goal.
Happy crafting my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn
Are there directions for the “knot” coasters?
Thank-you Toni! Talk about a ‘brain fart’!! Thank you so much for bringing that omission to my attention. I have since fixed the post so that the link to the Turk’s Head Coasters and Trivets are included, but you can access the post directly here…https://nourishandnestle.com/diy-coasters-trivets-turks-head-knot/
Happy Knotting my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn
I love the title of this post!! And these do not scream DIY. The costers are my favorite but they are all great gifts.
Thanks friend!
Oh my word Lynn, these are awesome! I like you have gifting as my primary love language, I love to receive nice things (snob, maybe), but even more, like you, I love to GIVE nice things! So many great ideas!! Thank you!
Thanks friend!
Kindred spirits- I really appreciate a good DIY gift that looks like it could have been purchased at a fancy gift boutique. That’s the standard I like to run my ideas through anyway. “Crafted” rather than “crafty.” Thanks for sharing these!
Hi Melissa,
‘Crafted’ rather than ‘crafty’ is the perfect definition! I am so glad you found these ideas useful, that is always my goal.
Happy ‘crafting’ my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn
Love your e-mails. So helpful. We are staring at a move in the not so distant future and I’m hopeful that I will use some or many of your decluttering suggestions. Especially in downsizing all the clothes I have. Moving is good.
Blessings,
Carol
Hi Carol,
I am so glad you are finding my emails useful! That is certainly my goal.
Moving, while maybe challenging while in the middle of it, really helps you pare down to what you truly love and use! Here’s a clothing tip. Go in now and turn all your hangers backwards. When you wear something and put it back in the closet, hang it the correct way. That way, at the end of a year (or whatever time period) you will be able to see exactly what you’ve worn. And more importantly, what you haven’t worn! I do that at the beginning of each year and has helped me pare down my closet.
Good luck, my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn