The holidays don’t have to be ridiculously expensive! Show your closest friends and family how much you love them by giving them a DIY gift from the heart this holiday season. We’ve scoured Pinterest and the web for our favorite picks for the different types of people in your life.
For The Beauty Junkie BFF
Your glamour-girl bestie will love this Spa In a Jar from the Gunny Sack blog. Grab a large mason jar and fill it with nail polish, sample-sized soaps and lip balms, maybe a homemade sugar scrub or two, and mini candles to create an instant at-home spa day. Top it all off with some fancy spa chocolates and a handmade bow and nametag and your BFF will be ready for some pampering, courtesy of you.
For The Foodie
Take a few blank ceramic mugs, some permanent markers, and some sharpies and voila; you have the recipe for a cute recipe mug! Use the markers to doodle all over the mugs however you like (we love this cute design with a cake recipe). Let the mugs dry for a few hours or overnight, and then bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Be sure to place the mugs in the oven before it heats up and then leave it in until the oven cools down to prevent them from cracking. Mix together the dry ingredients for one recipe to include in the mug (in a plastic bag, of course!) and you’re all set with a gourmet gift. Try putting the recipes for our Microwave Meals on different mugs to make a whole set that will take you from breakfast to dessert!
For The Significant Other
Remember when you made coupon books for hugs and chores for your mom in elementary school? Yeah, those are sooo fourth grade. However, this cute 12 Dates of Christmas from the Narrating Life blog is a perfect DIY idea for your hunny. Decide on 12 dates that you’d like to take your boyfriend or girlfriend on in the next year (one for each month) and then create a booklet putting them all together for them to look through and get excited for the coming months! This example uses gang tags for the pages, but be creative when putting it all together! Use scrapbook paper, old calendars, greeting cards… Whatever you want to make it personal!
For The Parents
You’ve seen them all over the Internet: siblings recreating their childhood photos now. The results are often hilarious and sentimental, so why not bring the tradition to your family? Go through old photo albums and pick out a few of your favorites, then make sure you have all the necessary props and clothes to recreate the scene. Take some photos and put them all together with their originals in an album for your parents to enjoy. Or, use them to fill out a blank calendar online that you can print and embellish so your parents can enjoy your “new” photos all year long.