‘Tis the season to show your friends how much you love them with presents. However, buying gifts for each of your loved ones may not be affordable, but in the last hour comes an unlikely hero: crafting.
Do not cross anyone off your gifting list, because with a budget of $20, you can create the perfect gift from scratch.
The first question to ask when planning a present should be, “What reminds me of this person?” It could be a color, a fictional character or even a style from an era in time.
Eclectic magnets
Designing personalized magnets might be the answer if you thought of cute trinkets. The basic materials you will need are clay, button magnets and paint. Additionally, utilizing cookie cutters allows you to create more complex designs.
The first step to creating your masterpiece that will be proudly displayed on your loved one’s fridge is to clean your workspace. You do not want any uninvited dust particles to end up in your final piece.
You have two options for clay: air dry, which does not require baking to solidify, or polymer, which would give you more time to work with it as it will remain pliable until you put it in the oven. You can find both at your local craft supply store, or make your own air dry clay, called cold porcelain, at home using cornstarch, oil and glue.
Remember the things that remind you of your friend and begin shaping the clay. Follow package directions to cure the clay, and paint. Finish by gluing a magnet to the back, and you get extra crafting points if you recycle a free magnet calendar you got from the mail.
Patchwork shirts
An even better brag than saying “I thrifted it” when someone compliments your shirt is, “My friend made it for me!” If you want to be the type of gift-giver people brag about, consider making a patchwork T-shirt.
All you need are: a second hand T-shirt or sweatshirt in your friend’s size, scrap fabrics from old clothes and a small sewing kit. Cut out letters or shapes from the scrap fabric, and attach them to the top using a running stitch.
Memory picture frames
The magic in handcrafted gifts is that they are personalized to suit each recipient. This quality shines through in a memory frame, a picture frame with a scrapbook-type style and photos of you and your friend.
You are bound to find countless picture frames walking down the home decor section of any thrift store, from modern to gold painted and vintage. Pick up the best-suited one for less than $5 and decorate.
Scrap species of wrapping paper make a great background to build on with printed photos of you and your loved one. If you have a junk drawer, grab a few spare stamps, ribbons or postcards to fill in the space, and you are done.
Date with a book
If your friend appreciates reading, their perfect gift might be a “date with a book.” Find a book that seems perfect for them, either from your home collection or purchase one second hand.
The most important part of crafting this gift is to write a personalized letter on the inside cover of the book. Then wrap the book up with paper to make its contents a mystery, and write a gift tag with a three-word description of the book on the wrapping.
If you are looking for general DIY elements to integrate into your gifting this year, you can recycle paper bags and use them as wrapping paper, or press flowers and use them as decoration. After you are done reading a newspaper, you can use it as tissue paper.
Everyone deserves ribbons and bows this December, and a crafted gift does not have to sacrifice quality. Handcrafted pieces are personalized to fit into the lives of your loved ones, and may outlive anything store-bought because it will always be meaningful.
