A Broke Girl’s Guide to DIY Christmas Gifts
Do you have more Christmas gifts to buy than dollars in your bank account? You’re not alone. In a fantasy land, we’d happily spend four-digits or more on fabulous presents for our nearest and dearest, and become known as the best gift-giver during the holidays, but sadly, real life (rent, student loans, and those really expensive cell phone bills) seems to always get in the way. Thankfully, you can still earn serious Christmas cred with affordable and meaningful gifts that cost about the same as a cup of coffee. Don’t believe us? Keep scrolling for the proof.
1. Try building a terrarium.
Pick-up a glass bowl from a party supply store, thrift shop or Amazon ($6), soil, gravel and charcoal pieces to get started. Then, select the succulents you think would look best. Start with a layer of gravel in the bottom of the bowl, then sprinkle a light layer of charcoal, followed by soil deep enough to support the succulents. Spray the soil with water and use a pencil to dig a hole to place your succulents. Then, plant and bury the roots in soil. Extra tip: The materials you need to make a terrarium are best (ahem, cheapest) bought in bulk, so think of all the people you could give this gift to in order to get the most bang for your buck!
2. Bedazzle a mason jar.
Mason jars have millions of uses, and here’s a gift idea that will win extra points for originality: Spray paint a mason jar with silver or gold for a cool spin on the classic. Then, give it to your bestie with a handful of freshly-picked flowers, tied with a ribbon. Cute, no? Or, buy ready-made jars on Etsy ($48) and BYO the fresh flowers.
MORE: 20 Creative Things to Do With a Mason Jar
3. Create a DIY recipe book.
Are your friends always hounding you for your recipes? Do you happen to make the world’s best spinach dip? Well, you know what they say about teaching a man to fish. Let your friends and family in on your culinary secrets with a personalized recipe book, packed with all your favorite dishes. Handwrite it for a personal touch, or use a website like Blurb.com to give your DIY book a professional finish. Plus, you can then easily print multiple copies, or even distribute as an e-book (from just $4.99), so everyone in your life can have a copy.
4. Make your own candy cane scrub.
Impress the beauty buff in your life with a homemade Christmas candy cane scrub. You simply combine three ingredients—a half a cup of sugar, a half a cup of coconut oil, and 10 drops of peppermint essential oil—and mix together thoroughly. Then, fill a empty jar with the scrub, label with a handwritten note, and tie a miniature candy cane onto it with twine. Trust us, it smells good enough to eat and looks even cuter.
5. DIY a bookmark.
Your bookworm friend is probably used to receiving best-selling novels and e-book vouchers for Christmas. Try something totally different with a handmade bookmark, placed inside a copy of your favourite book. Make one yourself by cutting beautiful, thick ribbon in nine-inch pieces. Attach ribbon clamps ($3.49; availalbe at Artfire.com) using pliers and finish with charms and trinkets salvaged from thrift stores. Love the idea, loathe the effort? A ready-made piece will set you back just $12 on Etsy.
6. Put together a personal playlist.
Create a custom Spotify playlist for a music-loving friend, packed with all their favorite tracks. If you’re feeling particularly generous, consider also giving a pre-paid subscription to Spotify Premium, so they can listen to the best beats sans seriously pesky advertisements.
MORE: Spotify’s Most Streamed Songs of 2014 Will Surprise You
7. Print a loved ones Instagram photos.
Fact: photos almost never seem to get printed anymore. Rather, they sit on your Instagram or Pinterest page like a virtual photo-book. Shake things up and print some of the year’s most memorable moments straight from Instagram using an online service like Prinstagram. You can print individual photos to slip into a Christmas card, create a personalized calendar for 2015, or make your very own coffee table photo-book.
