DIY & Decor

Christmas is about giving - it’s meant to be about giving love, but these days it’s about giving presents. Most shops & stores are already full of gifts and presents seducing us into the madness of Xmas buying (despite promising ourselves last year that we’d never again spend so much money on presents!).

So, before you start going wild with your credit card, why don’t you consider making some of this year’s gifts yourself? Particularly if you have lots of friends and family members to think about! Not only could you save yourself a lot of money, but you’d make something unique and individual that will be much more appreciated..

OK - so what can be made easily and cheaply? Actually quite a lot of things, if you let your imagination go and do a bit of search on the net. These are my top 5 DIY gifts:

Cookies - biscuits - chocolate

If you have friends or family members who seem to have it all, or are hard to please - food is the ideal Xmas present. Find interesting recipes on the net for biscuits, cookies, truffles, candies, brownies and other chocolate bars or buy a candy making book.  Make your candies and present them in luxurious wraps and boxes - these you can make yourself by decorating small household boxes/paperbags with glitter & metallic paper, or make little parcels from lace, silk and velvet tied with ribbons & bows.

Photo album - Scrapbook

This is the ideal present for your best friends & family members. Put together a unique album or scrapbook of your last year together - make a collage of photos and memories of your holidays, family gatherings, parties and shared experiences. If you have a computer, scan in your photos and create fun pages - print these out and bind them into an album. If you don’t have a computer and printer -  cut & paste your photos into a scrapbook.  For those really living in the digital age, create a slideshow or animation and burn it onto a DVD!

Customised clothes

This could be the ideal present for men and kids. Buy some basic blank T-shirts or underpants and get some fabric paint from a craft shop. Then paint or stencil images, text, logos etc onto them. If you have a computer and printer, you can print out an artwork or image onto a special iron-on sheet. You’ll just iron this onto the garments, and off you go. You can also customise other household & furnishing items, such as kitchen towels, tablemats, cushions, linen etc

Candles

I know, this is a cliche - but women never have enough candles, so you can’t go wrong. Just buy some cheap church candles in your local shop and decorate them with beads, glitter, ribbons, coloured wax etc.
Alternatively get a candle-making kit from a craft shop and make your own coloured and scented candles! Cheap candleholders & containers can also be sexed-up with a bit of imagination - you can paint, stencil, or spray them.

Customised picture frames

This is another "safe" present - but if you customise an ordinary picture frame, you can create a wonderful gift that is unique and looks expensive. Just buy some basic frames - wood, plastic or metal  - and decorate them with shells, pearls, mirror or glass pieces. Alternatively, paint, stencil or distress them - depending on the look you want to achieve. A trendy solution is to cover the frame with lace or faux leather/fur. Always think of the style of the person your present is intended for!

These are just a few Christmas gifts you can make yourself. There are many more. If you have kids, let them help you and encourage them to be creative! They will probably give you the best ideas!