Get Creative: DIY Gift Ideas for All Skill Levels

If you’re feeling stuck when it comes to gift ideas, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. Our DIY gifts will make any recipient feel special, and they’ll be sure to leave a lasting impression. 

From mason jars filled with cocktail kits to framed leaf art and everything in between, these are some of our favorite DIY gift ideas for all skill levels:

DIY Gift Ideas That Are Actually Cute | Easy + Affordable Gifts
Takeaways
Creative DIY gift ideas are a thoughtful way to show your loved ones that you care.
There are many easy and affordable DIY gift ideas for any skill level.
Personalizing a DIY gift can add an extra touch of appreciation to the gift.
There are resources available to find inspiration and tutorials for DIY gift ideas.
DIY gifts can be a great way to express gratitude and love during special occasions.

Mason Jar Cocktail Kit

For the friend or family member who is always making cocktails, a mason jar cocktail kit is a great gift. It’s basically just an elaborate way to package ingredients for a specific cocktail recipe. 

You can make about any kind of mason jar cocktail kit you can think of by using this template as your guide and swapping out the recipe for whatever drink you want!

Looking for unique and easy DIY gift ideas for any occasion? Check out our collection on DIY Gift Ideas for Every Occasion and surprise your loved ones with something special!

Fridge Magnets Made From Your Favorite Photos

Fridge magnets are a great way to showcase your favorite photos with ease. They’re also relatively affordable and easy to make, so there’s no excuse for not making one for each of your friends this holiday season.

To create fridge magnet, you’ll need:

  • Magnet sheets (found at craft stores) in the size you want your finished magnet to be
  • Scissors or an X-ACTO knife
  • Glue stick or craft glue

First, measure out what size sheet is necessary to fit over the photo you want on your fridge magnet. Cut out the sheet with scissors or an X-ACTO knife. Next, glue down two sides of the sheet onto one side of the photo you can choose which sides you want facing out when it goes on a refrigerator! 

Once glued down, let sit overnight before transferring it off its backing paper onto another surface like a refrigerator door handle, cabinet door knob…or even another piece of paperboard if that’s all that’s handy at home!

Best Companies Offering Personalized Fridge Magnets Made From Your Favorite Photos

Company NameDescription
ShutterflyShutterfly allows you to create a custom set of fridge magnets using your favorite photos. Choose from a variety of layouts and designs to create a unique and meaningful gift.
PhotoboxWith Photobox, you can create personalized fridge magnets that add a personal touch to your kitchen. Choose from various sizes, shapes, and designs to suit your preferences.
VistaPrintVistaPrint offers an easy-to-use design tool where you can upload your favorite photos and customize them into high-quality magnets. A perfect way to relive your cherished memories every day on your fridge.
MAGNAPRINTSMAGNAPRINTS makes it simple to create beautiful and long-lasting fridge magnets by allowing you to select pictures right from your social media accounts or your phone’s gallery.

Hot Cocoa Mason Jar

Hot cocoa is a great gift idea because it’s a sweet treat that can be enjoyed by anyone. They’re also really easy to make, and they look pretty when you put them in mason jars! Here’s how:

  • Use a hot cocoa mix instead of powdered milk or water. You can get these at most grocery stores, or you can use the recipe below if you want to make your own mix.
  • Decorate mason jars with ribbon, labels, or any other decorations that suit your aesthetic vision for this gift item (see images below). We recommend using more than one type of decoration per jar so it looks extra cute!
  • Prepare hot cocoa mixes according to package instructions and divide among your decorated mason jars as desired—you could even make up different versions for each person receiving this gift!
  • If you have time before giving out the gifts, place some marshmallows on top of each lid before putting them on the jars so they’ll be nice and soft when they’re ready to eat later that day/night/weekend (depending on how long it takes for recipients’ stomachs).

Searching for personalized DIY gift ideas that will make your loved ones feel extra special? You’ve come to the right place! Our personalized DIY gifts collection is a great source of inspiration.

Monogrammed Kitchen Towel

A monogrammed kitchen towel is a great gift idea for someone who loves to cook, especially if it’s their birthday or another special occasion. 

They’re also easy to make and can be personalized with a monogram. Monogrammed kitchen towels are useful for drying dishes or holding food when you’re cooking, but they’re also cute enough to use as napkins at your next party! You can find these items online or at craft stores like Michael’s.

Printable Bookplates for Book Lovers

Printable bookplates are a great way to personalize books. They’re elegant, yet easy to make and they can be customized in many different ways. 

You can get as creative as you want with your bookplate designs, from simple hand-drawn designs to more elaborate stickers and labels. If you have some artistic talent, nothing is stopping you from using your own artwork or photos on this gift tag!

You can create printable bookplates for any occasion birthdays, weddings, graduations… Your imagination is the limit! 

If you’re looking for inspiration on what kind of theme or style you should use for yours (or if you need help designing one), check out these 30 DIY Bookplate Tutorials For All The Bookworms In Your Life.

Top Companies that Offer Printable Bookplates for Book Lovers

Company NameDescription
AveryAvery offers printable bookplate templates that can be customized to match your personal style. They have a wide range of designs and sizes that will add a touch of charm to your beloved books.
CanvaCanva is a design platform that offers a wide variety of bookplate templates you can customize to your liking. You can choose from hundreds of templates, fonts, and images to get a perfect bookplate that suits your personality and taste.
WorldLabelWorldLabel offers free printables of bookplates that come in different patterns, sizes, and colors. Just select a design, customize it, and print it on sticker paper, and you’re good to go. Perfect for those who seek functionality and convenience.
EtsyEtsy is a vast marketplace where you can find amazing designs for bookplate printables that cater to your unique style. The platform offers several designs that are made by talented artists and designers from all around the world. By purchasing from Etsy, you are supporting small businesses.

It’s that time of the year again when we express thanks for everything good in our lives. To make it more meaningful, you can surprise your loved ones with one of our unique Thanksgiving gift ideas that are sure to make them feel appreciated.

DIY Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub

Coconut oil is a natural moisturizer that can help improve the look and feel of your skin. It also has antibacterial properties, which makes it great for people with acne. 

As for the sugar scrub, it smells wonderful and exfoliates your skin to reveal smoother skin underneath. You don’t need many ingredients for this recipe: coconut oil, sugar and essential oils (optional). 

The only tricky part about making a sugar scrub is getting all the ingredients to dissolve into each other—but once you get that down pat, this DIY gift idea will be easy as pie!

Luggage Tags

Luggage tags are a simple, affordable way to personalize your travel bag. They’re also useful in helping you identify your belongings at baggage claim!

  • Materials: cardstock or thick paper, adhesive letters and/or stickers, ribbon or string of your choice
  • Color scheme: choose a color that will stand out against the background of your bag. You can also include large text with a contrasting color for readability. Or use small text in one bold color so it doesn’t get lost among the other stuff on your luggage tag.
  • How to attach it: You could use double sided tape (available at most craft stores) or sew it onto the loop of one side of the ribbon or string (make sure you secure both ends!).

Want to show your mom some love with a handmade gift this Mother’s Day? Our DIY Mother’s Day Gift Ideas guide on Unified Present has everything you need to create something special for your amazing mom.

Dessert Mixes in a Jar

When you’re making dessert mixes in a jar, choose jars that are sturdy and can hold up to the pressure of being filled, sealed, and shipped. Mason jars or Ball brand clear glass jars with wide mouths (like the ones used for jam) are ideal. 

For variety’s sake, consider mixing up your sizes and shapes so that your recipients don’t feel as if they’re getting an identical set of gifts.

You can use any kind of sticker label; just make sure that whatever you use has adhesive on one side so that it sticks well to the lid of your jar. 

If you want to be really fancy, look for labels specifically designed for Mason jar lids you’ll find them at most craft stores or online retailers like Amazon or Etsy.

Here are some ideas for dessert mixes:

Brownie mix—brownie mix is delicious but tends to get stale after several weeks out of its original packaging; this means it’s perfect for packaging into smaller jars! 

If you want an extra special touch, add a plastic spoon (or spoons) into each jar before sealing them shut with their lids (as long as those spoons will fit through the opening). 

You could also package mini-muffins in these types of containers instead; they come individually wrapped already so they’d work well here too!

Best Brands Offering Dessert Mixes in a Jar

Brand NameDescription
Mason Jar Cookie CompanyThe Mason Jar Cookie Company offers delicious jar mixes for brownies, cookies, cakes, and more. Simply mix the ingredients as specified in the recipe, and you have a freshly baked dessert in no time.
KrusteazKrusteaz offers a range of jar mixes for cakes, pancakes, muffins, and more. Their mixes are made with real ingredients and come with recipe cards, making it easy to create a delicious dessert in minutes.
Preppy KitchenPreppy Kitchen’s dessert mixes in a jar offer an alternative to traditional box mixes and are perfect for those with dietary restrictions. Their selection includes gluten-free and vegan options, so everyone can enjoy a sweet treat.
Just Add MilkJust Add Milk offers unique and delicious dessert mixes in a jar, including s’mores brownie mix and birthday cake mix. They are made with premium ingredients and can be customized with creative toppings and mix-ins.

Personalized Coasters

Make a set of personalized coasters for all the people in your life. For this, you’ll need:

  • A laser engraver
  • Coaster blanks (you can get them online or at any craft store)
  • A design or photo that you want to use, or create one yourself using a program like Adobe Photoshop or Canva. If you’re using a photograph, make sure it’s high resolution and doesn’t have too much detail in it (so no smiling faces). You can also use quotes and words that mean something special to you!

Once everything is lined up on your computer screen and ready to go, transfer the image onto the coaster by either printing it out directly onto them (if they are made from material that will accept ink), or tracing around the edges with pencil first before cutting out each piece individually with scissors.

Once everything has been cut out and sorted by type/color/etc., take out your laser engraver machine and start cutting away! 

Be careful not to press too hard against any particular spot for more than about 10 consecutive seconds you don’t want any accidental burnt spots on there! 

Once this step is complete (it shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes total), sand down any rough edges from where pieces were glued together during cutting process so they’re nice smooth surfaces again; then apply adhesive paper label stickers so everyone knows who owns what pattern 🙂

Framed Leaf Art

If you’re looking to make a gift that’s both a little more personal and a lot more useful, try leaf art! It only takes one day to create, and all of the materials you need can be found in your backyard (or front yard, if you’re in warmer climates).

Materials:

  • Leaves from any type of tree—leaves with thick veins will make better art
  • Soft paper or construction paper (not necessary but recommended)
  • Glue stick or white glue (not necessary but recommended)

A Personalized Mug

If you’re looking for a meaningful homemade gift, a personalized mug is the way to go. This DIY is easy enough for beginners and fun for all skill levels. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • A clear plastic mug (or other dishwasher-safe container)
  • A pencil or pen
  • Paint pens (optional)

You can make your design in any way that makes sense to you draw it freehand with markers, trace an image onto paper and cut out the shape, use stencils to create letters or geometric designs. Then transfer your design onto the cup using one of these methods:

If using paint pens: Make sure they’re dry before handling them again! If not, they may smudge when touched by accident. 

Carefully place each letter onto its corresponding space on the cup and fill in any lines with black paint so they stand out against whatever color scheme was used on the rest of your artwork.

If using markers: Draw over top of these images with black marker so that each letter stands out distinctly from its neighbors! 

Be sure not to cover up too much color though; this will cause problems later when baking it into place at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until done (about 30 minutes).

Top Companies That Offer Personalized Mugs

Company NameDescription
ShutterflyShutterfly offers a range of personalized mugs that you can create with your photos or text. Choose from a variety of templates, sizes, and materials to create the perfect mug for yourself or as a gift.
Personalization MallPersonalization Mall offers a diverse collection of personalized mugs that make for a great gift or keepsake. Customize them with a name, monogram or a special message to add a personal touch and make someone’s day extra special.
ZazzleZazzle offers a wide selection of customizable mugs for any occasion. Their design tool lets you add your own photos, text, or graphics to create a unique and special mug that suits your style.
EtsyEtsy is a marketplace where you can find unique and high-quality personalized mugs made by independent artists and sellers. You can choose from a range of designs and styles, and many shops offer customization that lets you add your own personal touch to the product.

Conclusion

The key to a great DIY is to get creative. With these ideas, you’ll never run out of gift ideas and everyone will be impressed by your handcrafted gifts. 

Remember that half the fun is in the process so don’t be afraid to experiment with new materials or techniques or even just embrace your inner child! And if nothing else, there’s always gift cards…

Further Reading

Here are some additional resources that you may find useful:

40 Homemade Gifts for Every Occasion – This article by Gooroo provides a wide range of creative homemade gift ideas that are affordable and perfect for any occasion.

30 Days of DIY Gifts – Martha Stewart’s 30 Days of DIY Gifts offers comprehensive tutorials for a wide range of DIY gift ideas that can be created using simple materials.

60 DIY Christmas Gift Ideas – This collection by Country Living features a variety of DIY gift ideas that are perfect for the holiday season.

FAQs

What are some easy DIY gift ideas for beginners?

Some easy DIY gift ideas for beginners include handmade candles, personalized mugs, homemade bath bombs, and flower arrangements.

What are some affordable DIY gift ideas?

Some affordable DIY gift ideas include homemade soap, knitted scarves, DIY picture frames, and hand-stamped tea towels.

Where can I find tutorials for DIY gift ideas?

There are various online platforms where you can find tutorials for DIY gift ideas, such as YouTube, Pinterest, and specialized DIY gift blogs.

What are some creative gift ideas for special occasions?

Some creative gift ideas for special occasions include personalized photo albums, custom-made jewelry, hand-painted wine glasses, and DIY anniversary gifts.

How can I personalize a DIY gift?

You can personalize a DIY gift by adding the recipient’s name, initials, or favorite color. You can also incorporate their interests or hobbies into the gift’s design or packaging.