A Last-Minute Handmade Christmas

10 Quick handmade gifts and decorations to brighten your holidays

I’m a firm believer in handmade gifts versus store-bought for lots of reasons (but especially for the avoidance of crazy mall crowds, cheesy holiday tunes, and crappy mass-produced merchandise), so I combed the net for some quick handmade gift ideas. If you’re starting late like I am, or just now realizing that your house needs to look more festive, read on for a bunch of wonderful gifts and decorations you can make yourself in an afternoon or two of crafting. And, I threw in a yummy cupcake recipe because life’s too short to not eat sweets!

Bath Fizzies

I don’t know about you, but my favourite way to relax is by soaking in the tub with a glass of red and a good book, and bath fizzies are always a welcome addition. These look really easy to make—you basically just need baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch, and whatever essential oils and colours you want to add. I think I’ll make a batch of these bath fizzies from Martha Stewart for myself, and if I’m feeling generous I just might make extra for gifting. But, in all honesty, I’ll probably keep them all for myself!

Upcycled Christmas Lights

From the Craftzine blog comes this brilliant idea to transform old burnt-out Christmas lights into a delightful sparkly bowl-filler. Anything that’s cheap and cheerful and satisfies my magpie-like tendency to collect shiny things is good in my books!

DIY Gift Bags

Learn how to make your own gift bags with this tutorial from Waterfall Creative. Lots of possibilities for reusing wrapping paper, posters, and other paper goods combined with ribbon or yarn.

Recycled Gift Bows

Another recycled-paper gift-wrapping idea, this time from Lines Across My Face. An easy tutorial for making those classic star-shaped gift bows we all know and love!

Rum-Spiked Eggnog Cupcakes

Oh, Bakers Royale, you already had me at eggnog! And then you went and sweetened the deal with spiced rum. The hubby’s birthday is coming up, so I’m definitely going to whip up a batch of these cupcakes to celebrate…and I’ll probably make another batch for Christmas, too.

Cinnamon Ornaments

Another great idea from the Martha Stewart blog, these cinnamon ornaments look great and will fill your house up with a lovely spicy holiday scent. I would love to try these with sparkles mixed into the dough.

Tea Lights

Another great upcycled thrift-to-gift idea from Georgica Pond—turn a pretty teacup and some old candles into a unique home decor piece. Head over to your nearest thrift store and stock up on cute teacups to make a bunch of these, and you could take care of a good chunk of your gift list in one fell swoop!

Felt Rose Scarf

This free tutorial for a flowery scarf comes from Watch Me Daddy. It looks ridiculously easy to make, with impressive results. I’d love to make one out of felt from thrifted wool sweaters, or some luxuriously soft 100% wool felt in a few coordinated colours.

Peppermint Foot Scrub

I love a Christmas gift that helps you recover from Christmas! This foot scrub recipe from The Idea Room is cheap to make, too—you just need sugar, olive oil, and essential oil. I love the idea of doing a peppermint scrub for the holidays, but you could use any essential oil you like.

Yarn Ball Ornament

If you have a bit of scrap yarn, skewers, and large wooden beads, you can quickly whip up one of these yarn ball ornaments. This one is by Phoenix Fire Designs, based on this idea by appleshannon on Crafster. I think it would make a great gift for any knitters on your list, or just make a bunch to cover your own tree!