Fuzzmas Advent Awards: Day Thirteen

Welcome to the Fuzzmas Advent Awards, a series running every day throughout December celebrating all our favourite things from 2018. Today we’re sharing five DIY Christmas gifts to make for family and friends.

Although it is the season of giving, for many, it is difficult to decide what exactly to give. In some situations it seems as though the recipient has everything and there is nothing new to purchase. In other cases, the giver may struggle to find a specific item or does not have the funds to buy expensive presents. These holiday dilemmas can be fixed by making DIY gifts. Handmade gifts are great money-savers, add extra fun to the gift-giving process, and show immense thoughtfulness. To get the inspiration flowing, Fuzzable has created a list of five DIY presents for the holiday season.

Baking

Via Pixabay

Holiday baking is a timeless gift and for good reason. Most people cannot resist a collection of sweet treats.From classic sugar cookies, to custom gingerbread men, to decorative cupcakes, there are endless options of desserts to share. Also, baked goods are always unique based on an individual’s ingredient, decoration, and package choices. Items can be packaged in many ways including being placed in small tins from a dollar or thrift store, or being arranged nicely on a plate. Additionally, Christmas baking can be a group activity with friends and family as a way to bounce ideas off one another and make a fun day out of the work.

Holiday Shadow Box

Christmas decorations are typically limited to house lights, a tree, and stockings along the mantel. While all of this is classically festive, something different is needed to be the focal point of discussion. To help somebody stand out in the crowd, make them a holiday-themed shadow box. Shadow boxes are similar to picture frames but with significantly more depth. They can be purchased at most craft or framing stores, however; to save the most money, it’s best to keep an eye out for slightly used ones at thrift stores or online. After purchasing the box, old Christmas supplies can be used to decorate. Wrapping paper can be used as a background while old ornaments, bells, or lights can be filler. Lastly, use letter cutouts, decals, or paint to add a holiday phrase to the outside of the box.

Customized Pencils

Via Kate’s Creative Space

At school, everybody always seems to need a pencil. Instead of constantly lending out the item, prevent this issue by giving out personalized pencils this holiday season. From holiday catchphrases to iconic TV show quotes, nearly anything can be put onto the pencil. In order to add text, a piece of paper with the chosen words in fresh ink is printed and then a piece of tape gets placed on top. When the ink looks transferred onto the tape, the piece of paper can be cut down and placed in a small bowl of water. After soaking for at least one minute, the paper can be easily rubbed off of the tape, leaving a clear sticker to put directly on the pencil.

Scrabble Tile Ornament

Via Happiness Is Homemade

The Scrabble tile ornament is for DIY artists who have an unused pile of board games in the corner of their house. Anybody can use old pieces from a Scrabble game to make unique Christmas ornaments. Start by collecting enough letters to write out a festive word or to spell the recipient’s name. At the ornament’s simplest form, hot glue all of the letters together and add a looped piece of ribbon to the top so it hangs off of a tree. To make the ornament more personal, additional decorations such as bows, glitter, and bells can be added accordingly.

Scrapbook

For the closest of friends and family, creating a special scrapbook or journal can be extremely meaningful to both individuals in the relationship. The book showcases the most important or memorable moments between the people, taking the recipient down memory lane as the book is looked through. Depending on the style being aimed for and skill level of the creator, assembling the book may take more time and money than other gifts, but the payoff is significant. What is nicest about creating a scrapbook is that not every page needs to be filled out. Some sections of the book can be left blank as a place for the person who receives the gift to continue adding memories themselves.