Let’s face it. Most DIY gift ideas are terrible. They are either too difficult, or too easy (and look like you spent about 5 minutes on it). They can be utterly useless to the person you are giving it to, or creating it can be so expensive that you should have bought a real version of it instead.

DIY Gifts Should Be:

With that in mind, I present the top 5 DIY Gifts that don’t suck.

5. PERSONALIZED PHOTO LAMP

I stumbled across this project mentioned on various blogs and pointing to a site called Poopscape.com. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the domain has expired and there is nothing there except advertisement links. However, their hosting site, is still up! I did the digging and found the project for you. Now, in case this site goes down, the process is fairly simple. Buy some Mod Podge and a Grono Lamp from Ikea and use the Mod Podge to stick negatives to the lamp - boom. Ok, fine - also add an additional layer of Mod Podge over the final product.

Desirable?

Depends - this one has to be for the right person (hipster, baby boomer, etc)

Cheap?

Check

Personal?

Check









4. HOMEMADE FOODS GIFT BASKET

There are a ton of homemade food gift ideas out there, but personally, if I showed up with a jar of flavored sugar as my only gift, I would be ashamed of myself. A full basket on the other hand with a variety of homemade foods is much better. In addition, you can make large batches of each food item, split them up and have gifts for as many people as you need, cutting your costs even more. Here are a few sources for food gift items. Choose a few of these and pack em up!

Buzzfeed (#18 - Adult Hot Cocoa w/ a bottle of Bailey’s is a GREAT idea)

Bon Appetit

Midwestern Living

Desirable?

Check

Cheap?

Check

Personal?

This is where this one falls short slightly. However, after this list I talk about including a note with every DIY gift. That’s where the personalization comes in. For example, you could say “I know how much you love bacon, so I thought the candied bacon would be perfect for you” or “Remember that time we were so cold and had to share a cup of hot chocolate to warm up? My homemade hot chocolate mix will make sure you always have a way to beat the cold”, etc.









3. COLORING BOOK FROM PERSONAL PHOTOS

I discovered this great Instructables article on how to create coloring book pages with Adobe Photoshop. Now, before you dismiss this one because you don’t have or know Photoshop, there is another way. Of course, to do this yourself, you will obviously have to have access to Photoshop and have some familiarity with the program, BUT if you don’t, take a look at Fiverr.com. There are MANY people out there willing to do your Photoshop work for $5. A quick search revealed, among many others, this listing that would work for you. Once you have those images, print them out and bind them together with some ribbon.

Desirable?

Check - But has to be for the right person (child, hipster)

Cheap?

Check

Personal?

Check







