(BPT) – Finding just the right gift for everyone on your list can be difficult, expensive and time-consuming. Instead of buying another generic gift from a store, have you thought about making something meaningful for loved ones instead?
DIY is trending in 2020, with more people using their extra time to explore hobbies and handicraft abilities. Furthermore, 60% of people would rather receive a handmade gift versus a store-bought gift, according to Rockler Woodworking and Hardware research. This is the perfect reason to explore projects to make presents that will bring special meaning to your holiday.
Handmade gifts often become cherished keepsakes, fully capturing the true spirit of the holiday season. If you’re ready to embrace a handcrafted holiday this year, be inspired by this top list of trending DIY gifts you can make in your own home:
Wooden gifts
The organic beauty of wood provides the base material that can be transformed into virtually anything with imagination and a little effort. Many woodworking projects can be made with common DIY tools like a cordless drill and jigsaw, but the end result is unique gifts that will impress friends and family.
For woodworking inspiration, check out the Handmade Gift Guide from Rockler. From keepsake jewelry boxes and clocks to turned gifts and epoxy projects, you’ll find plenty of ideas for home projects along with many free instructions to help you get started. You might discover you enjoy woodworking as a new hobby that serves as a creative outlet that provides physical and mental benefits.
Personalized ornaments
Creating an ornament to honor the person or season makes a wonderful gift that can become a cherished keepsake. While options are endless when it comes to ornaments, bulbs are a timeless choice that can be easily customized no matter your DIY skill level. Clear empty glass or plastic bulbs can be purchased from virtually any craft store and filled with a variety of items.
For a festive ornament, consider inserting jingle bells, bottle brush trees and sprigs of evergreen. For a sentimental ornament, fill with small items reminiscent of the person or special activities you’ve shared, such as sand from a beach, feathers in a favorite color and even small pictures. For a final touch, you could add filigree swirls, names, sayings and dates with a paint pen on the outside.
Paper crafting
Paper crafts use paper and card stock as the artistic medium to create a variety of fun, customizable projects. You might consider exploring origami, which is folding colorful paper in artistic ways. Paper mache allows you to use paper in a sculpting manner. Paper cutting is a craft that intricately cuts paper into stunning designs. Paper is also the main element of quilling, stamping and scrapbooking.
Options are endless in the area of paper crafting, so whether you create a pop-up book for the children in your life or fold paper intro intricate shapes that can be used as toys or displayed as decor, you have many options for making gifts guaranteed to impress. Many paper crafts are done by hand, although if you decide to embrace it as a hobby, there are special tools and machines to help you with more advanced techniques.
Project idea
Ready to try your hand at a gift project that will be used time and time again? Rockler’s handmade cribbage board is a great first step into the craft that just takes a drill, some wood and the drill bit template from Rockler’s kit.
- Cut a board that is at least 3/4”-thick x 8-1/2”-wide x 28- 5/8”-long. Clamp the square template section securely to the board.
- Follow the drilling instructions and use the 1/4”-diameter self-centering drill bit provided in the template kit to start drilling the peg holes.
- Continue to follow the drilling instructions to drill the pegs’ holes. Switch to the rounded template to drill the last section of peg holes.
- Trace the end of the rounded template. Then remove the template and use a band saw or jig saw to cut along the line. Use a sander to smooth the curve.
- Use a router and chamfer bit to cut a chamfer profile along the top and bottom edges of the board.
- Finally, apply the finish of your choice.
