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* DIY Gifts For The Holidays

Simple Is Good!

December 18, 2014
Dive into some holiday DIY this year with these clever ideas we found scattered about the web. We found the best of the best of and gathered them here for you all-- our gift to you!

No matter what holiday you're celebrating, what the budget is or why you decide to "D.I.Y…" your gifts might just be the hit of the holiday.

Simple is good. These ideas are super clever yet super simple. Two things we love. You could get your kids to help make these for their cousins or special friends if you'd like. They're THAT easy!

1. Snowman Kit
Hand your little snowmen all the fixin's needed for the perfect Frosty! Scarf, eyes, nose and more. It's like Mama Prego's spaghetti-- it's all in there.

We decided to go another step to personalize this and created a Snow Princess kit for our little girl.

We bought an orange taper candle and cut it down for the nose so it would never go bad and we would always have the nose handy. Nothin worse than a celery nose when you are caught without!

We picked some rocks and painted them for the "coal" mouth but chose to give her some blue eyes.

Then for a buck bought some oversized buttons and a scarf for another dollar along with a crown and wand for guess how much? Yup a dollar!

Then bought 3 tutus for $1 each and then sewed them together to complete the look.

We added a tag that said, "Just add snow!" and we were D.O.N.E.





2. Chalkboard Piggy Bank


Encourage little tiny budget babies with this clever take on the piggy bank! The kids write what they're saving for and each time a goal is met-- they change to something new with one wipe! This is a simple piggy bank from the dollar store painted with left over chalk board paint. It adds a personal touch to a monitary gift and is perfect for the college student needing quarters for laundry! Our inspiration for the project was found here!

3. Super Snazzy Super Hero Fort Kit
Did you ever get stuck without all you needed for that perfect living room fort? Some simple dollar store supplies, a snazzy bag and you'll be Miss Holiday 2012. We found this idea here and thought it was a must for this holiday season!!














This gift just keeps on giving all year long!

4. Mitten 101 - Monsters or Moxi-- you decide!
Some simple mittens and felt become a roar of a good time. Some simple BLING BLING gloves make dull snowy days just a little more sparkly. Monster mittens and Blinged out were very inspiring!!




5. Sharpie Mugs

YOu can buy these kits in the store for some wasted bucks-- OR you can DIY a the dollar store. Snag up some mugs that you love. Let your little Picasso's sharpie a masterpiece on them. Bake your mug at 350 degrees for 15 mintues and you just filled some time in the day AND made grandma a great gift.
You can also get creative and give these to friends. We found the idea HERE.


6. Potholder Flat Iron Cover
We've seen these sold in magazines! We say-- boycott! Go find a pot holder fold it in half and sew down the seam. You now have a flat iron holder that can handle the heat! We found the idea HERE.

7. Jewelry Holder
A piece of wood and something as simple as decorative drawer pulls make this jewelry holder just jolly! We found the idea HERE.

8. HOME ADE Shrinky Dink (Fido or Fluffy) I.D. Tags: HOME ADE.

We used Martha Stewarts Templates (PERFECTLY SIZED FOR YOU, PRINT THEM OUT AND USE THEM FOR HOME ADE ONES!) but didn't print anything on printable shrinky dink paper as they suggested.( YOU CAN BUY SPECIAL PAPER TO DO THIS BUT WE DIDN'T!)

Instead we utilized take out containers ( clear #6 plastic) or the lids to aluminum foil throw away cake pans etc. WE MADE OUR OWN HOME ADE SHRINKY DINKS FOR NEXT TO NOTHING!

You can salvage these from your take out orders or from the dollar store! The plastic lids are what you want. Thin, clear plastic. Use permanent markers to draw on each item. Poke a HOLE BEFORE you bake each one at 350 degrees for 30 seconds.
Tips:

Make an aluminum foil pan. Place your oven rack on the lowest level. Place your aluminum foil pan on directly on the rack. ( the heat circulates better!)

Do one at a time so they don't inadvertently curl up and hit each other.

If it curls up a bit , as SOON as you take it out put it on a non stick surface and flatten it with a spatula.
They take just about 30 seconds to finish!

Then you can add a small ring or piece of wire to the dog tag and attach it to a collar!

Uses:
Real pets! They are hard enough and durable enough to last on collars!
Fluffy stuffed friends. Have your kids name their pets with tags and collars.

Necklaces, key chains, bracelets, zipper pulls. These tags can truly be made into ANY gift and certainy
customized. Gift givers will love making them and the gift getter will love getting it!


9. Beautiful Book Marks
Kindles be gone with you. For those who still love the turn of the page. Some simple ribbon and pretty embellishments make a really pretty present. We found our inspiration here!



10. Body Pillow or Living Room Life Raft!
We love this one. It looks like a million dollars but it really costs far less and is a super simple sew project. Sew some pillow cases together and you have a flip our body pillow that's perfect for the living floor movie nights! We found the idea HERE.

Whatever your reason. Whatever the season. DIY gifts are sometimes just a wee bit more fun! This season why not DIY!