Cheap gift ideas are hard to come by, especially as the people you love get older (and thus own everything already).
I've always really liked the idea of giving something that feels heartfelt and shows someone I've actually put effort into it.
With this in mind, I decided to bite the bullet and make a gift from scratch.
My first venture into homemade gifts was ambitious in hindsight and required more time than expected, but I am proud of the effort I put in and will learn from it for future gifts.
Here, I'll go through my own experience then share some great ideas others have had that could help inspire you.
What did I decide to make?
I opted to make two string art gifts. The most difficult one focused on bringing the cover of Final Fantasy VIII to life, which is one of my partner’s favourite video games.
The end product is below – here is the image it is based on.
For me, it cost around £25 to make both gifts and I still have leftover embroidery floss available for future projects.
While £25 might be more than you expect to make two gifts from scratch, some retailers sell string art craft kits for around £45, which only have a limited amount of designs available.
Where to sell your unwanted presents online
String art
If you’re interested in making your own personalised string art gift, you can use the tutorial I used from The Spruce Crafts.
These are the simplified steps:
- Gather your materials – a piece of wood in your desired size, your chosen image, scissors, tape, nails, hammer and embroidery floss in your chosen colours;
- Outline the shape with nails;
- Outline the shape with string;
- Fill in the shape with string;
- Add a frame (optional, costs extra).
Depending on what shape you choose and the design, this gift can be time-consuming to make.
You also may have to put some thought into the type of wood and nails you use.
If you’re looking for other ideas, here are some homemade gift ideas that could work.
You may also be able to earn cashback with some credit cards when you buy the materials.
Compare a range of credit cards at loveMONEY
Terrarium
Terrariums – small house plants in a glass container – are ideal gifts if you want to create something unique that can brighten up a room.
The Spruce has an easy to follow guide to make a terrarium, which requires: a wide mouth glass container, gravel or beach stones, activated charcoal, terrarium plants and sterile potting mix.
Glass containers for terrariums can be found on eBay or even at your local Hobbycraft.
Here’s how you make a terrarium:
- Choose your jar or container;
- Pick your plants. These should be small enough to fit in the container and should not be heavily impacted by humidity;
- Put in a layer of stones and add some activated charcoal on top;
- Add moss (optional step);
- Add sterile potting mix;
- Prepare and pot your terrarium plants before watering.
According to my calculations, it costs around £20 to make your own terrarium, but this can vary depending on the plants and decorations used.
This is still less than you’ll fork out on the average terrarium kit, which can cost around £30 (depending on size).
Mini clay plant pots
If you have more time, you could try making mini clay plant pots, perfect for tiny succulents such as cactus.
Hobbycraft has a handy tutorial on how to make these pots.
You will need 500g air dry clay, two cardboard tubes, acrylic paint (in three colours), Mod Podge glue, cling film, narrow masking tape, rolling pin, knife and paintbrush.
While this sounds like a lot of items, the typical household may already have some of these.
Image: Hobbycraft
Here’s a quick overview of the tutorial:
- Work out the circumference of cardboard tube and place clay between two sheets of cling film before rolling to a thickness of 5mm to 7mm. Cut two rectangles from the clay (in two sizes);
- Wrap the clay around each of the tubes, lining the bottom of the clay with one end of the tube. Press ends together and seal together and seal with a little water if necessary;
- To make the base, place the tube of clay back onto remaining rolled out clay and press down gently. Cut around the tube of clay and use a little water to smooth edges;
- Leave in a warm place to dry overnight;
- Gently ease the tube out of the clay – if there are rough edges, you can gently sand with fine sandpaper (this is optional);
- Put masking tape over the outside of the pots to create a random geometric pattern;
- Paint each segment created by the masking tape;
- Once the paint is dry, remove the masking tape to reveal your art;
- Paint a little Mod Podge on the outside and inside of the pot to add gloss and make the pots water-resistant;
- Line the pots with cling firm before gently adding the plants.
Overall this should cost you around £11 (assuming you already own cardboard tubes, cling film, rolling pin and a knife).
It’s hard to estimate how much you can save as mini clay pots are generally sold in bulk.
But these pots aren’t decorated so it lacks the personalisation you can add by making them yourself.
Brownie mix in a jar
I received a delicious brownie mix in a jar for Christmas last year from a good friend of mine, and it was a great gift to receive as I love to bake.
My friend went to the trouble of adding nice little touches, including a cloth top and personalised name tag with the instructions on the other side, which I really liked.
If you want to make this gift, there are plenty of recipes, including this BBC Good Food one.
Instructions:
- Using a 1-litre jar, layer the dry ingredients – baking powder, plain flour, cocoa, brown sugar, sugar, followed by milk and white chocolate chips;
- Make sure you press down each layer before adding the next.
You also need to add a tag with the below instructions for the lucky recipient:
Combine the contents of the jar with 150g melted butter and three beaten eggs. Mix well and pour into a lined 9 x 9-inch tin. Bake at 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F for 25-35 minutes.
And you’re done!
You can add some additional decorative touches if you want, or if your friend has a sweet tooth for a particular cake, you can use alternative recipes.
The above gift will cost you approximately £10 to make.
If you bought this gift pre-made, it could be over 50% more expensive at around £17 for a smaller jar (with less brownies).
If you’re a keen baker, you probably have a lot of the ingredients already, so this could be even cheaper than the estimated cost.
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DIY face masks
If you have a friend that loves to take care of their skin with organic ingredients, a homemade face mask may be a hit (especially when store-bought face masks can cost a small fortune).
There are hundreds of face mask recipes online, but The Herbal Academy links to recipes ideal for gift-giving, by packaging dry ingredients only.
One recipe for “Thyme & More for Me Mask” involves:
- Mixing a quarter cup of oatmeal with a tablespoon each of dried lavender leaves, rosemary leaves and thyme leaves in a food processor and adding a little fresh aloe vera gel;
- Sealing the paste in an airtight container.
Similar to the brownie mix in a jar, instructions for use are necessary, which are:
To use, mix the mask powder with enough water to moisten to a spreadable consistency, apply to face (avoiding eye area) and leave on for 15 minutes.
Overall this recipe will cost you around £10, but it beats paying more than double the price for a ‘make your own’ face mask kit.
Gift giving is difficult, but these gifts could be ideal for a good friend or your family.
There are plenty of other handmade gift ideas you can find online, although some may be more expensive or time-consuming.
Are you a fan of making (or receiving) homemade gifts? Do you have any you're particularly proud of? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.