DIY Gift Guide

As we near Christmas, hitting single digits until the jolly day, something I think is important to stress is that the holidays are a time of giving back. I really wish I had all the money in the world to buy things for all my loved ones. Unfortunately, I don't, and not many people do. So the perfect way to give back to someone you love when you don't have a lot of money, or even if you do, is to make them something. It's a gift that screams "I love you and I want you to know it," because it was something you had to sit down and make. So if you can't think of something, I have you covered. I have put together a wide arrange of gifts that I may or may not have made for my loved ones this season.

So tell your wallet to take a break, grab your scissors and let's get started!

DIY Gift Baskets

This is a gift that is open to do anything. You can make a gift for what someone likes; cooking, crafting, make up, a basket based on their major, Legend of Zelda, etc. All you need to buy is a basket, and objects to fill it with!

I'm making someone a spa basket, and along with things I can buy like lotion, nail polish and tools, and exfoliating glove, and a candle, I also have FOUR spa DIYs:

Bath Bomb:

What you'll need:

-One cup baking soda -1/2 cup corn starch -1/2 cup citric acid -1/2 of epsom salt -essential oil -food coloring -water -bowl -whisk -mold (I got mine as a heart shaped Christmas ornament mold at Hobby Lobby) -Bowl -whisk

Directions:

1. Mix you baking soda, corn starch, citric acid, and salt together.

2. Add your essential oil, maybe a little more 3 tablespoons

3. Mix in one teaspoon of water VERY VERY VERY SLOWLY! Your citric acid will react with the water, and if it does, it will not react in the bath. I poured in literally one drop at a time and immediately stirred. This is so important to do for it to work.

4. Separate the mixture into bowls, depending on the colors you want to use. I did about 80% blue and 20% I left white, but the possibilities are endless.

5. Fill both sides of the mold compactly with the mixture. You need to make sure it's compact or it won't hold it's shape. Also make sure you overfill the molds a bit so it will stick together.

6. Put the molds together, and I wrapped some rubber bands around the mold to help it stick. I put it in the freezer for an hour and afterwards, I took it out and let it sit for about 10 minutes. I tapped on the molds to help get the bomb out.

7. Let it sit for a day or two about giving them away!

Sugar Scrub

What you'll need:

-Sugar -Mason Jar -Coconut oil/Extra Virgin Olive Oil -Essential oil -food coloring -Bowl -Whisk

**Tip: I was making a candy cane sugar scrub so I used peppermint essential oil and red food coloring. If you are having trouble finding essential oil (Like I did) check out TJ Maxx

Directions:

1. Mix 2 cups of sugar (the kind you just get at Kroger) with 1 cup of coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil (I use olive oil). If you don't like the consistently, you can also add oil to make it more gooey or sugar to make it more grainy.

2. Add your essential oil and mix, 

3. Separate your mix into whatever sections you'd like to color. I divided it in half and dyed half red and white half white.

4. Add to your mason jar is whatever pattern you'd like.

Lip Scrub

What you'll need:

-Sugar -Extra Virgin Olive Oil -Small chapstick container (I found a little round one at the trial section in Walmart, 2 a pack) -Flavoring (I used bubble gum flavoring I found in the baking section of hobby lobby) -Bowl -Spoon

1. Mix 1 tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon of oil, and mix.

2. Add your food coloring (I used red, because mine is bubble gum lip scrub) and mix

3. Add your flavoring (if you can't find the bubble gum, you can also use vanilla extract) and mix.

4. Put it in your container.

Bath Salts

What you'll need:

-Epsom salt -Food coloring -Essential oil -Bowl -Spoon -Glass Container

Directions:

1. Mix together 2 cups of epsom salt with essential oil (you can use more or less depending on the size of your container).

2. Mix in your food coloring. I keep mine all one color, but you can also do different colors!

3. Pour into glass container!

THAT SIMPLE! As you can tell most of these require the same materials, which is what makes it so simple! You also can make them individually, you don't have to put them all into a basket!

Mason Jar Cookies

Here are DIYs for mason jar cookies, chocolate chip, M&M and sugar cookies!

Chocolate Chip

What you'll need:

-2 cups Flour -One tsp Baking Soda -3/4 Cup Brown Sugar -3/4 Cup Sugar -One tsp Salt -Chocolate chips -Mason Jar

Directions:

1. All you need to do is add the ingredients to the mason jar in a stripe form. Add your ingredients in this order: flour, baking soda, brown sugar, sugar, salt, chocolate chips.  

Sugar Cookie

What you'll need:

-2 cups Flour -1 tsp Baking power -1 tsp Baking Soda -1/8 tsp salt -1 cup white sugar -Sprinkles -Mason Jar

Directions:

1. Layer your ingredients in the mason jar in this order: Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and sprinkles. 

M&M Cookie

What you'll need:

-1 1/2 cup Flour -1 tsp Baking Powder -1/2 tsp Baking Soda -1/3 cup brown Sugar -1/2 cup sugar -1/4 tsp salt -M&Ms -Mason Jar

Directions:

1. Add your ingredients to the jar in this order: Flour, Baking Powder, Baking soda, Salt, M&Ms, Brown Sugar, White sugar.

For all of these, make sure you add the instructions as well as the cook ingredients they will need. Tie it on with a little ribbon and wala! A sweet treat gift!

DIY Mug

This is a gift that is so easy to personalize. You can do this in so many ways, so I will explain three ways to decorate a mug!

Glitter Mug

What you'll need:

-Mug -Glitter -Mod Podge -Tape 

**Tip: To make this dishwasher safe, you dishwasher Mod Podge, Otherwise, it can only be hand washed.

1. Clean your mug

2. Tape off any sections of the mug you do not want glitter on. You do a geometric pattern, an initial, whatever you want to do.

3. Pour your mod podge on the mug wherever you want glitter.

4. Pour your glitter on and shake off an excess.

5. After a few minute pull your tape off. Let it sit a little longer then add a coat or two of mod podge over the glitter to help it set.

Watercolor Mug

What you'll need:

-Mug -Nail Polish -Water -Tupperware container -Top coat -Toothpick

Directions:

1. Clean your Mug

2. Pour water into a tupperware container 

3. Pour your nail polish colors into the water and swirl it around with your toothpick

4. Dip your mug into the polish

5. Lay it upside down and let it dry.

6. Once it dries cover the nail polish with a top coat.

These are NOT dishwasher or microwave safe

Marker Mugs

What you'll need:

-Mug -Sharpies -Oven 

1. Clean your mug

2. Draw on the mug with whatever quotes, picture, etc. you want 

3, Heat your oven to 350 and place your mug in before it's preheated. Keep it on 350 for 30 minutes then turn it off, still keeping your mug in the oven. This is so it won't crack.

4. Repeat that step if you'd like, but mine never rubbed off.

Coasters

This may seem like a "wtf?" gift, but trust me, any person that just moved into their first apartment will LOVE it! They are very personable as well, and I will show two ways to make them!

Photo Coasters

What you'll need:

-Tiles -Mod Podge -Photos to fit the tiles -Paint Brush -Felt -Glue Gun -Rubbing Alcohol

Directions:

1. Clean the tiles with rubbing alcohol

2. IF your photos are too big, trim them down to the size of the tile.

3. Mod podge the tile, and add your photo. Push it down to make sure it sits on the tile

4. Top it off with a layer or two of mod podge

5. Cut your felt to the size of the tile, and hot glue it on the bottom of the tile so it won't scratch surfaces!

The photos you use can be photos of you and the person yo uare giving the gift too, photos of patterns, etc. Go crazy!

Marble Coasters

What you'll need:

-Tiles -Felt -Marble Contact Paper -Mod Podge -Glue Gun -Rubbing alcohol

Directions:

1. Clean your tile with rubbing alcohol

2. Cut your contact paper into the size of the tile and stick it on, smoothing it out with something like a ruler or credit card

3. Add a layer or 2 of mod podge

4. Cut out felt and glue it on the bottom of the tile.

Marble is a very popular thing right now, I love it and most others will too! They look expensive and elegant, but are so inexpensive!

**Tip: This can also be done with wood contact paper for a more rustic look, or any other pattern contact paper yo uthink your recipient would like!

Tech Case

This is a gift that can be made for an iPad, iPhone, any phone, any electronic that needs a case! There are endless ways to decorate a case, but I will show you 3 ways!

Case One

What you'll need:

-Clear case -Scrapbook paper -Mod Podge -Exacto Knife -Pencil 

Directions:

1. Lay your scrapbook paper with the design down, lay the phone case on top with the part that holds the phone fact up 

2. Trace the outside, the camera part, and any other holes in the case.

3. Use your exacto knife to cut out the outline and all the holes

4. Add a lay of mod podget inside the case, and add the scrapbook paper. Let it dry and add another layer

Case Two

What you'll need:

-Scrapbook paper or paint -Letter sticker -Clear phone case -Mod Podge

Directions:

1. You can either do what I showed you for case one, or paint the case any color you'd like

2. Add a sticker of the person's first letter of their first name to the outside of the case, and add a layer of mod podge.

Case Three

What you'll need:

-Glitter -Mod Podge -Clear phone case

1. Add a layer of mod podge all over the case

2. Pour your glitter all of the case and let it sit

3. Add a layer or two more of mod podge and let it sit

These are all so simple, and have the ability to add any decorations you think the person would like!

I have many many more DIY Gift ideas, so if you would like more, please let me know! 

DIY Ugly Christmas Sweater

Probably one of my favorite things I have ever made was my ugly Christmas sweater. I made this last year for a little over 10$, and I get compliments every time I wear it. When I made it, I could even have it play music! So if you are wanting to make your own light up ugly Christmas sweater (for cheap too!!) just keep reading!

What you'll need:

-Crewneck (mine was 6$ from Walmart and I got it a size too big) -Tinsel -Mini Ornaments -Star Ornament -LED Battery Operated lights (it's important they are LED) -One mini stocking for the lights, two if you want it to play music -Other decorations of your choice -Hot Glue -Piece of cardboard

**I got everything except my sweater at Dollar Tree, definitely check them out to keep the project so inexpensive!

Directions:

1. Lay your sweater flat on a surface and place the piece of cardboard inside, this is so when you hot glue it won't seep through and stick the sweater together.

2. Start by taking the tinsel and laying it out in a snaking pattern from the bottom of the sweatshirt to the top, with the bottom being the largest part and the top being the smallest. This is your tree! Hot glue it down and let it cool.

3. Glue on your mini ornaments in whatever pattern you would like, but keep some distance between them for the lights

4. Glue down one stocking right at the bottom corner of the sweatshirt, and stick the battery pack into the stocking. From here, run your lights throughout the tree in whatever pattern you would like. These need to be LED lights so that nothing will catch fire. I cannot stress that enough, please be sure they are LED!!.

5. Glue your star on the top of the tree!

6. If you want your sweater to play music, find a stocking big enough to hold your phone, and glue it on the opposite end of the bottom of the tree you glued your other stocking. When you want your sweater to sing, just hit play on your phone and stick it in the stocking!

7. Finish decorating how you'd like! I added presents to the underneath of my tree, I also added Santa and Frosty heads from headbands I found at Dollar Tree. Bows, jingle bells, and some ribbon would also be cutely ugly!

And you're done! This is not machine washable, obviously those is a big no-no. Spot clean it if you need, but I don't wear mine in situations where it could get completely ruined,

Pair this with some ornament earrings, plaid leggings, glue a giant bow on a headband and stick in your hair, throw on some red lipstick, and dominate the ugly sweater party!

MORE DIY Holiday Room Decor!

We are officially less than two weeks from Christmas! Although, I've realized as I've gotten older than I enjoyed the time leading up to Christmas a lot more than the actual day. The actual day is great, too, but the holiday season is really so magical and special, then we have to wait a whole year for it to come again. So what do I do about this dilemma? I make myself feel better by crafting. So here are 3 more crafts to help get you through until the end!

Countdown Blocks

What you'll need:

-2 Cube Blocks -A slab of wood the two blocks will fit on -White Paint -Holiday Paper -Mod Podge -A Sponge brush -Scissors -OPTIONAL Letter and number stickers (if you have awful handwriting like me

Directions:

1. Start off painting all your blocks white, and the slab of wood. Or whatever color you'd like. you don't have to this, but I did because I wasn't going to be cutting the paper to completely cover the block.

2. Cut out squares from your paper. I made a few millimeters too small so I could have a boarder.

3. Decide how you want the design on there (I used 5 different prints of paper and didn't want some next to each other), and mod podge the paper on.

4. So I used stickers for this part, but you don't have to. I put "days left" on the slab of wood. I wanted to put "days until santa" but it didn't fit. 

5. Next, you will need the numbers 0,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. 0,1,2,7,8,9 will go on one block and 1,2,3,4,5,6 will go on the other. Unfortunately I couldn't find ANY number stickers so I had to use raise paper cardboard hybrid. material, but it still works.

Now you can count down how many days until Santa comes!

Ornament Garland

What you'll need:

-Tinsel -Ornaments

Directions:

All you have to do is put the ornaments on the tinsel in whatever pattern you;d like. That's it! So simple, yes so festive.

Bonus: I also did this with mini stockings and twine. SO CUTE!

JOLLY Letters

What you'll need:

-Letters (wood or paper mache, preferablly ones that can stand on their own) -Mod Podge -Paint -Sponge Brush -Glitter 

Directions:

FIRST OFF, GET LETTERS THAT STAND ON THEIR OWN. Being the impatient I am I got letters that are extremely thin and won't stand without support, and so there's not much I can do with them.

1. Paint the outline of the letters whatever color you'll be using for glitter.

2. Put a thick coat of mod podge all over the letter and them pour your glitter on.

3. Once it dries, put on another coat of mod podge to seal in the glitter.

By far this is my FAVORITE thing. I wish I had been patient and gotten letters that can stand on their own, but next year I'll probably add some red ribbon to the back and hang them on the wall. Problem solved!

DIY Holiday Decor

Happy Holidays!

With December officially here, it's now socially acceptable to listen to Christmas music and watch Elf on repeat!

Being in college means you're on a tight budget, and let's be real, room decor can be expensive. No worries though, I'm here to help you out!

First: Wrapped Canvas

This first DIY is so simple and requires four things:

-Scissors

-Tape

-Canvas

-Wrapping Paper

-Bows and ribbon are optional.

Begin with a canvas(es) of any size you want. Wal Mart sells packs of 2 varying in sizes from 3.97$ up. Next, get some wrapping paper or any color and design you chose. You can get rolls for 0.97$ from Wal Mart also. now all you have to do is wrap the canvas like a present! You can also add ribbon and bows to add some pizzazz, but that's optional!

Total = approx. 5$
 

Second: Wreath

A little more pricey, but OH SO pretty! Here is what you need for the basics:

-Wreath form

-Tinsel

-Hot Glue gun

-Decorations (bows, ornaments, etc.)

In the floral section at Hobby Lobby I got a green Styrofoam circle wreath form for 5$, they had a smaller one for 4$ and a bigger for 6$. I got two things of 15ft gold tinsel from Wal Mart for 0.98$ a piece. All I did was hot glue the beginning of the tinsel to the form and wrap it around, and it took me 30ft of tinsel. I then hot glued on some mini ornaments I got from Target for 3.50$. To hang it up I glued on twine on back. Simple as that!

Total = approx. 10.50$

Lastly: Throw Pillows

I am so addicted to throw pillows. In all reality half my bed is just throw pillows, all but two I made. It's a problem. The cost will really depend on how many and how big the pillows you want to make are, but for me, I made three medium size pillows. Here's what you need:

-Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate) fabric

-Hot Glue Gun

-Poly Fil

I got three designs of fabric on sale from Hobby Lobby at 1/2 a yard each, totaling about 2.58$ a piece. I cut down one pillow to be square and left the other two alone. Now, you can do this by sewing, but I don't know how to sew, so I went for good old fashion hot glue. Place your fabric with the design down, and the plane part of the fabric facing up. Fold it in half to make the pillow shape and size. Completely glue down all sizes EXCEPT for one hole big enough for your hand. Pull the fabric through the hole so that you now have a pillow case with a hole in one side, the design should now be on the outside. Now stuff the poly fill, 16 ounces is 3.97$ from Wal Mart (I needed two bags for three pillows)  to the hardness you want. You will then just hot glue the hole together and WALA! Throw Pillows!

Total = approx. 15.68$ (that's less than one pillow at Target)

I hope you try out these DIYs and let me know how it goes! Stayed tuned all through December to see more room decor, gift ideas, and more festive posts!