We will be honest, we have looked for a lot of great DIY holiday gifts. A lot. A HUGE HONKIN’ MESS OF THEM. Turns out, we’re super picky. We want to make the kinds of gifts people want to receive. We want to make the kinds of things that won’t look like our kids did them. (Not that there’s anything wrong with kids’ DIY gifts, and we’ll have those for you too.) We want to make they’re kinds of gifts that we’d want to receive ourselves. And most of all, we want to be able to actually make them without having to invest in a professional jigsaw, a 3D printer, or a fine arts degree. And with that, we present 18 DIY holiday gifts that we truly believe do not suck.
All gifts have been editorially determined by our staff, there is no compensation in exchange for picks. CMP is an rstyle and Amazon affiliate. Discount codes expire 12/31/15.
Printable gingerbread house cupcake holders
You have to make (or buy) the cupcakes, but this talented illustrator makes the adorable printable boxes that turns them into a special gift. For teachers perhaps? ($4.99 instant download at Claudine Helmuth)
15% off with code COOLMOM2015
DIY witty embroidered gloves
Buy gloves, add embroidery thread. We can do this! Dare you to do a LOVE/HATE. (Tutorial at Country Living)
Homemade cookie butter gift jars
Now this is a DIY gift after our own hearts. And stomachs. Generally after midnight. (Tutorial at A Beautiful Mess)
DIY family tree scrabble art
This is such a smart, simple idea for a grandparent or a new baby, and the shadowbox frame really makes it artful. (Tutorial at Morning Creativity)
Kawaii cup and saucer tea party set
We love this so much! Our kids would flip for such an adorable set of cups and saucers for tea parties both real and imagined. (Tutorial at Small for Big)
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DIY photo ornaments
It’s mostly a matter of jazzing up ready-made wooden ornaments from a craft shop. No professional jigsaws required. (Tutorial at U-Create Crafts)
DIY typographic hair pins
This is way easier than we would have thought: three easy steps, very few materials. (Tutorial at Fall for DIY)
DIY potted herbs
This time of year, it’s like bringing a little sunshine into someone’s day. Plus? Sharpie crafts! We can do that! (Tutorial at Brit + Co)
DIY ornament ladies
What a cool way to turn this 5-piece ornament crafting kit into something really fun. (Tutorial at Small for Big; Artterro ornament kit $22)
DIY emoji cross-stitch kit
How much do we love this! Even if you’re not an expert needlepoint artist, you could do this. Or, give the kit to a DIY-er on your list. ($15 at JimJam Crafts)
DIY rosewater face mist
Ooh, now this is the kind of gift we’d like to get ourselves. (Tutorial at A Beautiful Mess)
DIY handwarmers
A really basic stitching project that will make a lot of your friends and family feel…okay, warm inside. (Tutorial at Rae Ann Kelly)
Hand stitched Christmas ornaments
Felt plus embroidery thread plus ribbon plus time. Got all four? Because we love these designs. ($5 for downloadable pattern book from Erica Hite)
Glossy DIY monogrammed keychains
Our kids would love these as backpack charms, too. (Tutorial by Homemade Ginger for Modge Podge Rocks blog)
DIY watercolor napkin sets
This is so easy and the result is so cool! Try shades of green if you want something a little more holiday feeling. (Tutorial at Minted)
Easy DIY bejeweled beanie
Got some broken jewelry like every other woman in the world? This is a much better use for it than letting it rust in your dresser drawers. (Tutorial at Fall for DIY)
Easy DIY confetti Christmas ornaments
A lot of crafty ornaments feel a little school project, but these are pretty cute and we bet our kids would love to do them too. (Tutorial at Modge Podge Rocks blog)
Printable cheesy gift boxes
Okay, so we don’t expect you to make your own cheese for this one. But we bet Jordan from Oh Happy Day would totally do it. (Tutorial at Oh Happy Day)