DIY Christmas Gifts on the Cheap 101 Part 1

It seems that more & more people are looking for ways to simplify their holiday gift giving and DIY gifts are such a wonderful alternative to overspending on cold impersonal things.
I find my creative juices flow thanks to the challenge & it is fun to make a gift come together, with items that are very specific to a loved one. I mix my DIY with sale items that I root for in shops and will add them if it is appropriate. I also shop through out the year and after the holidays, to prepare for the following holiday season. It may be a bit late for you to do this now but mark it somewhere as a reminder, set an alert in your phone, just remember to think and plan ahead. This will help your wallet & nobody need know a thing.
Some of the simplest places to go when you are skin flint broke, are the Dollar Store, Dollar Max, and art stores in and around town. At the Dollar Store, I like to buy buckets, seasonally appropriate filling, craft items that the person I am buying for likes, and small gum/candy/chocolates/candy canes. You can get holiday themed buckets, if you prefer one that can be used all year long, or if it's for a birthday, then get something that is more appropriate. The picture below has two different examples, (again) try to get something the person will like, that way they will want to reuse it for things like holding pencils & pens. I use mine for my specialty scissors, sketch pencils, markers, and crafting tools.

                                                                                                                                                         

You can choose from a wide array of items and fill it with what makes it special. 

I have put pics of options and ways to decorate. I always like to include things like stickers, butterflies, sticky diamonds, specialty markers like chalkboard writers, and tinsel filler base.

Add special decorative twisty wire that can be put around the handle, if there is one. It adds to the overall look. Keep it toned down a bit if it's a birthday gift but still make it attractive. The next pictures show a gift bucket that I added a nail polish to, an all natural soap from a brand that I adore, a lip balm, and some candies.

 

                                                                                                                                                                    

Here are some gift options that you can find at cheaper prices, I get so many things at the dollar store and I make an effort to get discount/sale priced items wherever I shop. I got the big bowl cups at a grocery store and they were $1/each, perfect gift for a younger person moving into their first apartment; add some spices or tea or hot cocoa packs.
The nail polish was on special from $6.99 to $1.79, the soap was down from $6.99 to $3.99, and the lip balm was $2.00. The tea's were on special, I got the puzzle for $2.00 at Dollar Max and the food items and candle were under $5.

 

Here you can see all kinds of fun arts & crafts stuff, I cannot get enough of sparkly washi tape, which had 3 rolls at $2.50-$2.79 depending on the kind which was purchased at dollar max. This particular washi tape is REALLY sticky so I use it for special projects-I will be posting one very soon!

I got the adorbs reindeer stamp for $1.50 at Michael's along with the construction paper for under $4.00, I got specialty paper for scrap booking at an art's & craft's shop that sold 2/$1.00, the stickers were 80 in a booklet for $1.00, the ribbon was $1.25, the sculpey clay was on special-down from $7.99 to $2.99! You can customize choices for a girl or boy, and if you have an artsy fartsy friend, they will love the grown up style craft items as well. I know because I chose quite a few items for myself-who doesn't like adorable bunnies on scrapping paper and stickers?

  

Don't forget the special holiday markers & fun pencils. This will keep the kids busy while you get everything ready for your holiday dinner.

 The scrap booker in your life will be super psyched to get so many choices, Dollar Max had 4 papers for $1.00; so I did a mix of fancier holiday papers with everyday styled one's. I got a plastic scrap paper holder for $2.50 at Michael's and threw in some Washi tape rolls to make a lovely gift.

If you know someone who draws, a good set of sketch pencils is a must. The one's above are usually $19.99 but during the holidays I have gotten them for as low as $6.00!
Down below, the paper flower cutouts and butterflies have sticky back sections, everyone likes to use these or touch them and see how cool they feel. This little set down below with pink chalk for $1.00 from Michael's is perfect for a little girl! I added some pearl stickers that make it seem a bit more grown up.

                                       The boys like these cool birds that cost all of $1.50!

 If there is a little baker in your life, the baker stickers with a cute baker Smurf will be a big hit with some measuring spoons. You can see a picture down below of the decorative measuring spoons that I got for $1.50 at Michael's

Here are some additional things you can do for a baker, I like buying sprinkles and putting them in decorative jars that I get at Ikea or at the Dollar Store. 

I do the same thing with specialty salts. Pink Himalayan Sea Salt and Kosher Salt, the latter I buy in bulk, looks so pretty in a more elegant jar. If you want to go really wild, try getting Smoked Salt or Black Salt.

 I also got some of these cool metal serving/cocktail spoons that I thought look so pretty. Those were $3.99. The jars were $1.25 each, I added ribbon along with bows.
These jars, I placed in a special baggie, and wrapped in colorful tissue paper. Feel free to add a printed salted caramel recipe or salted mocha cookie recipe with it(link underneath this paragraph), or even a cookbook. I found a Christmas cookie cookbook on special from $29.99 down to $14.99, and I got an additional 30% off at the cash!
http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2014/11/salted-chocolate-mocha-cookies.html
http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2014/12/caramel-sauce.html

 These baking bowls are perfect for Mise-En-Place (prepping containers for ingredients), they were $2.50-$3.50 and they went on sale down to $1.50.
Also, if there is a new Vegetarian, Raw food Vegan, or healthy individual, in your life, then I recommend Ani's Raw Food Desserts with these bowls from Michael's. This is a great way to introduce Raw Vegan food to people, and the recipes are delectable as well as simple to make. The cookbook was also on sale but I don't remember how much because I can't find the receipt, apologies.

Here is the link to Amazon.ca to get the book, it's under $16!
http://www.amazon.ca/Anis-Raw-Food-Desserts-Delectable/dp/0738213063/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449366838&sr=1-1&keywords=Ani%27s+Raw+Desserts

Another nice addition is locally sourced Raw, Unpasteurized, Organic Honey. I get this from a local bee keeper who is a friend of the family, it tastes like no other honey I have ever had. I contribute to the local economy when I shop, it's always high quality, less expensive than the stores, and there is a commitment to saving and protecting bee's. You get to choose the size you want and decorate the container with stickers, ribbon, and a little blurb write-up about bee's and why this honey is so special.



So, if you are really tight on funds, your tree looks a little skimpy like Charlie Brown's or is non-existent, but you kept a few pennies, or have things in your home that may work, I hope this part 1 of DIY on the cheap helped. Remember that Christmas is ours thanks to God's blessings and no matter what, you are loved.
Keep coming back for more, there will be loads of fun, recipes, and other interesting holiday stuff.
Have a blessed day one and all!