The crafty gift guide
Welp… Birthdays: a celebration for all. But how must one stay original with gift giving?
The most original, thoughtful and creative gifts are the ones you make yourself. I present to you: ‘the crafty gift guide’. These are my all time favorite gifts that may lift your creative spirits.
1. Sewn lavender bags / textile ornaments
This project works really well with scrap fabrics. Gather different types of fabrics (texture, patterns) and choose a subject to recreate. I always draw my subject on a piece of paper and cut al the elements loose from each other so I have a clear pattern. Sew al the elements together using a needle and thread or sewing machine. Leave a gap for the filling and stuff the ornament with lavender or pillow stuffing as seen in the tutorial. I finish my ornaments with pretty beading and bows.
2. Wonderful wrappingpaper and giftboxes
You can even be creative with the presentation of your gift by using origami techniques to make this wonderful giftbbox. I like to make funky custom gift-tags by printing out a picture of them and drawing on a cute birthday outfit. With gemstone-stickers and cute lace i decorate the outsides of my wrapping papers.
3. Personalized (photo)book
If you get a basic notebook or photobook you can personalise the outside by sewing on a fabric of your choice and glueing or sewing on other fabrics to make a lovely drawing on the book cover. You can fill the inside of the book with photos, recipes or messages, but you can also keep it empty for them to fill. It’s totaly up to you!
4. Photograph-tea bags
This one is for the tea lovers! Get a box filled with their favorite tea and replace the label on the string with a picture, secret message or a drawing. This makes for a fun surprise every time they drink tea.
5. Selfmade jewelry
This one really makes for a glamorous gift. You’ll need the following items: beads, shells, earring hooks or a clasp, spring rings, wire, pliers. Assemble the beads by using wire and making a loop on both sides. By getting a new piece of wire and looping them around the loops of the other bead you make a chain.
6. Personalised (movie) posters
I make this project for my friends’ birthdays. I choose their favorite movie and replace the main actors for our friend group. Recently i also started making personalised puzzles. I illustrate a scene with plenty of detail so the puzzle isn’t to hard to make.
7. Crochet items
While crocheting is a time consuming activity, smaller crochet items don’t take up that much time. Hats, headband, small scarfs, little plushies are beginner friendly crochet projects.
8. Collages
Collages are a fun idea to make if you have some cool pictures together, you can use magazines or print out images that they’ll like and collage them into a lovely artpiece.
9. Sustainable gift set
For a unique and much more sustainable gift, I like to browse the thrift shop. There are so many beautiful antique vases, cups and plates. Small ornaments and figurines that will fit the personality you’re shopping for and are lovely for decorating their place. For instance: Make a package filled with teacups and top it off with their favorite type of tea. Or get a beautiful pot and fill it with a cute plant.
10. Painted plant pots
This one is for the plant-lovers! With posca markers (or other paint markers) you can easily draw on different surfaces. I like to draw something within the color pallete of their house. You can do patterns, but also still lives or landscapes. For extra security, you can paint a layer mod podge on top of your drawing so it won’t scratch of as easily.
11. Printed T-shirts
With transfer paper for fabrics you can make the most unique designs for clothing. Just remember that it’ll transfer your images mirrored.
12. Selfmade vouchers
If you have someone that rather receives activities for gifts, you can still be creative with the presentation. In Canva or by drawing on a thicker piece of paper, you can design your own vouchers.
