One of the hardest things to do is trying to find the perfect gift for the perfect person. We spend so much time scoping down aisles at every store you can think of and scouring Amazon for something perfect (and easier on your wallet). Then, we see these cute and thoughtful homemade presents on our social medias and hope that maybe we could pull something like that off, but what should we do? Everything on Pinterest looks too hard for the everyday person. So, for those of who don't own mod podge (let alone those who don't know what it is) and haven't done arts and crafts since grade school, here are five do it yourself (DIYs) that will blow your significant other or friends away!
1. Open when letters
They're cute, easy, and really thoughtful. You can cater these letters to what you want and can make them as personal as you want. There's no extra money needed, just some paper, envelopes and loving time! You can even get fancy and create your own envelopes like these.
The person who receives this can only open the letters when the topic is relevant. For instance, "Open when you're mad at me" can be opened after a fight and sometimes is just the fix that an argument needs, or "Open when you miss me" for long periods apart.
I've tried this and loved it! It was actually really fun adding cute things in the envelopes and slowly as they opened the letters they would text me or call me and tell me how it made their day! It's a gift that keeps on giving.
2. "Reasons Why" jars
Attention jar lovers! This is the craft for you! The typical jar is "x Reasons why I love you" and the reasons are written on strips of paper and folded to put inside the jar. This can be varied for people (can even be a date night jar)! This, like the "Open when letters" are nice because only one can be taken out a day! Another gift that keeps on giving.
Now, the best part might be decorating the jar. It can be personal with funny pictures and inside jokes or can just be simple with a tag and a ribbon. All you have to pay for is a jar and the crafts you want to stick to it!
This is another that I've done and I'll admit coming up with a lot of reasons to fill that jar can be difficult, but it's definitely worth the time. I gave this to my mom for Mother's Day and she loved it!
3. The classic scrapbook
Everyone has heard jokes about scrapbooking but it's actually very fun! You don't have to stick to the traditional scrapbooks with neat pictures and even neater captions. Have fun with this one and make themed pages. It's especially fun if you've been together for awhile so you can have even more memories to stick on the pages, or leave pages blank for future memories!
I've done this one, but for friends. It was really bittersweet seeing how much we've changed over the years and how some people went from showing up a lot to not showing up that much anymore.
4. Children's book
This is really good for people who are about to graduate from school or move into a new chapter of their lives. You can find their favorite children's book and then get friends, coworkers, family, and others to sign them and leave cute and personal notes.
I did this for some friends as a graduation present and I had a lot of fun doing it. It's nice to see something we enjoyed as children be filled with encouraging words to get us through the transition. It was received really well by my friends (even some happy tears in there).
You can find some cheap children's books here.
5. T-shirt knot blanket
This is like the normal knot blanket but instead of another designed piece of fabric on top, you take t-shirts and cut them into squares, quilt style. Once those are all tied together, then you tie the edges to the fabric underneath and voila! A further tutorial can be found here.
I've had normal knot blankets made for me that I absolutely adore cuddling with because someone took the time to make them for me, but I've also made a t-shirt blanket for myself with t-shirts I'd collected since I started at school and my boyfriend ended up snatching that and loves it when I'm away!
I hope this helps and gives you some awesome ideas! Happy crafting!
