With Christmas coming up, it got me thinking about what presents I should get for my friends and family. Since I am in college and without a job at the moment, I shouldn't be spending a lot of money. As a result, I looked around on the Internet and thought of some of my own ideas. Plus, many of these are so fun to make! Here are 10 ideas sure to make your loved ones (and your wallet) happy.
1. DIY Corner Bookmark
I have so many of these because they're so fun to make! You can just make simple ones like in the video or make them look like animals, fruits, monsters, and more. These are a great gift for book lovers and students to use in their textbooks.
2. Positivity Painting
Alexandra Villeda
I made a picture of a penguin for a friend, and she loved it! I'm not the best at drawing, but cute cartoon animals seem to be pretty straightforward. I outlined and painted my friend's favorite animal. I finished the piece by writing an affirmation above it that I thought fit well.
3. Used Books
assorted books on wooden table
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
Adding on to the bookmark idea, you can get used books to go along with it. Used books are usually inexpensive, and on Thriftbooks, many of them cost about $5!
4. 3D Origami
Okay, this one is a bit more time-consuming, but the outcome is worth it! These origami pieces can be used to build 3D sculptures of things like Disney characters and animals. There are many tutorials on YouTube to guide you through the process, and I recommend starting with small ones.
5. Crystal Flower
Photo by Vergil Reyes on Unsplash
All you have to do is follow the instructions on the website using borax, hot water, a container, and a flower (fake or real). And voila, you got yourself a crystal flower!
6. One-sided Card
Photo by erica steeves on Unsplash
Honestly, I don't like buying cards from the store to give to someone. I decided to make my own where one side has the name of the recipient and a cute clipart image and the other side is blank so I can write my message to them. I just used Microsoft Word and printed them on cardstock. Here's the link!
7. Baked Goods
Who wouldn't enjoy a batch of cookies or brownies? If you can bake well, then I'm sure that your friends and family will love it.
8. A Jar of Music Notes
Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash
Okay, so I thought this was a cute play on words, and I couldn't really find it on the Internet, so I made a template! Basically, all you have to do is type in the text box, print, cut them out, and place it in a jar. You can type short messages about the person you're giving it to or compile a bunch of positive affirmations to make them feel good. It's up to you how you want to edit this!
*NOTE: When you first click on the link, it may look jumbled up. If you open it in Google Docs, it'll go back to normal. If you download it to use in Microsoft Word, you'll have to reposition the images and text boxes.
9. Photo Edit
Alexandra Villeda
The photo above is a photo I took and edited of the clouds. I think it looks like there's a baby elephant. I printed it out on photo paper to tape to my wall! I think this would be a cool idea as a gift - take a picture of something like clouds or flowers, edit it to look more aesthetic, and frame it. You can use photo editing apps like PicsArt or Pixlr to create a cool piece of decor!
10. Shrinky Dink Charms
Youtube
I remember when I first made these in art class. Watching them curl up in the oven was so cool to me! You can reuse a plastic container that you already have (like in the video) or buy the actual shrink plastic sheets like these ones.
