Crafts
75 Cheap DIY Gifts To Make For Under $5
75 cheap DIY gifts to make for under $5: a dotted Sharpie mug, a light bulb planter, felt coasters, a painted clay tray, macrame and stenciled tea towels.
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Here are 75 cheap DIY gifts that cost under $5 each, and every one of them is something people actually keep. You'll find a dotted Sharpie mug, a light bulb planter, felt fruit coasters, an air dry clay tray, a macrame bracelet, stenciled flour sack tea towels and mini notebooks made from scrap paper, plus bath melts, gift jars and a leather keychain. Ten of these are our own projects with a full video on each one, so you can watch before you start. The rest come from craft blogs we trust, and most take an hour or less. Perfect for teachers, coworkers, neighbors, hostess thank yous and Christmas morning!
1. Embroidered Felt Corner Bookmark
5 Little Monsters
Erica cuts a three inch square of felt, slices it corner to corner into two triangles, and embroiders a few little flowers and leaves on one of them with backstitch, lazy daisy, French knots and satin stitch. A narrow blanket stitch joins the two short edges and leaves the long edge open so the triangle slips over a page corner. She says a stiffer felt is easier to stitch because it will not stretch. A square of felt and a length of floss run well under a dollar.
2. Dotted Heart Sharpie Mug
A dollar store mug and a red Sharpie make a gift that looks designed. Cut a paper heart, stick it to the mug with a repositionable glue pen, then dot around the edge with red and pink markers, letting a few dots creep onto the paper so the outline stays crisp. Peel the heart away and the negative space is the design. For a mug that survives the dishwasher, use an oil based paint marker, wait a full day and bake it from a cold oven.
3. Seed Stitch Knit Washcloth
Mama In A Stitch
Jessica knits her washcloth in seed stitch, alternating knits and purls so the fabric comes out covered in little nubs that are good for scrubbing dishes. It is worked flat as a plain rectangle on size seven needles, gauge does not matter, and a band of a lighter yellow near one end breaks up the color. She reaches for worsted weight cotton every time because it absorbs. One skein is a few dollars and makes a hostess gift that gets used daily.
4. Hot Chocolate Mix Gift Jar
I Heart Naptime
Jamielyn Nye pulses whole milk powder, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, a finely chopped white chocolate bar, a little cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a food processor until the mix is smooth. The cornstarch is what keeps it from clumping in the jar. One batch fills about eighteen servings, so a double batch portions out into small jars with a ribbon and a tag that says a third of a cup to a cup of hot milk. It is ten minutes of work for a whole street of neighbors.
5. Light Bulb Mini Planter
Next time a bulb burns out, keep the glass. Separate it from the metal base, sand the opening smooth, paint it pink and dot on little daisies with paint pens. The stand is eight or ten craft sticks cut to two inches, glued in pairs into A shapes and joined into a ring that cradles the round glass. Fill it with a small succulent or the rolled paper grass from the tutorial. It costs pennies and it sits on a desk like a tiny sculpture.
6. Bubble Wrap Stamped Terracotta Pots
Kim Pepper Blog
Kim Pepper's secret weapon is a scrap of bubble wrap. She sponges acrylic craft paint onto the bubbles, goes light on the paint so the pattern stays soft, then presses the sheet onto a plain terracotta pot from the dollar store for a loose polka dot. A swatch of burlap stamps a woven texture the same way. A thin wash of wood stain buffed off afterward ages the whole thing, and a strip of burlap glued around the lip finishes one pot.
7. Leather Tassel Keychain
Welcome To Nana's
Shelly cut hers from a worn out leather coat, which is the cheapest way in, though any soft material that will not ravel works. A four by seven inch rectangle gets a line drawn three quarters of an inch from one long edge, then narrow fringe is cut up to that line. A small doubled strip glued through a swivel clasp goes at one end, the whole piece rolls up tight along a bead of glue, and twine wrapped at the neck holds five beads on the ends.
8. Felt Fruit Coasters
A lemon, a watermelon and an apple, each one a stack of felt circles hot glued together. The lemon is a yellow circle, a smaller white one and five yellow triangles for the segments. The watermelon layers green, white and pink with ten black teardrop seeds. The apple gets a template, a leaf and a stem. A sheet of felt is under a dollar and makes several, so a set of four with a ribbon around them is a real gift for the price of a coffee.
9. Spiced Chai Concentrate Gift Jar
Winding Creek Ranch
Jeri Walker simmers four cups of water with cinnamon sticks, cracked green cardamom pods, star anise, whole cloves, peppercorns and sliced ginger for fifteen minutes, then kills the heat and steeps black tea bags for seven. She strains it, presses every drop through the sieve and stirs brown sugar and vanilla in while it is still warm. Crack the pods rather than grind them or the drink turns gritty. One batch fills a jar with about eight servings for the price of one coffee shop cup.
10. Milk and Honey Bath Melts
Bren Did
Bren melts mango butter, almond oil and honey together in a glass bowl set over boiling water, then stirs in powdered milk until the mixture goes crumbly. Two tablespoons at a time get rolled into tight balls and rolled again in more powdered milk so they finish snowy white. One drops into a warm bath and turns it into a soak that leaves dry winter skin soft. A batch fills a jar and costs pennies a melt.
11. Air Dry Clay Jewelry Tray
Roll a slab of air dry clay, lay it over a small tray dusted with baby powder as a mold, trim the edge and let it dry. The blue and white pattern is a paper napkin decoupaged onto the dried clay, then a coat of UV resin gives it a glassy, wipeable finish. One block of clay makes several trays, so the cost per gift is about a dollar. It holds rings and earrings on a nightstand, and the napkin pattern can match whoever you're giving it to.
12. Dip Dyed Wooden Spoons
The Palette Muse
Meredith heats water to boiling, pours it into a tall stainless cup and stirs in about half a teaspoon of fabric dye and a pinch of salt for every cup. Then she dips the spoon handles, going a little deeper each time so the color builds into an ombre instead of a hard line. Any wooden spoon works as long as it is not already painted or sealed. A wide rubber band wrapped tight makes a resist stripe.
13. Felt Teacup and Teapot Bookmarks
Agnes Creates
Agnes cuts a teapot and a teacup out of felt scraps and stitches each pair together with two strands of embroidery floss in a blanket or whip stitch. Twelve inches of narrow brown ribbon glues between the spout pieces at one end and behind the cup at the other, so the pot sits above the page and the cup swings below it. Felt does not fray, which is why the raw edges need no finishing at all.
14. Easy Macrame Bracelet
Macrame bracelets are back, and this rose pattern needs nothing but cord, scissors and a tape measure. Two colors of waxed cord get knotted in a repeating pattern that puffs up into little rose shapes along the band, then the ends slide closed so it fits any wrist. A spool of cord makes a dozen bracelets, which puts each one well under a dollar. Make a stack in someone's favorite colors and it's a friendship bracelet upgrade.
15. Pastel Rainbow Trinket Box
Persia Lou
Alexis Middleton starts by finding the center of the box front, then pencils five stripes a centimeter wide out from it on each side. She paints the stripes in her chosen order, reverses the order on the second group so the two sides mirror, and joins the matching colors with arcs across the lid. White clouds at the base finish it. She suggests painting a practice rainbow on scrap paper first to be sure of the color run.
16. Leather Loop Keychain
Homey Oh My
Amy cuts a one inch strip of tooling leather with a rotary cutter and a ruler, marks the loop at six inches, then cuts two small trapezoids out of the middle so the strap narrows where the ring sits. The short end folds over, the long end folds on top, and a rivet set through all three layers with a hammer holds the key ring in place. Measure the loop before you cut, she says, or it ends up awkwardly long.
17. Citrus Print Tea Towels
Cut a lemon or an orange in half, scoop out the pulp so the membrane walls stay, pat it dry and it's a stamp. Mix craft paint with textile medium, brush it onto the cut face and press it onto a plain flour sack towel in loose, offset rows so the prints fill in. Pink lemons and green limes look great together. A pack of plain towels is a few dollars and one lemon prints the set, so a pair tied with twine is a kitchen gift under $5.
18. No Elastic Fabric Headband
Polka Dot Chair
Melissa Mortenson folds a piece of lightweight cotton in half lengthwise, sews the long edge with a quarter inch seam, turns the tube right side out and presses it flat. It then gathers over a plain skinny headband and hot glues underneath at each end. There is no elastic anywhere in it, which is why it stays put all day without giving anyone a headache. She made two of them in a morning out of leftover scraps.
19. Homemade Cajun Seasoning Blend
Flavour and Savour
Elaine stirs paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano and thyme, cayenne, salt and pepper together in a small bowl and funnels the blend into an airtight jar or a shaker. One batch makes about a quarter cup. Reach for smoked paprika if you want it smoky, more cayenne if you want it hot. Made with fresh spices it stays good for six months, so a small jar with a tag naming a dish to try is a real gift.
20. Mini Notebooks from Scrap Paper
One sheet of paper folds into a whole pocket notebook. Fold it in half twice each way, cut along the creases in a snaking pattern so the panels stay joined, then accordion fold the strip into a block of pages. A scrap of patterned cardstock wraps it as a cover. They cost nothing, use up leftover paper, and a stack of three tied with baker's twine is a stocking stuffer or a desk gift that people actually use for lists and doodles.
21. Painted Thrift Store Picture Frame
Hello Little Home
Ginnie brightened a heavy dark frame with nothing but craft paint. She tapes off the edges first, pressing the tape down firmly so no paint seeps under, then brushes thin coats on with a foam brush until the wood is covered and peels the tape before the last coat dries hard. Her warning is worth repeating: keep the tape off old artwork, because the paint can lift away with it. A thrifted frame costs a couple of dollars.
22. Stenciled Flour Sack Tea Towels
Do Dodson Designs
Do Dodson launders and presses her flour sack towels first because the cotton shrinks, then lays parchment paper underneath so nothing bleeds through onto the counter. She tapes the stencil down, loads a foam brush with chalk paint and dabs it straight down instead of brushing it, which is what keeps the edges of the pattern crisp. Her own note after the first towel was to use more paint, not less. A twelve pack of plain towels turns into a stack of gifts for about a dollar each.
23. Napkin Decoupage Vase
A plain dollar store jar becomes a blue and white porcelain lookalike with one paper napkin. Paint the jar white, two coats, then peel the printed top layer off a patterned napkin, cut out the motifs and glue them on with decoupage medium, smoothing as you go. A final coat seals it. Tie twine around the neck, drop in a few grocery store roses and it's a gift that looks like it came from a craft market for about two dollars.
24. Quilted Sunglasses Case
Alice and Lois
Sara Albers sews a padded sunglasses case from two 8 by 7 inch blocks of fabric, two of lining and two of quilt batting, with a strip of hook and loop tape to close it. The batting is what makes it a real case instead of a pouch, because it cushions the lenses in a handbag. Fat quarters cover several cases, so pick a print for each person on your list. It takes about twenty minutes on a machine and reads as a boutique gift.
25. Paperwhite Bulb in a Monogram Mug
At Charlotte's House
Charlotte Smith calls this the easiest five minute holiday gift, and it covers the mail carrier, the office assistant and everyone else you forgot. A monogrammed coffee mug gets a layer of pebbles or fish tank gravel, a scoop of dirt, a paperwhite bulb and a cap of moss. That's it. The mugs were under $5 and the rest of the supplies made more than ten gifts. Deliver it the day you plant it, and the recipient gets fragrant white flowers a few weeks later.
26. Hot Glue Photo Frame Magnets
Tiny gilded frames from a glue gun. Print photos at about an inch, pile clear hot glue on top of each one and press a chilled wax seal stamp into it, so the glue sets into an ornate frame shape with the photo in the middle. Trim the excess, paint the frame gold and stick a small magnet on the back. A pack of magnets and a glue stick cover a whole set, so a fridge full of family faces costs a couple of dollars and looks like antique brass.
27. Photo Tile Coasters
Average But Inspired
Bre turns plain ceramic tiles from the hardware store into photo coasters that hold real memories. She paints the tile edges, brushes dishwasher safe decoupage medium over a printed photo, smooths it onto the tile and seals it with a spray sealer, then adds felt bumper pads underneath. Tiles are well under a dollar each, so a set of four with family photos is a Father's Day, grandparent or new house gift for pocket change.
28. Potted Paperwhite Bulb Gifts
Barley and Birch
Amanda pots paperwhite and crocus bulbs in half pint jars and small clay pots so the gift keeps growing after it's opened. A layer of pebbles goes in the bottom for drainage, then potting soil, the bulb with its tip showing and a topping of sheet moss. A scrap of ribbon or twine around the jar finishes it. Bulbs cost about a dollar apiece in fall, and the recipient gets flowers in a few weeks, which beats a cut bouquet.
29. Photo Cutout Bookmarks
Print a full length photo of someone with their arms up, cut the figure out, back it with cardstock and leave the hands free so a tassel can hang from them. Two pieces of clear contact paper laminate the whole thing. Tucked in a book, the figure looks like it's hanging off the page by the tassel. Use a pet, a kid or the gift recipient themselves. A sheet of contact paper does a dozen, so each bookmark is a few cents and a big laugh.
30. Rainbow Sprinkle Bath Bombs
Bitz and Giggles
Sara's bath bombs fizz a rainbow when they hit the water. Baking soda, epsom salt, cornstarch and citric acid get whisked together, a little water, fragrance oil and food coloring go in slowly so the mix doesn't fizz early, and the mixture gets packed into a silicone heart mold with rainbow nonpareils pressed on top. They dry overnight and pop out ready to wrap. A batch makes a dozen, so a bag of three costs well under $5.
31. Lavender Soy Wax Melts
Create Craft Love
Jill melts a cup of soy wax chips in a glass bowl in the microwave, stirs in fifteen to twenty drops of lavender essential oil and pours the wax into a silicone baking mold. Once they set, the melts pop out and go into a little bag or a jar for gifting. No wicks, no thermometer and no worry about an open flame, and they scent a room in a wax warmer for hours. A bag of soy wax makes dozens, so each gift is under a dollar.
32. Fabric Rosette Rings
Creations by Kara
Kara Cook rolls a strip of fabric into a rosette, folding the end in at an angle and twisting as she winds so the petals show, with a dab of hot glue every turn to hold it. The finished flower gets glued to a plain adjustable ring base from the jewelry aisle. Scraps from any project work, so the rings cost almost nothing, and girls of any age love them. She saw them in a quilt shop and made a whole batch for a few dollars.
33. Thrifted Tea Cup Candle
Dans le Lakehouse
Tanya pours soy wax into thrift store tea cups and scents them with bergamot so they smell like Earl Grey. A wick gets glued to the bottom of the cup and held straight with a skewer, soy flakes melt in a measuring cup set in a pot of simmering water, a thermometer tells you when to add the oil, and the wax gets poured in and left to set. A cup costs a quarter at the thrift store, and the candle is a gift people keep on a nightstand.
34. Gold Leaf Succulent Pots
Erin Spain
Erin Spain paints small terracotta pots in dove gray and white, tapes off a diagonal or a band below the rim, brushes on gilding adhesive and presses sheets of gold leaf onto the tacky area. A dry brush flakes away the excess and leaves a clean gilded edge. Pots are under a dollar, a booklet of leaf does several and a grocery store succulent finishes it. She showed these on local morning TV as a Mother's Day gift, and they cost about $4 each.
35. Washi Tape Glass Marble Magnets
DIY Candy
Amy prices this one at two dollars for five magnets. Strips of washi tape in two patterns go down a sheet of scrapbook paper, flat glass marbles get glued over the tape with spray adhesive or decoupage medium, the paper is trimmed around each marble with a craft knife, and a small magnet is glued to the back with strong adhesive. The glass magnifies the pattern so they look like something from a stationery shop. A set on a cute card is a locker or fridge gift.
36. Scrapbook Paper Tile Coasters
It All Started With Paint
Linda buys white tiles individually at the home improvement store for about thirty cents each and covers them in scrapbook paper. The paper is cut a quarter inch smaller than the tile all around, glued down with hard coat decoupage medium, smoothed with fingers and sealed with five thin coats on top. Felt or cork on the back protects the table. A set of four with paper that matches someone's kitchen costs about two dollars and takes an evening of drying time.
37. Clay Fingerprint Heart Necklace
It's Always Autumn
Autumn presses two fingerprints into a small disc of oven bake clay so they overlap into a heart, pokes a hole with a toothpick and bakes it on parchment for a few minutes. A jump ring and a chain or a length of cord finish it. A one dollar package of white clay makes around twenty pendants, and a silver clay costs closer to three, so this is a keepsake gift for mom or grandma that comes in far under $5 and takes minutes.
38. Pencil Wrapped Teacher Vase
Just the Woods
Kandice Kullmann hot glues unsharpened pencils side by side around a plain glass vase until the glass disappears, then ties a ribbon around the middle to hide the seams. Two packs of pencils and a dollar store vase are the whole cost, and a handful of grocery store flowers turns it into an end of year teacher gift that isn't another mug. Kids can help line up the pencils. When the flowers are gone, the pencils come off and go in the classroom.
39. Coffee Vanilla Sugar Scrub
My Turn for Us
Evelyn Osborn stirs a cup and a half of sugar into half a cup of coconut oil, adds twenty drops of vanilla essential oil and a tablespoon of coffee grounds, and spoons it into three four ounce mason jars with a canning funnel. Ten minutes, three gifts, and the coffee grounds can come from the morning pot. Tie a tag on with twine and it's a spa gift for a coffee lover, a coworker or a hostess for about a dollar a jar.
40. Oyster Shell Candles
Pillar Box Blue
Claire Armstrong saves the shells from an oyster dinner, scrubs them, and turns them into tea light sized candles. Each shell gets filled with water and tipped into a jug to measure how much wax it needs, a wick gets glued into the deepest point, and soy wax melted in a bowl over simmering water is poured in and trimmed once set. She sprays some shells gold on the outside and boxes three together for a coastal gift. The shells are free and the wax is pennies.
41. Pink Wood Wick Soy Candle
Swoon Worthy
Kimberly Duran colors soy wax with a few dye flakes for a soft pink candle that crackles when it burns thanks to a wood wick. The wick stands in a clear glass holder with its stabilizer, soy flakes melt with a spoon of carrier oil, dye flakes and essential oil go in off the heat, and the wax gets poured and left overnight. Dye flakes are cheap and go a long way, so a bag of wax and a pack of wicks make several candles for a few dollars each.
42. Mini Succulent Terrariums
The Design Twins
Julie and Jodie layer gravel, a little charcoal, cactus soil and one or two small succulents in clear glass jars so the layers show from the side, then top the soil with decorative stones or moss. Thrifted jars and dollar store succulents keep each one under $5, and they made a batch for a craft night with friends. The tutorial covers which jars work, how much to water and how to keep the glass clean while you fill it.
43. Wire and Soda Can Love Arrow
A Crafty Mix
Michelle bends twelve gauge jewelry wire into the word LOVE using a free template, then mounts it on a dowel arrow with a soda can arrowhead, two feathers at the tail and burlap twine wrapped where the pieces meet. A groove sawn in the dowel holds the wire and a screw on a scrap of wood lets the arrow balance. Wire, a dowel and an empty can are the whole cost. It's a shelf or wall sign, and works for anniversaries as well as Valentine's Day.
44. Embossed Calendula Melt and Pour Soap
Garden Therapy
Stephanie Rose skips the lye by using a melt and pour oatmeal shea soap base, already saponified. Rubber embossing stamps go face up in a square mold, the base is cubed and melted in a double boiler or the microwave, calendula petals and sweet orange and lavender oils get stirred in, and the soap is poured over the stamps. Each bar pops out with a flower or a stamped message pressed into the top. Half a pound of base makes a stack of bars for a few dollars.
45. Three Ingredient Peppermint Sugar Scrub
Skip to My Lou
Cindy Hopper's sugar scrub is sugar, coconut oil and a few drops of peppermint essential oil stirred together and packed into a small mason jar, with a free printable label and a length of baker's twine to finish it. Swap the peppermint for lavender or citrus and the same jar suits anyone on the list. Sugar and coconut oil are pantry staples, so a batch of six jars costs a few dollars, and the label makes these cheap DIY gifts look like they came from a gift shop.
46. Creamy Coffee Melt and Pour Soap
Soap Queen
Amanda chops a goat milk melt and pour base into small pieces, melts it in short bursts in the microwave, stirs in coffee seed oil, an espresso fragrance and a heaping spoon of used coffee grounds, then pours it into a round silicone mold. The trick is letting the soap cool to about 120 degrees before pouring so the grounds stay suspended instead of sinking. A spritz of alcohol pops the bubbles. Six creamy speckled bars come out of one pour, and they smell like a coffee shop.
47. Gardener's Hand Salve in a Tin
Dogwoods and Dandelions
Julie makes this salve for hands wrecked by weeding and planting, and skips the days of herb infusing most recipes call for. Moisturizing oils and butters melt together with a little beeswax, get poured into small tins and set into a firm balm that softens cracked knuckles and heels. She pairs a tin with a lip balm as a gift for a gardener, and a pretty printed label on the lid finishes it. A few ounces of oil and beeswax fill several tins for under $5.
48. Whipped Body Butter
Artsy Chicks Rule
Nancy's body butter is all edible ingredients, though she suggests slathering it on rather than eating it. Shea butter, coconut oil and avocado butter get melted gently, chilled in the fridge until thickened, then whipped in a mixer until fluffy like frosting and spooned into small clip top jars. Refined butters take an essential oil scent, unrefined ones smell nutty on their own. A tub of shea and a jar of coconut oil make a whole shelf of jars for a few dollars each.
49. Dollar Store Foot Soak Jar
Simple Made Pretty
Melanie buys the jar and most of the supplies at the dollar store, then fills it with epsom salt, pink Himalayan salt and a few drops of peppermint and lavender essential oils. That's four ingredients and five minutes. A free printable Sweet Feet label goes on the lid, and she gave the first batch as Mother's Day gifts. Epsom salt is a couple of dollars a bag and fills several jars, so this is a spa gift for tired feet that comes in well under $5.
50. Vanilla Honey Lip Scrub
The Soccer Mom Blog
Stacey stirs a cup of white sugar into a quarter cup of avocado oil with a tablespoon of honey and a splash of vanilla extract, and that's the whole scrub. It makes a full packed cup, enough for several tiny jars, and she warms raw honey slightly so it mixes in. Vanilla and honey together smell like a bakery, and the sugar exfoliates while the oil and honey soften. Small hinged jars or mini mason jars from the craft store turn it into a gift for pocket change.
51. Grapefruit Mint Lip Balm Tubes
Back Porch Bliss
Misty keeps a mason jar of these in the fridge and finds stray tubes all over the house. Mango butter, coconut oil and beeswax melt in a glass measuring cup over simmering water, grapefruit and peppermint oils and a pinch of mica go in once it cools, and the mix gets poured quickly into a bundle of lip balm tubes held with a rubber band. A printed wrap label finishes them. Tubes cost pennies each in a bulk pack, so a set of three is a stocking stuffer under $2.
52. Beaded Crochet Bookmark
Little World of Whimsy
Sara's bookmark took her thirty five minutes with a 2.5 mm hook and a ball of mercerized cotton, and the free pattern is written in US terms on the page. A lacy strip of chain and double crochet rows gets a tassel at one end and a few beads threaded on for weight, so it drapes over the page instead of slipping out. One ball of cotton makes several, putting each bookmark under a dollar. Pair it with a paperback for a gift for any reader on the list.
53. Mum Embroidery Hoop
Makenstitch
Gabriela Statie designed this free pattern to teach beginners lettering and a handful of classic stitches at once. The word Mum goes down in stem stitch in dark gray, then a coral flower, gold buds and green leaves fill the corner with satin stitch, lazy daisies and French knots. A small hoop, a scrap of linen or cotton and five colors of floss are the whole cost, and she lists the exact shades. Swap the word for Mom, Nana or a name and it works for anyone.
54. Propagation Frame with a Cutting
Oh So Lovely Blog
Audrey ran out of shelf space for plants rooting in water, so she turned old picture frames into wall art that holds a cutting. A thrifted frame gets a coat of paint, a small magnet is glued to the frame and another to a glass jar or tube, and the two snap together so the jar can come off for a water change. A cutting from a polka dot begonia or a pothos goes in and roots on the wall. She spent nothing, and a rooted cutting is the gift.
55. Scrap Wood Air Plant Wall Art
Ugly Duckling House
Sarah Fogle built this from the scrap pile: a shallow frame of furring strips around a thin plywood back, then random cutoffs of quarter inch oak plywood glued on in an overlapping mosaic, stained with a wood aging solution and touched with white paint. A few air plants tuck into the gaps between the pieces and the whole thing hangs like a picture. The wood was free, air plants run two or three dollars each, and there's a video for the assembly.
56. Six Ways to Decorate a Wood Slice Ornament
Lemon Thistle
Colleen Pastoor tried six ways to turn a plain wood slice into an ornament and shares them all: wood burned words and a tiny tree, watercolor washes (let each layer dry, the wood drinks it), typewriter alphabet stamps with an ink pad, a stenciled Peace on Earth, a painted scene and a simple hand lettered Holly Jolly. A bag of birch slices costs a few dollars and makes a whole box of ornaments, so a pair on a ribbon is a neighbor or teacher gift for well under $5.
57. Relax String Art Sign
Club Crafted
Holly's string art took under an hour and the word relax comes from her free printable template. Tape the template to an 8 by 10 wood slab, hammer a mini gold nail at each dot along the letters, tear the paper away, then wind ombre embroidery thread back and forth between the nails until the letters fill in. A slab of scrap wood, a box of tiny nails and one skein of thread are the whole cost. Print any word you like if relax isn't the message.
58. Decoupaged Shell Trinket Trays
Centsational Style
Kate sells these in her shop and shows how to make them at home. Clean, dry scallop or oyster shells get a coat of decoupage medium inside, then the printed layer of a paper napkin is patted from the center out until it hugs the curve, trimmed at the edge and sealed. A line of gold paint around the rim finishes each one. Shells are free from the beach or a dollar a bag at the craft store, and one napkin covers a whole set of ring dishes.
59. Wine Cork Trivet with a Hose Clamp
Sadie Seasongoods
Sarah Ramberg finally found a wine cork craft she would actually use. About forty eight corks of the same height stand on end inside a six inch stainless steel hose clamp from the hardware store, and tightening the clamp locks them into a solid round trivet. No glue, no cutting, a few minutes of fiddling to get them snug. The corks are saved from the basket everyone has, the clamp is a couple of dollars, and it protects a table from a hot pot for years.
60. Hanging Glass Globe Terrariums
A Beautiful Mess
Emma Chapman hangs small glass globe terrariums from fishing line so they float in a window. A knot through the globe's loop gets a dot of hot glue so it never slips, a quarter inch of fast draining mix goes in the bottom, and a two inch succulent gets tucked in with a spoon of soil over the roots. Half a cup of potting soil with pumice and sand fills three globes. Small globes and succulents run around $5 apiece, and need a mist of water once a week.
61. Vintage Label Tin Can Herb Planters
DIY Beautify
Cindy turns 28 ounce cans into herb planters with a vintage seed packet look. The labels peel off, a nail and hammer punch drainage holes in the bottom, a coffee filter lines the inside, and free printable labels get a quick coffee stain, dry and decoupage onto the front. Potting soil and a grocery store herb finish it. Basil, thyme and parsley in a row on a windowsill is the gift, and the cans, filters and coffee are already in the kitchen.
62. Potato Stamped Christmas Tea Towel
Make and Do Crew
Jess Coppom carves a triangle into half a potato, dips it in green fabric paint and stamps a row of Christmas trees across a plain flour sack towel, then adds a red star with a smaller cut potato. She warns the towel drinks paint, so go light and let it dry before a second pass. A pack of flour sack towels is a few dollars, a potato is pennies and one bottle of paint does a whole stack. Wrap one around soap or a wooden spoon and it's done.
63. Striped Bamboo Spoons
Moms and Crafters
Menucha gives plain bamboo utensils crisp teal and coral stripes with a supply that's already in most bathroom drawers, and the finish holds up to real cooking. Her post walks through masking the stripes, getting clean edges and drying the handles without smudges, and the result looks like a boutique kitchen set. A pack of bamboo spoons is a couple of dollars, so two tied together with twine and a tea towel makes a hostess or new kitchen gift well under $5.
64. Simple Beaded Drop Earrings
The Merrythought
Caitlin McGrath's earrings are a head pin, a few small beads and an ear wire. Slide the beads onto the pin, bend the top into a loop with round nose pliers, trim the excess and hook the loop onto the ear wire. The short video shows the loop, which is the only fiddly part. A pack of head pins and a strand of beads makes a dozen pairs, so she suggests a crafternoon with friends where everyone leaves with earrings. Gold beads on brass wire look like a boutique pair.
65. No Sew Fabric Scrunchies
Little Red Window
Cassie May prices these at $3 and five minutes each, and there's no sewing anywhere. A 4 by 18 inch strip of quilting cotton gets its long edges pressed under, a strip of iron on hem tape fuses it into a tube, a length of three quarter inch elastic threads through, and the ends get fused and tucked. A fat quarter makes two or three, so a set in someone's favorite prints tied with a ribbon is a teen, bridesmaid or stocking gift for less than one from the mall.
66. Wood Bead Keychains
The Homes I Have Made
Megan made dozens of these in a few hours for her holiday list. Unfinished wood beads in a few sizes, a couple of gold beads and a geometric bead or two get strung onto leather cord in a pattern, knotted onto a key ring and finished with a short leather tassel. She paints some beads navy and red for color and leaves the rest raw. Bulk wood beads and a spool of cord cover a batch, making them ideal for a scout troop, a craft sale or stocking stuffers.
67. Stamped Vintage Key Necklace
Well Crafted Studio
Jennifer Swift stamps a word into the flat head of a vintage key with a metal letter set and a brass hammer, then darkens the letters and hangs the key on a ball chain with a charm or two. She learned by trial and error and shares every tip, including a strip of foil tape to keep the letters lined up and why the brass hammer matters for a clean impression. Old keys cost cents at a flea market, so once you own the stamp set, each necklace costs nothing.
68. Leaf Imprint Clay Jewelry Dish
Single Girl's DIY
Kimberly rolls a ball of air dry clay flat to a quarter inch, cuts a rectangle, lays a real leaf on top and presses it in so the veins and stem leave an imprint, then lifts the edges up into a shallow tray. Once dry, a coat of spring green craft paint and a clear glaze finish it. Any leaf or flower from the yard works, matching the season. One block of clay makes several, so the cost is about a dollar a dish plus whatever leaf you find.
69. Herb Filled Moth Sachets
DIY in PDX
Rachel sews heart shaped sachets from fabric scraps and fills them with a moth repelling herb mix of dried mint, rosemary, thyme, lavender and cloves, so a favorite sweater comes out of storage without holes. Two fabric layers get cut from a heart template, a ribbon loop is pinned between them, a zigzag stitch goes around the edge with a small filling gap, and the gap is stitched closed. Dried herbs from the bulk bin fill several, and a pair on a hanger suits anyone with a wool coat.
70. Wrapped Can Pencil Holder
Organize and Decorate Everything
Leanne wraps an empty hot cocoa can in silver and white faux wood grain wrapping paper, cutting the piece about an inch longer than the can so it overlaps at the back, and the grid on the back of the paper makes measuring easy. That's the whole project, and it turned a table in the living room into a spot for the kids' laptop. Fill it with twig pencils or new ones for a desk gift for a teacher, coworker or student for the price of the paper.
71. Printed Paper Notepads
Easy Paper Crafts
Rita S makes notepads from plain printer paper for practically nothing. A sheet gets divided into four quarters in any publishing program, each quarter gets the same lines or clip art, fifteen sheets print and cut into sixty pad sized pages, and a chipboard backer and a brushed on padding glue bind the top edge. A cardstock cover tied with ribbon dresses it up. She gives them as teacher gifts and stocking stuffers, and a small business can print its name on top.
72. No Sew Knotted Fleece Scarf
Sew Simple Home
Chelsea Briner's daughter's review was that it's so soft, and it takes a quarter yard of fleece and no sewing. Cut the fleece to 8 by 60 inches for a kid or 8 by 72 for an adult, trim the selvage, lay a strip of masking tape four inches from each short end, cut one inch fringe to the tape, pull the tape and knot each strip. Fleece runs a few dollars a yard, so a plaid scarf for everyone is a cheap, fast gift for the coldest week.
73. Painted Rock Garden Markers
Mom Endeavors
Sara's family had a garden full of rocks, so the rocks became the plant markers. Smooth stones get a coat of craft paint, then paint markers draw a tomato, a strawberry, a zucchini or a ladybug on each one with the plant's name lettered beside it, and layering colors works fine once the first coat dries. Her kids painted the base coats and helped with the pictures. A set of six in a little basket is a gift for any gardener, and the rocks are free from the yard.
74. Straw Blown Marbled Mug
The Country Chic Cottage
Angie Holden marbles a dollar store mug with multi surface paint, a paper straw and a craft feather. Drips of one blue go on the bottom of the mug, a puff through the straw pushes the paint into branching streaks, a second and third color get dripped and blown the same way, and the feather drags through for extra swirl. Once it cures it's a one of a kind mug for a coffee lover, and she tucks a packet of cocoa inside. The whole thing costs about two dollars.
75. Leaf Stamped Tea Towels
My Family Thyme
Lynne picks fresh leaves from the yard, never dried ones because they crumble, and uses them as stamps on plain tea towels. Metallic champagne acrylic paint gets mixed with fabric medium, brushed onto the back of a leaf, and the leaf is pressed onto the towel with cardboard and waxed paper underneath so nothing bleeds through. Maple, oak and fern leaves each print a different shape. A pack of plain towels is a few dollars and the leaves are free, so a pair is a fall hostess gift under $5.
