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It’s Black Friday, y’all! And as much as we love (and SO encourage) consumerism, we at Offbeat Home thought we’d put together a little DIY gift roundup from the annals of our archives. You can either brave the throng of bargain shoppers today, or you can save your precious toes from being stomped on by tackling any of these DIY gift projects…
Make cookies for the masses! Use Ariel’s idea of making skeletal gingerbread man cookies.
If you make traditional round cookies for everyone on your list, you can use Liz’s idea of CD wrappers as alternative cookie packaging. Head over here to find out how.
My favorite DIY gift idea came from Cat who taught us all how to infuse vodka with different flavors to make individual, thoughtful, boozy, holiday gifts.
You could even DIY a fancy bottle cozy for your hand-infused vodka gifts by using this tutorial for wine (or vodka, or beer, or whatever) sleeves.
For those who want a sweet treat, but don’t want to get buzzed, you can make contest-worthy apple cider caramel candies for your loved ones.
What about taking my idea of a road trip care package and making individual care packages for your friends and family?
You could even DIY the wrapping with custom photo paper a la Anna Kim’s awesome gifts, or make a gift bag out of old maps, newspaper, calendars, magazine pages, wrapping paper, etc., with this awesome tutorial.
Okay, fess up non-shoppers, what are YOUR go-to DIY gift ideas?
I love making gifts for friends and family but I have discovered that it can easily become overwhelming (and expensive). Only once, I made something personalized for pretty much everyone. I will never do that again. I also have a far smaller list these days. Things that can be made in batches are often more economical. I tend to give baking to neighbours although I’ve also been tempted to go with hot chocolate on a stick. This year my list includes a handmade Santa suit for my dad (this would be the crazy expensive and time-consuming gift, shared with his wife), one or two scarves to knit, some aplique on a pair of pj’s for my hubby, soaps that I’ve already made, a spaghetti gift basket, the completion of my mom’s birthday gift which got put on hold for months (oops!), a Snitch necklace and Potter wand, and some other odds and ends. I’m still glad that I have most of a month and a few days off work before Christmas as time is going to get tight.