Craftiness, Thrifty

25 handmade gifts for grown ups

30 December, 2012

At anyone time, if you were to peer into the window of my home, you would see me doing one of two things; reading a book or working on a little crafty something to go in my box of handmade gifts. Yes, my dishes (and my kids) are a bit dirty. But I am happy in my soul and so our home and children are too! (I jest… sort of.)

So addicted am I to crafting, that if I am away from my workstation for a few days I start to get a bit twitchy and end up doing things like trying to make origami out of leaves on a hiking holiday, or rummaging through host’s drawers for a sewing kit. I need to make myself a tiny mobile craft kit to soothe these craft cravings. (*DRAGON’S DEN ALERT*) But one of the massive bonuses of an insatiable crafting urge is that it saves us a stack of money. I have found that one happy way of hanging on to pennies but living generously is by crafting handmade gifts for every occasion. So there you will find me, burrowing a way on a pair of slippers or gluing glitter al over a kids toy.

Whilst I mostly tend to focus on handmade crafts for kids today I wanted to focus on handmade gifts for grown Ups. Here I present to you my top 25 handmade gifts- the things I have most enjoyed making, and giving.Handmade present ideasBottle Top Magnets are always going to be a winner – who doesn’t need as many magnets going to hold up those lists and kids drawings?! These can be personalised so easily. If you haven’t played with resin yet, I REALLY recommend you give it a shot it is SO much fun! Bottle top magnetsNatural homemade body scrub with 2 ingredients – this post includes a How To for the beautiful upcycled jar.natural body scrubFollowing right along the beauty path- I made a few bottles of South London Rosehip Oil, rosehips foraged from the fair streets of Peckham. It is dead easy but creates a most luxurious gift.Foraged Rosehip OilThis lace bowl was wicked to make and with it’s useful but vintage feel is appreciated by EVERYONE!handmade lace bowlI made these decoupage bird decorations for our Christmas tree, but I was so pleased with them I might do a batch as presents. Who doesn’t love a little bird hanging on the corner of their mirror? DIY Decoupage birdsOpening a gift and finding a pair of slippers is like being given a cuddle, I reckon. They are the most cosy, pleasant gift to receive and these ones are made out of the armpit of an old jump, and take SIX minutes.
how to quick felt slippersYou know how impossible it is to resist buying vintage tourist spoons from charity shops? Here is a little gift that gives them a new purpose- a spoon peg rack!Vintage spoon peg rackYou may have picked up by now that I love playing with resin.I use ice cube trays a lot and had a lot of fun making these stars with paper which I made in to jewelry.handmade resin starsMy Go-To hand made present though has to be a little framed crossstich. I choose unexpected quotes or song lyrics and frame them in a little charity shop frame. They can be stiched so quickly and whilst doing other things but really show a lot of loving thought. 20 handmade gift ideas

As Christmas looms- what dear friend WOULDN’T want a little collection of blingtastical dino figures? These are fun to make and would adorn any festive table or even beauty cabinet. (Imagine a dino holding out your stick of mascara every morning? Bloody brill.)diy glitter figures

Here are a few of my favourite gift ideas from the beauty section of my other blog, Wonderthrift…

I whipped up an amazing homemade calendula balm that can be given in a beautifully tagged jar. It can be used for almost every skin ailment but is the perfect gift for the gardener in your life….
soothing marigold balmthis lip soother an absolute breeze. Just two ingredients but it will restore lips to luscious Betty Boop style loveliness. coconut oil bees wax lip balm

This body scrub is quick to make, costs very little and is the perfect emergency (AH, CRAP IT IS MUM”S BIRTHDAY TODAY) gift. Make a bit extra to keep on your own shelf as it is beeeeeyootiful.beautiful home made body scrub gift

And finally, in a cheeky gesture my 10th idea is not just one but, well, TEN. You see, I went to choose one of these teacups ideas and couldn’t choose. They would all be a delightful gift. So go right ahead and give one of these crafty ways to upcycle teacups a crack… Teacup gifts

What have you enjoyed making this year? What was your favourite handmade gift to receive? And are you vowing to be thrifty in 2013?

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  • Becca Williams 30 December, 2012 at 12:46 pm

    You are brilliant!!

    Crochet is still my go-to and everyone has had blankets from me this year!!

    • Lucy 30 December, 2012 at 1:30 pm

      Ah, too kind! I soooo need to learn how to crochet, really really. I love the way it looks.

  • Sammy 30 December, 2012 at 4:20 pm

    Those are some fab ideas. Ive made a few presents this year, which included my waterless hot water bottle made from fleece, rice and lavender oil. I also made a pinny for my friends little girl for her baking from preloved fabric, oh and I also made a cushion for my MIL with her family tree on and each family member embroidered onto the leaves. Took a while but worth it x
    I like you get the horrid itch to craft, and i will often leave washing, ironing or other menial jobs behind in the dust to satisfy my craving 🙂

    • Lucy 30 December, 2012 at 10:11 pm

      Wow the family tree sounds incredible! Like something they will treasure for ages and ages! So impressed x

  • Rosie 1 January, 2013 at 4:18 am

    Love love love this! Where do you get resin from? One of my plans for 2013 is to make lots more homemade gifts, so this is a great place to start, thank you 🙂

    Just wondering also if you’ve got any good crafty ideas for presents for blokes? So many nice things for ladies, but I struggle when it comes to the guys!

    Thanks for any tips you’ve got! x

    • Lucy 2 January, 2013 at 1:21 pm

      Hey! Thanks for your comment! I buy resin fom my at shop, but once this has un out I am going to buy an environmentally friendly version. There is a link to a supplier in the star resin post above.
      Will get thinking about a post for fellas 🙂

  • Megan Harper-Bates 13 October, 2014 at 2:05 am

    This is so perfect for Christmas on a budget! The student life..

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  • Harvindar K Grewal 11 April, 2019 at 4:09 am

    Those ideas are great and money saving too. I really like blingtastical dino figures and it looks amazing.