Upcycled Liberty Shirt - Gift Idea
It's not everyday that I write a post with such an amazing prize draw (an Ipad worth £400! see the end of the post for details) I've collected together lots of great tutorials for gifts you can make before Christmas, ideas for all your family and friends - I'd love to hear your comments at the end. I even had a chance to make up some of my own projects.
Everyone that comments will be entered into the prize draw to win an ipad! To enter the prize draw please comment on this post with your top tips for homemade present ideas this Christmas
Craft Blog UK is working in partnership with Halifax, the people who give you extra who would like to inspire more of you to give extra this Christmas by taking the time to produce homemade gifts for that special someone
This Christmas they're all about rewarding the people that give you extra, and this post has a few ideas as to how we can use our creative talents to say THANK YOU to all our favourite people by making something ourselves and adding that personal touch to our Christmas gifts this year. (I'm all for that)
Handmade gifts are the best - yes they can be a little wonky, and not quite perfect but when you make something yourself people remember it and they cherish it because you have invested time and care - that's what counts at Christmas.
Extra Special Gifts!
Liberty Shirt Purse
I made this Liberty fabric purse for my mother at the weekend - it's upcycled from her favourite shirt, it was threadbare and sadly unwearable - she literally wore it to shreds, she loved it so much. I have transformed it into a little zippy purse, complete with the original label and buttons. She can keep a few bits and pieces in it, the reincarnation of a favourite old shirt (it must be at least 30 yrs old) - a little Christmas gift that cannot be bought on the high street!
I hope she likes it! My recipe for making purses is here - ZipPurse Tutorial - they make fantastic gifts for all ages (especially little stocking fillers for girls for hair grips and disco money) and you just need to adjust the zip size to make pencil cases, phone cases or makeup bags. N.B. Zips are not that scary and all is explained in the tutorial!
That's what this post is all about! Making something for someone that is special to you - the people that go the extra mile people will go to make you smile :)
Smile - Embroidery Hoop Quote
Embroidery thread, a needle and an embroidery hoop = wall art! This took me about 30 minutes to sew up - this one is destined for someone that makes me smile! You can think of any words you like, or a favourite quote if your hoop is big enough, just write them onto the fabric in pen then and get stitching. You can cover up the messy back of the hoop with a bit of card and a personal message.
Stitch a Star
Last week I was at the V&A volunteering on the "Stitch a Star" workshop with Sarah Corbett of the Craftivist Collective. Inspired by her words, I have created this star for her, I thought a little sleepy owl would be perfect to remind her that she works hard and gets tired, but it IS worth it!
You could stitch someone a star message for their tree or you could make it into a keyring or bag charm. Sarah is creating a 'how-to' post to make these pretty stars, I'll share the link as soon as it's live - Find her at The Craftivist Collective if you would like to know more about the project and how we can all be super craft stars.
DIY Gifts - inspiration for gift making this Christmas
If you don't want to make a gift but you still want to add a personal touch why not try some creative wrapping or gift boxes.
MiniEco - free download cracker template - easy to make you just need card. These crackers would be perfect for making gift vouchers or cash more interesting.
Maybe filled with homemade biscuits? Free Gift Box Tutorial from Gwenny Penny
I once made everyone in my family wrist warmers / mittens (from 70 year olds, middle aged men down to little girls and boys! - they are very useful for using smart phones) - they went down a storm and are still used every winter, but they are nowhere near as beautiful as these (worth learning to knit for)
2013 is the year I finally mastered crochet! (I'm so pleased, it's very therapeutic) I'll definitely be giving this pattern a go - I may need to invest in a bigger hook. I think baskets are very useful (I keep one at the bottom of the stairs for all the little things that need to go back up - it's usually lego in my house) and the lovely thing about making one as a gift is that you can fill it with all sorts of little treats too.
You could always fill the basket with crochet mice! - lovely gift idea for little people, free pdf crochet mice pattern here
This is such a quick gift idea - personalised mugs, buy sharpies, buy cheap white ceramic mugs, draw your patterns or quotes/jokes and cook for half an hour to seal them!
If your friends are drinking their coffees on the go then you could knit up some of these little protectors as gifts, designed for slipping over hot coffee cups - they just need to keep them in their bag. They will be trend setters in their local coffee shop!
Make old t-shirts into hairbands or bobbles/bracelets (just make them shorter!) - only a little hand sewing required Perfect for little girls (I'm going to get my 9 year old to test this pattern out, she's forever losing her headbands) Full instructions here. I think they could be perked up with some buttons too.
Maggy at Red Ted Art has put together some fabulous hamper ideas that would work really well as Christmas gifts.
The great thing about giving a hamper is that you can really tailor it to suit a person (or families) tastes and personality. Because each item is hand picked and presented by you it's far more personal than a ready made hamper.
I hope you have been inspired by some of these tutorials to make your gifts this Christmas more personal this year by making them yourself.
Now for the prize draw!
Win an Ipad worth £400! (WOW!)
Enter this competition and you could be searching the internet for gift ideas on your very own Ipad!
Halifax want to celebrate creative people who are doing extra for your friends and family this year and reward one of you with this fantastic prize.
To enter:
Closes midnight 16th December 2013 - The prize winner (UK entrants over 16 only) will be chosen on the 17th of December and the iPad (Air 16 GB Wi-Fi) will be sent by next day delivery on the 18th! This is certainly going to make a crafty person out there's Christmas 2013 - I can't wait to find out who wins :)
Please also share the competition on your networks - let's make it a very crafty Christmas!