25 Homemade Gift Ideas Perfect for Any Occasion

Creative Homemade Gifts for Special Occasions

Whether you have a friend’s birthday coming up, a baby shower, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, or some other holiday or special occasion, these homemade gift ideas are the perfect thing to bring along.

Below, you’ll find a variety of different creative handcrafted gift ideas for all different types of people. You can also customize most of these gifts to suit whoever you’re gifting to!

PS – Are you looking for more Holiday Specific / Occasion specific gifts? If so, check these out:

• Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas
• 25 Super Easy DIY Baby Shower Gifts
• Top 5 Unique DIY Gifts for Father’s Day
• DIY Gift Ideas for Men
• 20 Easy Homemade Father’s Day Card Ideas and Gift Ideas

1. DIY Tea Bag Holder

So many people like to enjoy a nice cup of tea on a cold day, or anytime really. Make it even better by giving them one of these DIY Tea Bag Holders. They will think of you every time they take a sip!

Supplies:

• beige, brown and a little black polymer clay
• 1 drinking straw
• a toothbrush  or a piece of aluminium foil
• x-acto knife
• soft brush
• soft pastels
• a mug
• optional but recommended: acrylic paints

See more of DIY Tea Bag Holder’s instructions and ideas!

2. Apple Pie in a Jar

Have you ever been in the mood for some yummy pie but don’t feel like getting all the ingredients together to make one? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a friend showed up at your door with a little apple pie just for you?

Make someone’s day by making them a personal, indulgent treat! Check out how at Home Made Interest!

3. Mason Jar Candles

These cute homemade jar candles from Happiness Is Homemade are fun homemade gift ideas and only take about 15 minutes to make!

Supplies:

• Stove or Hot Plate
• Soy Wax Flakes – approx 4 cups or 1 lb. per candle
• Candle Making Pitcher
• Pint-Sized Mason Jars
• 8″ Candle Wicks
• Wick Holders (optional, but helpful)
• Wax Colorant
• Fragrance Oil of Choice

4. Hand Soap Gift

Change up the tags on this easy Homemade Hand Soap from Lydi Out Loud and you can use them for a gift during any season. A Turkey for Thanksgiving, Snowman for Christmas, Hearts for Valentine’s day, the possibilities are endless!

Supplies:

• Clay Chick Ceramics Dispenser
• 1 cup liquid Castile Soap
• 1 cup distilled water
• 1 tablespoon Vitamin E Oil
• 1 ½ tablespoon Fractionated Coconut Oil
• Essential Oils (for scented hand soap – optional)

5. Homemade Body Scrub for Men

Men can be the hardest to shop for. If you have a man on your list that has rough hands from working hard, this will be a great gift to get them soft and smooth again.

Check out how to make your own DIY Body Scrub for Men at She Saved!

Supplies:

• ½ cup Coarse Sea salt
• ½ cup Baking soda
• ⅓ bar Dial Soap (or any bar soap)
• ½ cup coconut oil
• 1 lemon or orange, grated peel
• 10 drops Clove essential oil
• 10 drops Orange essential oil

6. DIY Message Board

Message boards make for great homemade gift ideas! They are good for to-do lists, leaving notes for family members, and lots more!

Personalize these super cute DIY Message Boards from Happiness Is Homemade to fit anyone on your list. Literally everyone could find a use for one!

Supplies:

For the clipboard message board:

• Chalkboard Deco Laminate
• Old Clipboard
• Spray Paint (if you want to paint the clipboard)
• Craft Knife

For the picture frame message board:

• Dry Erase Deco Laminate
• Old Picture Frame
• Spray Paint (if you want to paint the picture frame)
• Craft Knife

7. DIY Poo Pourri Spray

Get rid of that unpleasant bathroom smell before it starts with this DIY Poo Pourri Spray. This might seem a bit silly and funny at first, but your friends will thank you later!

Supplies:

• 2 oz aluminum or high-quality plastic spray bottle
• Essential Oils of your choice
• Rubbing alcohol
• Distilled water
• Blue food coloring (optional)

8. Shower Steamers

Shower steamers are little disks that you put at the bottom of your shower. When they get wet, they release essential oils with nice aromas.

The best part is that you can make them with different essential oils to use your steamers for all kinds of purposes. Invigorating scents to wake you up in the morning, calming scents to help you relax, or even sinus-clearing scents for when you have a cold.

Check out how to make your own at Busy Bliss! Or learn how to make a DIY Vapor Shower Disk!

Supplies:

• 1 cup corn starch
• 2-5 TBSP water
• 5 drops citrus essential oil {I used Citrus Bliss, but orange would work just as well}
• 3 drops peppermint essential oil
• 2 drops food coloring {optional}

9. Cookies in a Jar

Have you ever realized that you need a gift for the next day and don’t have time to go shopping? This Cookies In A Jar idea from Midget Momma is fast and easy and can save you in a pinch. Just decorate the jar according to the occasion!

Supplies:

• Homemade Cookies Try this Easy Pumpkin Cookie Recipe that calls for only 3 ingredients! Find more cookie recipes.
• Tissue Paper
• Plastic wrap or plastic baggies
• Decorative Container or Cookie Jar

10. Framed Recipe Cards

These DIY Framed Recipe Cards from Home Cooking Memories are a fun way to decorate your kitchen and showcase those family recipes that have been handed down for generations! These would make for great homemade gifts for parents or grandparents!

Supplies:

• Three 4×6″ printed recipe cards
• Three 4×6″ photo frames
• 5-6 ft ribbon (1 1/2″ wide)
• Permanent mounting tape
• Scissors
• Ruler

11. DIY Bath Bombs

Bath bombs are all the rage recently but you don’t have to go spend a ton of money on them! Just gather some supplies and you can make your own from home. Check out these 20 DIY Bath Bomb Recipes Better Than Lush.

12. Homemade Bookmarks

For the bookworm in your life, a couple of easy DIY bookmarks are creative homemade gifts that can be used forever. There are a ton of different styles of bookmark you can make too so these can be very personalized as well!

13. DIY Coasters

Almost everybody has coasters in their house, but they’re not always very fun or personalized. Instead, they’re just there to protect tables, and that’s it.

Well, it’s time to change that! Give the gift of a super cool set of DIY coasters so that your friend, family member, boss, or whoever else can protect their tables in style.

14. Homemade Body Scrubs

We already listed a good body scrub above, but there are a ton of other types of homemade body scrubs you can make from home. You can have different scents, feels, and effects just by changing some ingredients.

If you’re looking for that perfectly paired scrub for your best friend or family member, check out our list of homemade body scrubs.

15. Homemade Apron

If you’re looking for a gift for that aspiring chef in your life, a DIY apron is a great choice. You can either choose to come up with your own design/idea, or you can get some inspiration from our list of DIY aprons!

16. DIY Pet Bed

Do you know someone with a dog or cat? If so, I bet they’ll love receiving a unique DIY pet bed for their furry friend! For some ideas, check out this list of DIY pet beds.

17. DIY Bottle Opener

While most people have generic bottle openers lying around, with a handmade bottle opener, you can add some flair. For example, some of our favorite DIY bottle openers have magnets to catch the bottle caps or they have fun quotes on them.

18. Reusable Bowl Covers

Of all the handcrafted gift ideas on this list so far, these reusable bowl covers are probably the only ones that are also a gift to the environment! They can also be personalized in so many different ways.

19. Homemade Keychains

If you want to give something that your friend, family member, or significant other will see almost every day, a customized keychain is perfect! There are so many unique DIY keychains you can make too.

20. Photo Candle

If you have a special photo with the one you’re gifting too, or even if you just want to put a funny photo onto a candle, it’s actually pretty simple! Just follow our guide on how to put a picture on a candle with wax paper.

21. Tiny Tin Pool Table

This has got to be one of my favorite creative homemade gifts. A mini pool table in a tin! It’s funny, cute, and super personalized for pool lovers. Learn how to make this over at ConsumerCrafts.com.

22. Birdhouse

Birdhouses make for great DIY gifts and you can either choose to go for a really simple design or a more crafty, complex design. You choose! For some ideas and inspiration, check out these DIY birdhouses at MorningChores.com.

23. Pom Pom Earrings

Give the gift of some super cute pom-pom earrings to your best friend, mom, sister, or cousin! You can customize the color and material however you like. Learn how to make your own at HonestlyWTF.

24. Instagram Calendar

So many people are on Instagram these days so it’s a great place to find high-quality, personalized photos. Browse your giftee’s Instagram account for their best pictures, print them out, and then make on of these awesome Instagram calendars! Learn more at A Beautiful Mess.

25. Customized Coffee Mugs

Last but not least, a few customized coffee mugs make for very personalized DIY gifts. Just find some plain coffee mugs, pick up some colored felts, and get creative! You can also find quotes online to put onto the mugs. Find this idea at Laughs, Crafts & Photographs.

Final Thoughts

There you have it! 25 awesome homemade gift ideas that aren’t specific to any certain holiday! Now it’s time for you to go crazy with your creativity and make something absolutely amazing for the special people in your life.

Once you get to see them open up your gift all the hard work you put into it will be completely worth it 🙂 PS – Check out these frugal and creative gift wrapping ideas to accompany your DIY gifts.