The holidays are a wonderful time to remember all that you’re thankful for: your friends, family, significant others, and even your little furry friends. But, for us college students, cash isn’t too easy to come by and our allowances only last for so long. You may be all wrapped up in the abundant, beautiful gifts displayed in the mall, only to hear your screams of “Oh, that’s perfect!” be stifled by a $100 price tag gleaming in your face. However, with a little help from my best friend named the Internet and a big assistance from my soul-mate Pintrest, I’ve actually found a lot of cute, do-it-yourself holiday gifts that anyone would love. No, I’m not talking about macaroni wreaths and handmade ornaments that your mom displays out of sheer respect to your early “artistic talents”. I’m talking about real gifts that look like they could be bought in any adorable, little North Bethlehem shop. It’s the perfect time to show those that you love just how much you care about them with these charming gifts from Santa Claus, but the fact that they’re homemade will be our naughty little secret. Enjoy!
For the Best Friend From Home:
My best friend from high school goes to school in Virginia, which makes it extremely hard to visit each other during the year. Sometimes, we’ll go weeks without talking to each other since we’re both so busy with school, sororities, boys, and just life in general. So, during every winter break, we make an effort to just hang out and talk one-on-one over a cup of coffee. This idea of decorated mugs is perfect, so every time she or I picks up the mug, we’ll think of each other. All you need for this gift is a blank coffee mug, which can be found at any convenience store like CVS, and some puffy paint from your local craft store.
For Your Roomie:
I promise, this ring is NOT store-bought, even though it looks like it could be bought for about $15 at Francesca’s. No, all this is made out of is silver or gold shiny trimmings from a fabric or craft store and thin wire. You’ll need needle nose pliers in order to make a circular design out of the wire and to thread the trimmings through, but the time and effort is definitely worth the look on your roommate’s face when she sees this beautiful piece of jewelry! It takes a little more effort than my previous gift, but you’ll love this so much you’ll want to make one for yourself too! For more info, visit http://www.craftymoods.com/2012/12/diy-ring-great-holiday-gift-idea.html
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For the Younger Crowd:
We’re all aware that kids are messy. They leave their things everywhere without a second thought, so any parent will be overjoyed if their child receives a gift like this. It might be for your younger sibling, niece, nephew, or younger cousin, but no child will be able to resist the adorableness of this organizational craft. All you need is two pieces of felt, which you sew together in order to create pockets for the crayons, and a ribbon used to roll up the piece of felt into a little crayon pocket. There’s more instructions at http://www.theiowafarmerswife.com/2012/05/monster-crayon-roll.html (and I can already hear the parent’s praise!).
For the Boyfriend:
We all know that males are not the best with giving or receiving gifts. They usually give us the gifts we don’t want, and they ask for gifts that we clearly can’t get them (like an unreleased videogame… trust me, it’s happened). So what’s one thing that will always make your boy-toy happy? Winter-inspired alcohol is a pretty safe bet. They’ll drink up, have a little fun with the family, and appreciate it all at the end of the day by snuggling up with you by the fire under a heap of flannel blankets.
For Your Parents:
It’s easy to get into fights with your parents during the stressful holiday season, or even just from living away from home. I know that my mom thinks that I don’t come home enough, and when I come home, I don’t spend enough time with her. But, all these arguments can be avoided with letters to your parents about the bond that you will forever share that reminds them how much you really do care. With different cards like an “Open When… You miss me” or an “Open When… You think I’m growing up too fast”, there can be hidden pictures of you and your parents from your childhood. For an “Open When… We’re arguing”, you can hide a small handwritten note that says something along the lines of how much you care about them. Trust me, they’ll appreciate the sentiment and it will definitely be better than any expensive Brookstone gift you could have bought them.
Photo Source:
http://www.craftymoods.com/201…
http://www.theiowafarmerswife….