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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCD chapter.

The holidays are right around the corner, which can be exciting and stressful at the same time. As a student, it can be difficult to save up enough money to buy every special person in your life a nice gift. You’re torn because you want to get something nice for all of your friends and family, but your savings account is telling you that you can’t. No worries, though, because here are a few DIY gift ideas that you can give to all of your loved ones without breaking the bank!

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1. Sharpie mug

A DIY Sharpie mug is one of my favorite gift ideas because it allows you to get creative and personalize a cute yet useful gift for all your friends and family! All you have to get is a ceramic mug and Sharpie pens in all of your favorite colors. You can personalize your mugs with names, quotes, or cute drawings! Once you finish your masterpiece, throw your mug into the oven to let it set and dry.

2. Photo ornament 

Ornaments are a great way to decorate one’s home for the holidays, and a cute way to spice things up is to add personalized ornaments to the tree! Buy wooden clips or clear plastic ornaments and attach/insert some of your favorite pictures of you and your loved ones. To make it even more personalized, you can add stickers or funny captions.

3. ‘Where we met’ picture frames

A ‘where we met’ picture frame is a perfect gift for a best friend or a significant other. Find a map or print one yourself and cut out the city or state where you met this special person in the shape of a heart. Place your heart on a background paper that is the color of your choice and put your masterpiece into a beautiful picture frame. You can write or paint the frame however you would like, too!

4. Pamper basket

It can be super expensive to buy pre-made spa kits or spa gift cards for the people in your life that love to pamper themselves. Don’t fret, because one affordable option is to put together your own DIY pamper basket. Face masks, bath bombs, lotions, and lip balms are only a few bucks each, and together they make the perfect spa day kit. I also like adding loofahs, eye masks, tea bags, and healthy snacks to my DIY pamper baskets.

5. Terrarium

Who doesn’t love receiving easy-to-care-for plants in beautiful glass containers? Grab some succulents, rocks, and glass terrarium houses at your local craft store and start creating a home for those lovely plants. Set a base of rocks or sand at the bottom of the glasshouse and then place those cute little succulents on top. Arrange them however you like and add a string to the glasshouse if you want the terrarium to be a ceiling decoration!

This holiday season, you don’t have to spend a lot to give something special to all of the important people in your life. You can make mugs, ornaments, picture frames, pamper baskets, or terrariums for the ones you love. Remember that gift-giving and receiving can be fun and exciting during the holidays, but that the important part of this season is to spend quality time with your friends and family. Have fun creating, and have a wonderful holiday season!

Image Source: Pexels

Hannah is studying Communications and Professional Writing at UC Davis. She is eager to share her experiences and lifestyle tips and tricks to motivate and inspire her peers to lead a healthy, balanced life! In her free time, Hannah enjoys playing with her dog, singing, and grabbing bubble tea with friends!
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