Do-It-Yourself Gift Giving

The gift-giving season is almost upon us! Here are some fun ideas for thrifty DIY gifts you can create with books from our collection. These crafts are great for beginners and use only a handful of materials.

Mason Jars

There are endless ways to create fun gifts using Mason jars. Mason Jar Nation by Joann Moser (also available on Hoopla) includes 50 ways to use these iconic jars. The project “Music Box Memory Jar” is completely customizable. You can find the instructions on page 43.

Filling jars with edibles and tasty treats is also a popular gift. Try the Malted Milk Ball Cocoa (pg. 79) or the Dark Forest Trail Mix (pg. 81) in Mason Jar Nation. You can also personalize the jars with paint pens, ribbon, lace, or with items you have on hand.

Similar titles: Mason Jar Gifts: Create Heartwarming Gifts Using Canning Jars by Marie Browning; Food Gift Love by Maggie Battista (also available on Hoopla); Vegan Food Gifts by Joni Marie Newman

Ornaments

Taste of Home: Handmade Christmas has 83 crafts including gift wrap, décor, and gifts. Their project “A Piece of My Heart” only requires a puzzle, cardstock, ribbon and a glue gun. Try thrifting or upcycling a puzzle with missing pieces. In their example, they created a heart but any shape will work!

Another great idea from Taste of Home is their “Scrappy, Sparkly Ornaments”. Fill empty ornaments with shredded holiday cards or use up small pieces of gift wrap, then throw in some sparkles or fake snow, coordinate your ribbon, and personalize the exterior. If you need to make gifts en masse, this is the craft for you!

Similar titles: Christmas Ornaments by Carolyn Vosburg-Hall; Homemade Holiday: Craft Your Way Through More Than 40 Festive Projects by Sophie Pester & Catharina Bruns; 100 Little Christmas Gifts to Make by Search Press Limited

Photo Keepsakes

Transform your favorite photos into one-of-a-kind gifts for family and friends. Victoria Hudgins shows you how to make “Photo-Print Craft Letters” (pg. 137) in Materially Crafted (also available on Hoopla). You can buy cardboard craft letters at arts and crafts store for a few dollars each. You’ll need laser-print photos which we can help you print at the library. The finished project will look great on a mantelpiece or hanging up on the wall.

There are many other surfaces you can transform with laser-print photos including wood. DIY, Dammit! by Joselyn Hughes (also available on Hoopla) gives a quick guide with her project “Woodsy Ones Photo” (pg. 121).

Similar titles: Photo Craft: Creative Mixed Media and Digital Approaches to Transforming Your Photographs by Susan Tuttle; Handmade Personalized Photo Gifts by Carla Visser