Jennifer Sheahan: 'DIY gifts are a lifesaver when you've run out of time to hit the shops'
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There is nothing sweeter than a homemade gift in my eyes. The thought, time and care that goes into making something is so much more valuable than anything someone could buy me in the shops. Making someone a Christmas gift is a beautiful way to show how much you care about them, and has the bonus of cutting down on overspending on items that have a fair likelihood of sitting unused in a drawer.
DIY gifts are also a lifesaver when you’ve run out of time to hit the shops.
Here are some of my favourites. Heads-up, most of these are food-based, because — I love food.
This is one of my favourites because I love receiving baked goods as a gift. Especially around Christmas, it saves me a job for when guests are coming over and I want to impress. Baking something with a little longevity is key, such as a pudding, fruitcake, or gingerbread, and putting extra effort into decorating it makes it truly special.
If you’re a talented baker already then this one will be easy but if not, you can decorate with pre-made Christmas sugar decorations (I picked up loads in Aldi recently). What matters here is effort — if it’s a little messy and homemade-looking then that’s exactly how it should be! You can always put it in an extra decorative box.
This one may well be my favourite because it is so easy, you’re likely to have everything you need in your pantry already, and it’s such a fun gift to receive.
The idea is to fill a clear glass jar with the ingredients the recipient will need to easily make something themselves whenever they feel like it.
My favourites are cookie jars and hot chocolate jars. To make it, find your favourite recipe (or any recipe) for cookies, brownies or hot chocolate — whatever you like. Measure out all the dry ingredients — for instance, flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, sugar, and chocolate chips for chocolate chip cookies.
Next, layer these dry ingredients in a clear mason jar, alternating colours for visual effect (for instance, flour, cocoa powder, then sugar).
Finally, you write (or print) the recipe for the recipient to follow on a pretty label and tie it around the jar with a ribbon. The recipient will need to add their own wet ingredients, such as eggs, butter, and vanilla in this example.
This is a great gift all year around and at Christmas, it’s lovely to add red and green M&Ms with the chocolate chips, or chopped peppermint bark for peppermint cookies.
This one is almost embarrassingly easy and takes mere minutes, but looks so pretty that it makes a wonderful gift. You will need butter, flavourings of your choice, and either small clear jars or simply parchment paper to wrap it in.
Simply take approximately 100g regular (salted) butter and allow it to soften to room temperature. Mix in your flavourings, put the mixture in a jar or pat it into a roll, wrap it tightly in parchment, and add a pretty label and a bow.
For a garlic and herb butter, add one tablespoon of finely chopped parsley and one finely chopped clove of garlic. For sweet honey butter, add two tablespoons of honey — you could also mix in some chopped dried fruit here for extra flavour and texture, such as cranberries. Or for something with a little Christmas kick, make a delicious brandy butter by mixing in 85g of icing sugar, half a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and three to four teaspoons of brandy.
Sticking with the things-that-go-in-jars theme, it’s super easy to create a luxurious sugar scrub to help your gift recipient relax and unwind after the Christmas madness.
All you need is some oil, regular granulated sugar (either white or brown), and an essential oil extract. You can choose from a range of oils, my favourite being coconut oil which you will find in any supermarket. You will simply need one part sugar to one part oil (for instance, one cup of sugar and one cup of oil). You can add more sugar or oil depending on your preferred consistency. You then add a few drops (more if you like) of your favourite essential oil extract.
Around Christmas, I love to use peppermint or orange oil. For additional flourish, you could mix through some crushed dried rose petals or other dried flowers.
Spoon the mixture into a clear glass jar and add a pretty label and a ribbon. If you’re extra creative, you can use food dye to colour the scrub — you could even create different coloured layers for an ombre effect.
Some fabric paint and a sponge will take you a very long way in the world of DIY gifting. You can pick up fabric paint in any craft shop (such as Art & Hobby). You can create a stamp by cutting a sponge into your desired shape.
If you’re quite artistic anyway, simply have your way with a paintbrush and let the magic unfold. This is a really fun way to personalise tote bags, T-shirts, hoodies, tea towels, or really any fabric that can be painted on easily. Read the directions on the fabric paint that you buy, but most follow the same simple steps — paint, let dry, then cover with a cloth and iron over to seal.
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