Great homemade Christmas gifts

It is that time of the year again, where some of us will be forced to begrudgingly smile as we accept those gifts we never really wanted.

Try as they might, some family members just do not know our taste and subconsciously subject us to what they think we should be inclined to liking.

So, for the sake of your cupboard space, let your preference be known and in turn know theirs so that you are both happy to show off the amazing gifts you received.

To help, here are some ideas for awesome homemade gifts for you to try:

For the budget conscious, why not maybe consider changing a boring mug into a personalised masterpiece using a sharpie pen.

What You Need:

White ceramic mugs

Sharpie markers

Step 1

Wash your mugs thoroughly with soap and water.

Step 2

Pick your favourite colours of Sharpies and go to work. Keep in mind that some colours will darken slightly during the baking process. Also keep in mind that you don’t want to draw on the rim or on the inside of the mug just on the outside and away from where your mouth will touch the mug.

Step 3

Bake the mugs in the oven at 180 degC for about 30 minutes. Then turn off the oven and let them cool down.

Grandparents love showing off their grandchildren, so let them. Here is a cool idea on how to make photo coasters. They can sip juice while spilling details about you.

What you need:

Four 4 by 4 inch white tiles

Four 4 by 4 inch square pictures

Scissors

Modge Podge

Foam brush

Felt

Hot glue gun

Length of ribbon

Clear spray sealant

Directions:

n Get small white tiles from your local home goods store. You can also get coloured tiles.

n Select any pictures you like to use for the project, resize them four by four inches on your computer, then print.

n Cut the pictures rounding the edges – this gives the finished photo coasters a nice look.

n Coat the front of the tile with a thin layer of Modge Podge, then centre and press a picture to the tile.

n Dry for 20 min, then coat the top of the picture with a light coating of Modge Podge, brushing horizontally then vertically.

n Let dry for another 20 min then lightly coat again, sealing the top of the coaster and ensuring the photo is completely stuck to the tile.

n Cut four small one-inch squares from the felt for each tile, then use a hot glue gun to stick one square of felt to each corner of the tile.

n Give the dry photo coasters a quick coat of clear spray sealant, to moisture proof the image.

For those who love to entertain so why not transform their garden into a wonderland with these beautiful homemade laterns.

What you need:

perforated metal sheets or used radiator covers

tin snips + fine sand paper for metal

20 or 22 gauge wire

flat pliers

spray paint

Directions:

Create templates on a piece of paper to play with the proportions before you begin cutting the metal sheet. Once you have all the templates you’d like to use, outline them with a pencil on the metal sheet. Slowly cut your rectangles away.

Wrap the metal sheet cutouts around the can (or a bottle or jar) and roll them a few times. It doesn’t matter if the size of your lanterns are not same as this is just to help you get a round shape. Once you tie the ends you won’t notice any bends that you would have seen if you had tried by hand.

Thread both ends of your cylinder using 20 or 22 gauge wire and twist tight using pliers. Cut excess wire. Before spray painting, you can insert newspaper in the lantern to avoid spray paint from going through. This gives a two-tone colouring and it conceals the wire closure.

This is a great idea, cellphone cases, unique and personal.

You will need:

• Pressed dried flowers
• Flat, solid white iPhone case
• Clear craft glue
• Flat and level work surface
• Tape
• Scissors
• Parchment paper
• Ruler
• Thin-tip permanent marker
• Timer
• 2 clear plastic cups
• 2 wooden craft sticks
• 50/50 clear-casting epoxy resin (I used Easy Cast)
• Acetone (or a nail polish remover with acetone)
• Q-tips
• Glitter (Optional)

Step 1: Arrange the flowers

To get started, place the pressed flowers on your case and play around with different flower arrangements. If you want to add a lot of flowers to your case, make sure that they don’t pile up higher than 1/16th of an inch (about 1.5 mm) or you won’t be able to properly coat the case in resin. Keep in mind that your pressed flowers will become slightly translucent once they are coated in resin, so placing lighter colored flowers under darker ones works best. Once you have found an arrangement you like, take a snapshot of it for future reference.

Remove the flowers from the case and set them aside. Dab a small amount of glue on the largest flower and carefully glue it to the case. Follow suit with the rest of your flowers until your arrangement is complete.

Step 2: Prepare the resin

Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area. Cut a piece of parchment paper (about 60 cm long) with your scissors and tape it down to your flat work surface. Take your resin and read the directions carefully. (Note: If the directions for your resin differ from the steps below, make sure to follow the directions for your resin or you’ll end up with a sticky mess, and that’s no good for placing a flowery phone call!)

Put your ruler inside a plastic cup and mark the cup twice using a thin permanent marker. Your first mark will be at 3/8 of an inch, and your second will be at 3/4 of an inch.

Set your timer to 2 minutes and have a craft stick ready for stirring. Slowly pour resin into the cup up to the 3 /8 inch line. Keep in mind that an accurate pour is crucial, so don’t be too generous with your pour. Next, slowly pour the hardener to the 3/4 inch line, making sure to not go over it.

Start the timer and stir the contents of the cup with your craft stick for 2 minutes, making sure to scrape the sides of the cup from time to time. Don’t worry if you see lots of bubbles forming in the cup – they’ll disappear later. When the timer goes off, place the second plastic cup on your work surface and have your second unused craft stick ready for stirring. Optional: If you would like to add glitter to your case, sprinkle some into the mix now.

Next, set your timer to 1 minute and pour the contents of the first cup into the second cup. Continue stirring until the timer goes off. Let the resin rest for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Add resin to the case

Slowly pour a small amount of your newly mixed resin onto the centre of your case. It’s always better to err on the side of caution and add too little resin than too much.

Spread the resin close to the edge of your case using your craft stick. Make sure the resin does not go over the edge. Add more resin to the case until the entire back and all the flowers are covered. Lightly blow on any bubbles that show up on the surface to help them disappear.

Set the case down on the parchment paper and keep an eye on it as it dries (about one to two hours). If any resin spills over the edges, dip Q-tips in acetone and wipe clean.

Once your first coat of resin has dried, examine your case to make sure all the flowers have been properly coated. If needed, add a second coat of resin.

Now you have an embellished floral phone case to brighten up any conversation.

Make your guests feel special with these wooden portraits. They will take home a memento that will always remind them of you.

What you need:

Wood craft cut outs

Photos printed off of a Xerox machine

Liquitex Gloss Gel medium

Brush

Modge Podge

Drill with bit

string or twine

Directions

• Make sure you print images with a Xerox machine – a regular home ink-jet printer will not work.
• Take your Liquitex Gloss Gel Medium and brush it on to the wood where you want the image to be.
• If you want the edges to be a bit rough, then do not take the medium all of the way to the edges and kind of mix up the strokes.
• If you do want it to fill the full ornament, take care that you apply a nice, even coat over the entire piece.
• Place your copy, printed side down, onto the brushed on gel medium.
• Use your hands to smooth the paper out and set to the side. Allow to sit for 10–12 hours or overnight.
• Run your ornament under the tap and get the paper wet.
• Take your finger and gently rub until the paper starts to peel away.
• Take care to be gentle, then cover with Modge Podge and allow to dry.