Never underestimate the value of DIY gifts. Truly, everyone loves the gift of a good DIY creation, especially from the kiddos! Which is why giving DIY gifts for holidays and birthdays has become a tradition in our house. They’re definitely the gifts our friends and family enjoy and look forward to receiving the most each year. Here you can check out some favorite homemade gifts that you to can make cheap and easily. I do my best to keep our homemade gifts as simple as possible to do so the kids can do most, if not all of it without help. After all, most of them are from the kids (which is one if the main reasons the gifts are so well loved), so they should be the ones making them right? Everything listed below would definitely make great gifts for any special occasions. I included downloads for everything printable that we have used for the gifts below, as well as links to anything we purchased online. Also included below, printable gift tag downloads you and yours can use to add an even more personal touch to your gift giving! Click the item you’re interested in directly below to go straight to that gift idea, or just scroll around and check out all the photos and details on each below. If you do make anything you find here I’d love to see how yours turns out! Send me some photos via email listed on the contact page. Enjoy!
What are you interested in today?
Just looking for FREE downloads? Click HERE for cards and HERE for labels! Also look for free downloads under select photos!
Beeswax & Honey Crafts
The gifts below were made using pre-made melt and pour honey soap, a DIY beeswax candle kit, beeswax crayons, and fun silicone bee themed molds, all found on Amazon. Everything we used from Amazon has been added to the Amazon shopping list below.
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You can use the soap as is or add scented products, lotions etc. After its cut into smaller pieces you simply microwave and pour into the molds. It took a while to harden but turned out very well. This soap is great for dry skin, acne and other similar skin conditions. The candles were also fairly easy. Just melt, pour and wait to harden. There are a few ways you can use to melt the wax. We used the melting technique suggested in the manual that came in the kit, submerging the melting pot into coiling water. It took longer that other methods but worked very well ultimately. It harden very quickly. To insert the wick I used a heated skewer to create a hole since adding it before pouring would have meant they would have to be used upside-down, or have a covered wick. I did the same to add the rope to the soap hive. We added a bit of color using our bees wax crayons, which could also be used to safely color the lip balm and soap!
Calendars
The youngest has been learning to use the edit program I use to make all of our school work and a lot of crafts. Kiddo is getting pretty good at it so we made all of the older family and friends hanging calendars this year complete with some of everyone’s favorite silly photos of the kiddo stickered over a 2021 calendar!
For my great aunt we did a page for each month with various photos of the kids that we know she loves and attached magnet strips to the back so the pages could be hung on the fridge. My aunt loves animal print so we did that for the backgrounds and I included all of the ones we found and used in a download for anyone interested. There’s also a seasonal background download we out together and didn’t end up needed, hopefully someone will put the hard work to use. We also laminated everything so it’s all dry erase ready!
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Magnets
We are doing a lot of magnets for gifts this year. At first they were just going to be for my oldest who will be heading off to college and into a new apartment in May, but the youngest enjoyed making them so much we decided to do them for everyone. Kids don’t need much help with this one at all. The only part of these kiddo needed help with was the laminating.
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The ones pictured are the coloring page ones (kiddo prefers coloring over drawing) however we did also make some from drawings and photos. Everything is laminated (the laminator and laminate sheets I prefer/use are pictured below) and we used peel and stick magnet strips and buttons from Wal-Mart which are fairly cheap. I would have preferred the magnetic sheets but unfortunately since covid the stores in our area are very limited on all things craft related. You can download all of the coloring pages we used to the left. Everything is side out to the sizes we used. I did a few wine ones for my BFF and included them as well for anyone that knows a wino as well! 🤣
Bookmarks
The readers in your life are sure to love this one, I know our book lovers will!
We made a few kinds of reversible bookmarks this Christmas. I printed out some full page coloring pages (get yours below) and the kid colored them. Once they were colored I had kiddo choose some photos for each person getting a bookmark this year and printed them on the other side. We also made some with drawings on one side and special photos on the other and oversized mega bookmarks, mainly for auntie since she’s always losing hers. I laminated everything with the 3mm sheets shown below. They turned out very cute and I know everyone is going to absolutely love them! You can download all of the coloring pages and bookmark templets we used to the right.
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Photo Display Cubes & Ornament Cubes
I make my husband and the kids each one or more homemade X-Mas gifts every year. This is what I made for my husband and one of the things kiddo made for everyone this year.
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As many of you already know, I make a lot of paper craft dice for our school work and my husband loves paper crafts of any kind, which is how I got the idea to make display cubes and ornament cubes. This year the kiddo has gotten very good at doing the cutting, folding and gluing to make the dice. Making the dice is one of the kids favorite things to do now and it’s very simple. It’s something we could do fairly fast so we were able to make several of them in no time! I made my husband and a few friends photo cubes with pictures of the kids and the person the cube is for and the kiddo made some with drawings and notes on them for everyone. I did the photo cubes two different ways. One I added the photos to the cube before printing and two I sized the photos, printed a blank cube template, printed the photos separately without the outline, then cut and glued them on the blank cube after it was assembled. The first way is faster of course and less work, but the second way makes for better structural integrity, sturdier cubes, especially since everything was printed on thick cardstock. I laminated some of the cubes and/or photos with the 3mm sheets before cutting and gluing. Laminating the photos before adding them to a blank cube turned out great however it made folding the premade photo cubes a little harder and way more annoying, but they will definitely hold up better and last longer. I always use gorilla glue hot glue sticks for this kind of thing. It holds up very well and lining the inside of the cubes with it a bit helps prevent them from getting smashed or damaged. Before gluing the top of the ornament ones, I used a hole punch to make 2 holes and attached the ribbon as shown in the photos. I glued around the holes on the inside with the hot glue to prevent tearing. I glued the ribbon to the inside top as well so it would hang better on the tree without slipping around. I included examples in the photos as well to show which way the photos/messages need to face to appear upright once put together. You can download the blank template I used under the photos. My husband and aunts are the kind of people that get all mushy about homemade gifts, (not just from the kids but from myself as well) and if the gift includes old photos or a cheesy message, even better. I know these cubes are going to be a big hit with them!
Mason Jar Crafts
We have done a few things with mason jar gifts over the years, they are always a big hit! The ones pictured are the favorites.
The first one is a potpourri/oil one. I decorated the outside with charms that matched our aunts bathroom and hot glued roses to small dowel rods that were soaked in sugar cookie scented oil. I also filled it with fabric rose petals, small pinecones, glitter and wood chips that were all soaked in the oil for about 3 days before putting them in. I gave her the access oil as well to replenish as needed and she has yet to need it so this turned out very well! The second one is made with ripped up tissue paper glued on with Elmer’s glue by the kiddo then sealed with mod podge. The mid of lid was replaced with a flower hot glued on and kiddo added some gems and glitter. Once it all dried we filled it with candy! The second one wasn’t a gift but would definitely make a good one! It was made the same way except this one was a candle holder. It’s very pretty lit up! The third jar craft pictured is an admiration jar. We made several of these for X-Mas this last year and we’ll defiantly be making more for upcoming birthdays. The kiddo decorated them and then wrote complements on strips of paper to be pulled out whenever the person needs/wants to hear something kind. My aunt struggles deeply with depression so I always try to make her one thing a year that could help with that, this is the first year the kid helped with that particular themed gift, typically she makes something separate from her. Enjoy all!
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No Sew Pillow
We have made these a couple of ways, both of which the little ones can do with almost no help from us.
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The first way is with ribbon and hot glue. The kiddo is still to little to use the sewing machine but really wanted to make throw pillows for my BFF’s new home. Since they are strictly for decoration and kiddo can use the glue gun with very little help I decided to use hot glue and ribbon. I use gorilla glue sticks for all my gluing needs so it holds very well for a long period of time. We glued the side and tied off one end then stuffed it really well. When it was fully filled we tied off the other end. I added a drop of glue to each ribbon to prevent it from coming undone. The other way we make these is with pillow cases from the dollar store and ribbon. We tie of the closed end and stuff it then tie off the open end. Very simple to do and everyone enjoys them!
Paintings
We paint a lot! Our favorite way to paint is using the fluid or dirty pour technique. It’s very easy for children all of all ages to do (kiddo was only 3 when the first one was done and needed very little help) but it can get pretty messy. If you decide to use one of these methods I definitely suggest doing it in a space you don’t mind getting splattered with paint. We have a space in our school room strictly for painting for that very reason.
It’s basically just pouring and tipping the canvas. I use a torch to get the cell look most people prefer and I thin our paint with water rather than the typically medium. The thinner your paint the bigger the cells you’ll get when you start tipping, but keep in mind it also takes longer to dry the thinner you get. We get the canvas from Wal-Mart and/or Amazon pretty cheap and use Apple Barrel and FolkArt acrylic paint which is also very cheap and easy to find. I think almost everyone we know has at least one of our paintings hanging in their homes now. These are definitely one of the most loved gifts we give and they are great for any occasion! Under the photos is a playlist of my favorite painting videos that I found when I first started painting this way. Top: Using metallic, glitter, matte, & basic acrylic paints all in one painting gives a very unique, beautiful layered look when dry and also helps create better cells!
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Love Bug & Admiration Garden
This was made for a mothers day gift but I think it would be cute for any time of the year. It’s very inexpensive and easy for kids of all ages to make with little to no help.
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It’s just a sock from the dollar store stuffed and sectioned off with pipe cleaner to give it the love bug look. The flowers are made from construction paper and pipe cleaner then stuck into a foam flower box. Before gluing the flowers on I had kiddo write some reasons why they loved mom, nice things they do together, and any other kind loving comment they wanted. We stuck the love bug under the flowers and added a little glitter and paper hearts. We have done love bug gifts a few times now for various reasons and they are always a big hit not only for the person they are made for but for the kids as well since it’s a project they can do pretty much 100% on their own at a young age.
Stickers/Decals
As I said, we make DIY gifts every year (most of which you’ll find on the HHD site), and they are always everyone’s favorite gifts of the season. We don’t want to keep giving the same stuff year after year of course, so we always try to make something unique and different each year that will appeal to everyone, but that can be quite a challenge. This year we were really struggling to come up with ideas, but I think what we did finally come up with just might be one of our best ideas yet! It was a HUGE hit with everyone! I love the level of personalization with this gift, and how little help the kiddo needed from her father and I to do it, making it a gift that’s almost 100% all her! I think it means more to everyone when it’s something the kids do completely on their own, or at least something they can do with very little help from mom and/or dad. I especially love that the kiddo got to sit down and really think about what each person would like. This gift idea was a great opportunity for the kiddo and her loved ones to see just how well she really knows and loves them since she had to come up with unique ideas for each individual, then draw whatever she came up with all on her own, specifically for them! And since drawing is something she really loves to do this was a blast for her! After my daughter drew the pictures for each of her loved ones, I then uploaded them to the pc and turned them into decals that everyone can put on their cars, pcs, phones, walls, whatever they want to, and think of her whenever they see it! She made 1-3 pictures for each person, and for a few of them we added phrases/words using fun font styles I have on the pc. They came out great, exactly like she drew them! These are perfect keepsakes to remember the love she has for everyone for years to come!
To turn the drawings into stickers/decals I used my 3D paint program and vinyl cutter. I know that’s not an option for everyone, and that’s OK. You could easily do this simply using printable sticker paper, which you can find on Amazon very cheap. Going that route might be more fun for the kiddos as well since they could color in the drawings prior to uploading them to be printed! If you do have a vinyl cutter and choose to go that way, make sure your children use plain white paper and start out with a pencil so they can erase any mistakes. Also, be sure the picture isn’t colored in, at least not all the way, some colored spots will be fine, but a fully colored drawing may prove to be very difficult to trace on the pc to be cut. Once they are satisfied with the drawing, trace over it with a dark colored Sharpie. Keep in mind that thinner lines can be a pain to weed after cut and tend to lift much faster after applied to surfaces no matter what brand of vinyl you use, so tracing the lines as thick as possible without distorting the image is a good idea. Still, I recommend using a thin tip marker to start with, then go over anything needed with a thicker one if necessary. Make sure when tracing it you don’t have any line brakes and everything is dark enough to trace on the pc.
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Card Downloads
Label/Tag Downloads
Read descriptions below! Some packs contain labels for Christmas and other occasions.
My preferred/recommended laminate and laminator that I use for all of our paper projects are pictured below. Both can be found at Wal-Mart for around $20 or less.
Amazon Shopping List
I want to make it very clear that I do NOT get paid to promote anything on the lists in anyway, nor does anyone I know. The products are not sent to me/friends/family to review. I have found and used/researched these on my own. I spend a significant amount of time each month on amazon searching around to find the best products to aid in our homeschool journey at the best deals! Now you can benefit from my hours of work as well! I have put together lists of teaching aids, books, kits and more that may prove useful and helpful on your homeschool journey as well! I have also put together a list of family matching clothing, shoes and accessories. Our youngest is very much into matching mom, so every spring we choose a few matching outfits and things that are always a big hit with our friends and family. Everything we have bought or simply just considered is on the list. Please note the sizes and colors displayed may not be the matching item. Also some things may say out of stock, however it may only be for the size and/or color that was selected when the item was added to the list. Click on the item to check the availability of your desired sizes/colors for sure.
AGIAN, I want to make it very clear that I do not get paid to promote anything on the lists in anyway, nor does anyone I know. The products are not sent to me/friends/family to review. I have personally researched and/or used everything on the lists above myself, (aside from the family marching products, some of those were considered and viewed but not purchased) which is why I feel comfortable recommending these items to you. If anyone finds a recalled or poorly reviewed product on the list that I may have somehow missed PLEASE contact me and let me know! I hope you find these list and their contents as useful, helpful, and fun as we have! If there’s a type of shopping list you’d like to see created please feel free to send me the request and I will do my best to set it up asap! Enjoy and happy teaching!
All Available Themes
Click any of the themes below to be quickly redirected to the page/post containing all of the FREE downloads currently available in your desired theme, as well as any crafts or other shared materials, info, videos etc that may also be useful in that theme! Remember, you can click the pack images to preview the contents of each pack before downloading.
Harry Potter Inspired
Star Wars Inspired & Cinco De Mayo
Princess
Sharks
Alice In Wonderland Inspired
Bees & Plants
Tim Burton Inspired
Legos
Pirates
Scooby-Doo Inspired
TMNT
My Little Pony Inspired
Veterinarians & Valentines Day
Magic Tree House Inspired
Important Notice! The FREE book clubs are only offered in the spring and summer. If you’d like to sign up now you’re more than welcome to, but you will not receive the welcome email until May! We look forward to seeing all of our returning members and meet the new ones for the 2023 season! Thank you for your support and continuing interest!
Big Kids Club summery; click the link to find out more and sign up: In this club we read the books BEFORE the weekly meetings, then discuss them and play book trivia. Most books will be sent to you for FREE, either in text form, or audio! We also spend time working on social skills by playing games, doing crafts together (for those that want to participate in that), and free discussion time. The age range is just a suggestion. Older and/or younger children are welcome if you think they would enjoy it and be able to participate properly.
Join The FREE Big Kids Social Book Club Ages 6-11! For Details & Sign Up Click HERE!!!!
Little Readers Club summery; click the link to find out more and sign up: In this club we read the books together during the weekly meetings, taking turns reading for those that choose to. Most books will be displayed on the shared screen for all to see! After, we discuss the book a little. We spend the rest of the time working on social skills by playing games, doing crafts, and free discussion time. The age range is just a suggestion. Older and/or younger children are welcome if you think they would enjoy it and be able to participate properly.
Join The FREE Little Readers social Book Club Ages 4-7! For Details & Sign Up Click HERE!!!!
Frequently Asked Book Club Questions
Check out this HHD original creation; a educational reward/behavior system that really works! CLICK HERE!!
IMPORTANT NOTE: You can click download/pack images to preview the contents before downloading, however some previews may display fonts incorrectly.
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Thank You Everyone!
I greatly appreciate everyone’s support! I honestly do work hard on all of this, so I am so happy it’s helped so many people! If you like what I’m doing here please continue the support and spread the word, pay it forward, help me reach as many people as possible so they to can enjoy and benefit from the FREE downloads and other things I offer every week! Thank you for following me on this crazy, but still incredibly wonderful journey! I hope you get something out of this, big or small.
Keep learning! Keep teaching! Be happy! Enjoy!
The Homeschool Help Desk 
One reply on “DIY Gift Ideas, Labels & Cards For Every Occasion!”
May I simply just say what a comfort to find someone that actually knows what they’re talking about on the web. You certainly realize how to bring a problem to light and make it important. A lot more people need to check this out and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you aren’t more popular given that you surely have the gift.
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