Here are 10 creative gift ideas that are perfect for family or friends because, I don’t know about you, but gift giving is one my all-time favorite things.
I am also a fan of unique gift wrapping, especially options that upcycle materials or promote reuse and still look festive.
So I am sharing some of my favorite last minute gift ideas you can make quickly, along with ways to wrap those gifts that keep reuse in mind.
Hopefully you’ll find something that speaks to your gift giving tendencies…
Creative Gift Ideas Galore!
These last minute gift ideas can be made in 15 minutes or less.
I mean who hasn’t been in a crunch at some point when they realize they’re a gift or two short?
You have a sudden need for a hostess gift or a teacher gift for the holidays, and you’re stumped but it’s “due” tomorrow.
So here is some creative inspiration and a resource for handmade gift ideas when you’re in rush. I have also included some of the detailed tutorials for each of these items below as well.
Creative Gifts To Make For The Holidays
Detailed Tutorials For Handmade Gifts
Creative Gift Idea: Make A Reusable Snack Back
A reusable snack bag is great for the eco-focused teacher who would love an easy pack-and-carry option for dry snacks.
These are also great for kids of all ages.
Creative Gift Idea: Hair Tie with Tulle
This hair tie can, of course, be made with any colors but if you’re going for a holiday vibe, pick the colors associated with the one you celebrate.
Make some in the person’s favorite sports team’s colors and you’ll have something the person will wear year-round!
These hair ties also make great stocking stuffers, or you could integrate the hair tie into your gift bow as a fun ‘topper’.
Creative Gift Idea: Cute Charm Earrings
Charm earrings are an all ages option since you are the one selecting the charms. These earrings take literally 5 minutes to make with the right supplies and tools.
When selecting charms, I either pick something specific to the person (an animal, or color, for example) or something with a little pizazz (like the ones in the tutorial) that would be fun for pretty much anyone.
Charm sets can be found for a reasonable price at stores like JoAnn’s, Michaels, and Walmart.
For example, the hildie & jo brand at JoAnn’s has a lot of different options. You can buy this sparkly hildie & jo 8 point star charm package of eight charms for $7.99. The cost of the pair of earrings, when you add in the ear wires and jump ruings will be less than $3.00!
It’s a Wrap! (Gift Wrap, That Is)
OK, so you’ve made a gift in 15 minutes or less, but it still needs to be wrapped!
Here are 3 quick and easy gift wrapping ideas that will make your present stand out from the pack.
Gift Wrapping Idea #1: Wrap books or boxes in a handmade cotton pillowcase.
Novelty cottons comes in so many patterns these days, you can easily find a fun design to use for a pillowcase that could also double as wrapping paper for a little while.
If you live in a colder climate, a flannel pillowcase is an option as well.
I have gifted a lot of pillowcases over the years and always hear about it became a staple in the person’s pillowcase rotation.
All you need to do to wrap a gift in a pillow case is to place the gift inside the pillowcase and fold it nicely.
Finish it off with some ribbon and your gift is ready to go!
Gift Wrapping Idea #2: Make and decorate a simple felt case for a gift card or cash.
I designed these little pouches in felt because it is not only an easy medium to work with, but it is a no-sew project with the addition of a glue gun.
This felt ‘case’ is the perfect size for cash or a gift card. You could also wrap the charm earrings in tissue paper and place them in a pouch like this too!
Felt will withstand reuse so the gift recipient can keep the pouch to store a variety of other things.
Gift Wrapping Idea #3: Reuse toilet paper packaging for a variety of items
I realize toilet paper packing isn’t an obvious choice for gift wrapping and this option is likely a NSFW gift wrapping idea, even if your colleagues have a sense of humor.
But this option is a lot of fun. First, the backstory…
I don’t want to be a necessities hoarder, but like my fabric and craft supplies, right now I like to have a deep stash of toilet paper.
So when I saw an ad for a company called Who Gives A Crap that sends boxes of toilet paper, I was intrigued.
Then I learned that the company donates 50% of their profits to help build toilets and I decided to place an order.
The toilet paper arrived in colorful, patterned paper that begged to be reused. I got to thinking about options and origami hearts was an easy solution.
Since the toilet paper comes in a box of 50 rolls, however, I knew I had to come up with additional ideas to keep the paper out of the recycling bin.
Then the holidays were fast approaching and it hit me. I could use the paper as part of my gift wrapping!
So I came up with three different ways to reuse Who Give A Crap packaging and made the video below to demonstrate my process.
Now We’re All Wrapped Up
Clearly, the I’ve been thinking a lot of DIY gifts and gift wrapping!
I hope that at least one of these ideas will take the guesswork out of something you need for someone.
As always, I love seeing what you create. So if you snap a picture and post it to social media, please tag @goodsgivingback and #createtodonate so I can see your beauties.
Craft on!