DIY New Year gifts: 35 cool ideas

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

They will surprise even those who are difficult to please.

Scandinavian gnome

A fun and inexpensive gift you can sew for a relative or friend who loves to decorate the house for the holiday. Such a gnome looks good under the tree and on the bedside table.

What do you need

• Beige and white linen;
• plate;
• pencil or marker;
• scissors;
• needle;
• threads;
• rice;
• cotton wool or synthetic winterizer;
• artificial fur;
• glue;
• ruler;
• wooden bead.

How to do

Take a piece of beige linen and place a plate on it. Trace the outline of the circle with a marker or pencil. Cut along the contour. Step back about 2 cm from the edge and stick in the needle and thread. Pierce the fabric first in, then out. Flax will be gathered on a thread. This will end up with a small pouch.

Fill in the base of the part fig. Fill the rest of the space with cotton wool or padding polyester, then sew up the bag. This is the body of a Scandinavian gnome.

Cut a triangle out of the faux fur - the future beard. It should be the same height as the bag. This part must be glued to the workpiece with the base up.

To make a hat for a gnome, cut two identical triangles from a piece of white linen. The base should be the same length as the body of the toy. Measure it and transfer the result to a cloth. The height of the cap can be any. When the pieces are ready, sew them on the sides and turn them inside out.

Fill the hood with cotton wool or padding polyester. Glue to body so that it covers the base of the beard and the knot on the pouch. Take a bead and use glue to attach it under the cap.

Watch a video on how to sew a Scandinavian gnome:

How else can you do

If you have no time to look for linen fabric, a Scandinavian gnome can be made from terry socks:

Decorated mug

It will take about an hour to prepare the gift. And the circle will delight your friend or colleague for a long time.

What do you need

• Plain mug;
• a silhouette of a deer or a Christmas tree printed on plain paper;
• self-adhesive film;
• scissors or utility knife;
• gold or silver marker for glass and ceramics;
• toothpick;
• acetone.

How to do

Place a self-adhesive tape over the printed image. With a pencil, trace the visible silhouette of a tree or deer. When the drawing is finished, use a pair of scissors or a utility knife. Carefully cut out everything inside the outline of the silhouette.

Remove the paper from the film and carefully glue the stencil to the mug. It is important that no bubbles remain. Paint over the silhouette of the image with a ceramic marker. Let the picture dry and remove the film. If the pattern has spread a little, soak a toothpick in acetone and remove the excess.

The whole process with both variants of the picture can be viewed here:

How else can you do

On the mug, you can write a wish or draw the first letter of the name of the person who will receive the gift:

If you find a beautiful mug with an ornament, you can simply decorate it with twigs, cotton and cinnamon:

Zodiac constellation

An ideal gift if the zodiac sign is everything you know about a person, but you really want to please him.

What do you need

• Black fabric covered frame;
• garland with small bulbs;
• ruler;
• white marker;
• constellation image;
• thick needle.

How to do

Place the constellation pattern on a black fabric-covered frame. Take a needle and make holes in the places where the stars are located.

Using a marker and a ruler, connect the holes so that you get the outline of the constellation. If it's hard, peek at the printout. When done, write the name of your zodiac sign below the picture.

Take the garland and insert the bulbs into the holes. The wires should remain on the inside of the frame.

See the whole process of creating a gift here:

How else can you do

If you have no desire to bother with a garland, make a zodiac constellation out of paper and sequins:

Dessert

If you are going to throw a New Year's Eve party, prepare some chocolate spoons. When it comes to tea drinking, such small gifts will delight all guests.

What do you need

• Disposable wooden spoons;
• small paper cups;
• chocolate;
• thin felt-tip pen or pencil;
• edible decorations (cake beads, marshmallows).

How to do

Prepare the spoons first. Write wishes, congratulations or predictions on their pens. If you want, draw Christmas trees.

Place the chocolate in a deep bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds. When it has melted, remove and pour halfway into paper cups.

Place the spoons in the chocolate. Pour marshmallows or edible beads into the future. Send the glasses to the freezer for 2 hours. When the dessert has hardened, remove it from the disposable container.

See the whole process here:

How else can you do

Delight your colleagues or friends with funny chocolate deer on a stick:

Surprise the kids with sugar cookies in the shape of snowmen, Christmas trees and snowflakes:

Make chocolate Christmas trees from waffle cones:

Doll

This cute toy will remind you of you long after the holiday. Present it to someone who is crazy about dolls.

What do you need

• Felt fabric;
• scissors;
• threads;
• compasses or three plates with a diameter of 21, 18 and 12 cm;
• needle;
• a wooden ball with a diameter of 3.5 cm;
• oval cotton pads;
• white and beige yarn;
• cotton wool;
• black marker;
• red paint or pink eyeshadow and brush;
• liquid glue.

How to make

Cut out three circles with a diameter of 21, 18 and 12 cm from the fabric. You can measure them with a compass or circle the plates that fit with a marker. On each, sew along the edge, collecting the fabric with a thread. It will look like a khinkali without tails.

Fold the part that came out of the largest circle in half. Apply glue to the seam. Lay medium-sized khinkali on top, also bent in the center. This is the first piece.

Cut a cotton pad in half.

Sew the details as shown in the video.

Glue the resulting collar to the first blank of the doll.

Fold the beige yarn several times. Divide it into four parts mentally. Tie with strings in three places. Cut the ends. This is the hair of the doll. How thick they are is up to you.

Glue the resulting curls to a wooden ball.

With a marker, draw two points - the eyes of the doll. Use red paint or pink shades to paint the blush underneath.

Glue the head to the base piece. If you want to decorate the doll, roll a few balls of cotton wool. Secure them with glue to the dress.

Make a small pompom out of white yarn. The algorithm is shown in the video.

Glue the rest of the red cloth to the doll's head. This is a hat.

Attach the pompom to the hat.

Trim the doll's hair so that it looks natural.

For detailed instructions on how to sew a doll, see the video:

How else can you do

To make a baby doll, draw closed eyes. Attach an asterisk instead of a nipple:

The pom-pom doll looks good on the tree:

Rope legs make the Christmas toy especially cute:

To make the doll a little awkward, you can sew a long cap for it:

Present this toy to someone who still does not have a Tilda doll in the house. It will fit into any interior:

Decorated bottle

If you're going to serve someone champagne or another drink, try disguising the bottle as a deer. Such a gift will definitely cheer you up.

What do you need

• Bottle;
• red pompom;
• decorative eyes;
• scissors or utility knife;
• glue;
• fine shiny brush for cleaning pipes with a wire inside.

How to make

Cut the brush to make the horns. You should end up with long and short pieces. Wrap the second around the first so that it takes a V-shape. Make another horn following this principle.

Attach the horns to the bottle. To do this, you need to wrap them around the neck.

Glue two eyes under the horns, and a pompom under them to make a face.

Instructions for decorating bottles are in video format:

How else can you do

You can decorate the bottle with thick threads, gold foil and a bell:

Cones, thin rope and beads look good as a decor. After the holiday, such a gift can be used as a piece of furniture.

Tea and candy tree

A great gift for tea lovers. “Connoisseurs of this drink do not drink sawdust from sachets,” you might say. But who's stopping to pack good expensive tea in envelopes and put delicious sweets in the base of the tree?

What do you need

• Penoplex;
• cardboard tube 4, 5 cm high;
• tea packed in paper bags (the amount depends on the height of the tree);
• square-shaped candies;
• glue gun;
• decorative braid;
• toothpick;
• small decor (bows, stars, beads);
• scissors;
• ruler;
• pencil;
• stationery knife;
• satin ribbons;
• Double-sided tape;
• compass;
• cobweb mesh;
• green, white and brown paper.

How to do

Make a triangle-shaped template out of white paper. The base is 10 cm, the height is 18 cm. Transfer it to the penoplex and cut out two parts. Now glue them together.

Glue the blank with green paper. Make two triangles from the spider web using the pattern. Attach them to the front of the future tree. Decorate the edges with decorative tape.

Take a cardboard tube and glue it over with brown paper. This will be the trunk. Glue pieces of styrofoam inside the part. You will end up with a plug, into which you need to stick a toothpick up to the middle, and then fill the base with glue. Now the tree and the trunk need to be connected.

To make the base of the tree, cut out a circle with a diameter of 7 cm from the foam. Glue it over with green paper and braid. On the side of this blank, attach double-sided tape and place the candies on it. Tie the sweets with a satin ribbon. Using glue and a toothpick, attach the tree to the base.

Use pieces of double-sided tape to fasten the tea bags together so that they form two ribbons. Glue these details to the sides of the tree. Decorate the souvenir with bows, beads and other small decor, and glue a star to the top of the head.

You can watch the whole process here:

How else can you do

It is not necessary to make a Christmas tree from tea bags and sweets. This video suggests using cones, feathers, or green cloth:

You can make a tree that is easy to hang on the wall. You will need cardboard, branches and a garland:

Candlestick

A win-win gift option. A homemade candlestick will create coziness and a festive atmosphere.

What do you need

• Wine glass;
• thick cardboard;
• glue;
• scissors;
• marker;
• a New Year's souvenir that fits in a glass;
• shredded foam.

How to do

Place the glass upside down on the cardboard and circle it with a marker.

Cut out the resulting circle.

Glue a souvenir to the circle and let dry.

Pour styrofoam into the glass.

Cover the neck with glue and attach the base to it so that the toy is inside. When the glue dries, turn the craft over and place a candle on it. Detailed instructions on how to create a candlestick can be found here:

How else can you do

A candlestick can be made from a regular jar:

If you want to make both a candle and a candlestick, try this option:

Laptop sleeve

This practical gift is easy to make for someone who lives in the same apartment with you. Measurements from this person's laptop can be taken at any time.

What do you need

• Meter of quilted fabric;
• lightning;
• scissors;
• threads;
• tape measure;
• a piece of soap or chalk for marking;
• any fabric for lining;
• sewing machine;
• needles.

How to do

Find out the length and width of your computer. Add 3 cm to the resulting data. These are the seam allowances. Mark out the quilted fabric and cut out two rectangles for the front and back of the cover. Then make a strip on the base fabric as well. Its width is the height of the device plus 3 cm. The length is the sum of the two narrow and one wide sides of the laptop. To this value, you also need to add seam allowances. The resulting piece will connect the two panels.

Take one of the rectangles. Place it on the lining fabric and cut out two identical shapes. Sew one of the resulting parts with a piece of base fabric on a typewriter. Repeat with the remaining blanks.

Think about where the lightning will start and end. Mark these places on the blank for the front of the cover. Under them, place a strip of quilted fabric right side in and pin it with needles. Sew the parts on a typewriter.

Take a piece of fabric for the back panel and sew it to the strip to form a bag. Pin the zipper to the hole with needles, and then sew it on too.

A detailed sewing process is in the video:

How else can you do

It is not necessary to sew the zipper to the case. The bag can be made in the form of an envelope with a button:

Card

Try making a three-dimensional postcard with a glass-filled effect. It looks more original than a factory one and is sure to please a colleague or neighbor.

What do you need

• Colored markers;
• simple pencil;
• stationery knife;
• acetate sheet;
• scissors;
• beads;
• glue;
• double-sided foam stickers;
• ruler;
• plain paper;
• two identical pieces of white cardboard;
• phone or tablet.

How to do

Find a picture with a silhouette of glasses filled with champagne and open it on your phone or tablet. Place a sheet of paper on top of the screen and translate the image.

When the drawing is finished, turn the sheet over and paint over everything with a simple pencil. Place this side on the cardboard. Now outline the silhouette of the glasses. The drawing will be transferred to the workpiece. Use a utility knife to cut out the part where the liquid should be. This will be in front of the postcard.

To make the back of the postcard, place the blank with glasses on a blank piece of cardboard. With a pencil, circle the "windows" that you cut with the knife. Around the resulting outline, make a "wall" of pieces of double-sided foam stickers. Add them to the edges of the sheet as well.

Take the front of the card and tape the windows over with a piece of acetate sheet. Now write congratulations on the front. You can add a drawing if you like.

Take the back of the postcard again. Pour some beads into the windows.

Glue the front and back of the card together. Shake the gift a little to see if the beads fall out. The whole process can be viewed here:

How else can you do

Postcard made of cardboard, decorative paper and ribbon:

Snowflake 3D card:

Decorated pillow

Let's say right away that it is not necessary to sew the entire pillow. It is enough just to decorate the pillowcase. This gift is perfect for family and friends.

What do you need

• Terry cloth;
• plain pillowcase;
• scissors;
• glue;
• marker;
• sheet of white paper.

How to do

Cut out the silhouette of the image you are going to transfer to the pillow from the paper. Place the stencil on the back of the terry cloth. Circle it with a marker.

Carefully cut out the fabric pattern and glue it to the pillowcase.

Detailed instructions for decorating pillows are in the video format:

How else can you do

The drawing looks more interesting if you make it from checkered fabric:

The pillowcase can be used as a postcard. Write a congratulation or wish on it:

Coarse coats are still relevant. Tie a pillowcase out of it:

This material was first published December 2016. In November 2020, we updated the text.