DIY birthday gift ideas ?

[Bibii]

Hello artsy people :)

A really really good friend of mine will turn 18 soon, and I have 2 weeks to make her something (it's been 2-3 years that we started to give each other home made gifts instead of buying them).

But this year, with college and everything, I seem to have less time then before ): I need ideas for a quick, but meaningful do-it-yourself gift for her.

I'm open to any ideas !
Thank you ♥

[pheddy]

You can blow up a balloon, dip yarn in glue, wrap it around the balloon, give it some time to dry, pop it, and make a hanging ornament

Soak yarn in lighter fluid, wrap it around a wine glass, light the yarn on fire, then dip it in ice to make a wine glass cup (the top part comes off clean)

You can paint a wine glass for her

You can make her a personalized calendar or photo book (I work at Walgreens and most will make one in a few hours, and is from 14.99 to 29.99)

If you want me to elaborate any of these let me know :)

[Bibii]

I more or less understood your first idea so I went to look up online, woah ! It's definitely something that I would give it a try !

It's actually funny but I made her a personalized calendar last year and I painted her a mug for Christmas ;p

Photobook ? Is that a kind of scrapbrook ? but with more photos and less stickers and stuff ? o-o

Thank you so much for your ideas ♥

[dawnshine]

Manicure in a Jar. Just get any jar, a mason jar or whatever. You can decorate it all artsy-like for the birthday. Fill it with favorite color/nail polish ideas that friend likes. Or do a spring theme with colors or something, or colors that coordinate with a passion/favorite of the friend (shows, bands, artwork for inspiration.) Include other manicure-ish type things. This can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it. I've seen pictures that have a couple types of nail polish, a nail polish remover, and like a hand-scrubber or stuff like that. And you can get as creative as you want with the packaging and really personalize it.

 

Baked goods are always amazing and from the heart and appreciated. Plus it's pretty easy to personalize them, and they're the ultimate DIY.

 

I'm not sure if we're allowed to recommend other sites on here, but if you go to Pinterest and type in DIY Birthday gifts I bet hundreds of stuff would pop up.

 

A personalized card is always a must, too. (: I'm all about DIY gifts for birthdays and things of that nature.

[Bibii]

Mhh she's more or less into all the girly stuff, but something with bands/shows/artwork is something I'd consider ;o Tell me more about those ;O

I went to see Pinterest, thanks for the tip though :)

 

Awe yeah, I'll bake her something if really I can't find anything :))

Thank you for the ideas C:

[siniri]

One of my favorite DIY presents for that age range is a "cookbook" -- a personalized 3-ring binder with sheet protectors, and a few starter recipes of my own. The sheet protectors enable you to check off the ingredients and spill stuff without ruining the recipe. The recipes I include are some of my own "specialties" that I know they like (a certain cake recipe, banana bread, homemade salsa, etc.). Sometimes I combine it with something baked or some cooking/baking things I know they don't have.

[Batman]

You could make like a DIY spa day. So make a facial mask, sugar scrub, bath salts. Anything that you think she would enjoy but I really do like siniri's idea if she is going to be moving out of the parents house.

[dawnshine]

One of my friends made his girlfriend some artwork with the lyrics of one of her favorite songs as the theme. He did the whole melting crayons thing, which isn't the most original, but it's pretty and he made it look cool. I don't know if you do any drawing or painting of your own, but something she could hang up that has a favorite lyric or something on it would be cool.

 

You probably can't get a hold of her old show tickets, but making her a decorated concert memory box she can keep her old ticket stubs, passes, and pictures in, or make an "album" that she can put ticket stubs and pictures in. I've seen some people do this for themselves to keep all of their old memories in one place, since stuff like that is easy to lose. I always wish I had somewhere to put all my laminated passes, ticket stubs, and stuff like that.

 

Since spring is right around the corner, getting her a pretty flower/plant and decorating the vase/pot that it is in could be cool. And she'll always remember it was a gift you gave her when she waters it or gets flowers in the future and puts them in it. If you did something like that and got her a Plants Vs. Zombies game to go with it that could be cute, if she is into computer games at all.

[Bibii]

@Siniri, That's a really interesting idea ! Though I'm afraid that I would mess up on this one since I do not cook at all ;/ Sometimes, I do bake but the recipes are all from internet, so it won't be ''special''. Although I would use this idea for my mom's birthday next year, I can steal her cooking notes and make a pretty cookbook out of the things she makes the most :3 Thanks for the idea ♥

 

@Batman, mmh she is more or less into those girly stuff :S But I'll keep that idea in mind for another good friend of mine ;3 Thanks C:

@Dawnshine, OMG a memory box. I think I just found the perfect gift !! Such a cute idea :3 Thank you so much :))

[.Brianna.]

Not exactly crafty, but still DIY ish. I love to buy a plastic tumbler cup and fill it with goodies. For Christmas I made them for a couple friends and included nail polish, elastic hairties (which I did make), gift cards, etc. You could definitely make some cute stuff to fill one with.

[Bibii]

Awe like a personalized all-in-one thing ? That's thoughtful :))

[tinti]

You could give her a semi homemade conditioner.

Buy a conditioner that your friend likes. then have a series of ingredients on have, you can mix and blend whatever you like. F.ex coconut oil, sweet almond or normal almond oil, jojoba oil etc, honey, castor oil (great for hair growth) redbosh tea (amazing for hair growth), honey, essential oils (lavender, mandarin, mint etc to add scent) and aloe gel.

 

First, squirt an ammount of the conditioner in a bowl. Then add water, if you just wanna make a leave-in you can add more, deep treatment needs less, but if you wanna add honey or castor oil they have a bit of a texture so a bit of water would be great to just blend them out. Then just add a tea spoon or two of your desired ingredients not heaps or else it'll be too much :) and add water and conditioner untill you've gotten the texture you like, make sure to blend after each ingredient. And when you're done just pour it in a bottle/tube/jar/container, and if you have too much you can use it your self or give it away to someone else. Just be aware that honey, castor oil and redbush tea might have an expired- or best before-date., so youu can't make so much that you have loads of expired conditioner on your hands. For the same reason it's best to keep it in the fridge and just maybe blend it around a little before use. I've done this multiple times without recipe, some turns out better than others but you get the gist :)

[passiflora]

To spin off some of the food/baking ideas, I've always found that "cookie in a jar" goes over well (there are many recipes, this is just an example). It looks nice, and you can make them together if you'd like as a fun bonding activity. :p You can also find variations such as "soup in a jar".

 

I'm also a big fan of buying cheap things and personalizing them. For example, one year I embroidered pillowcases for someone, another year I sewed a pair of pajama pants. It does require a bit of background skill, though. ;)

[masonn]

I think homemade cards are always really nice, something easy to keep would be great as you'd want to keep it for a looong time :D

[Robert1981]

What about a special gift decorated with ribbon wearing the name of the person who will recieve your gift? :)

http://labelsandribbon.com/printed-ribbon/text-and-symbol

[Venus0523]

• You could frame an older photo of the two of you doing something special
• If she's moving out soon:
  • I like to make fabric coaster and potholders
  • Get inexpensive glassware (like from dollar store) and decorate with acrylic paint
  • Homemade potpourri or a candle

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