Last year we went all DIY on our gift giving to our immediate family members. Making things gives me a real sense of accomplishment, and I figured that these simple homemade gifts would ease some of the stress of the holidays. Turns out when you’re unorganized and a major procrastinator, you can make anything stressful. But I really thought everyone would love their gifts, and I haven’t heard otherwise, so I’m going to call them a win?

So here on Makes Fun today I’m going to give you a rundown of the DIY projects I tried last year, AND a little teaser of the things I hope to make this year. You people who have all of your holiday shopping/making done kill me. Also, most of these are not MY tutorials because I originally got them from someone else, so please click through those links for more detailed tutorials and to see their fabulous photos. I’m super careful about using images that aren’t mine, so I wasn’t comfortable using the original photos from these tutorials.

DIY Christmas Gifts: Tried and Succeeded

Glass Bead Magnets

One of my favorites and SO easy. All you need is scrapbook paper, Mod Podge, a paintbrush, an exacto knife (must be SHARP), and some glass beads, usually found in the floral section of the craft store. Fun fact: scrapbook paper is my weakness. I don’t scrapbook, but I own a ton of it.

The instructions couldn’t be easier. Smear some Mod Podge on the flat side of your bead and stick it on your paper of choice. Once dry, cut the excess paper from around the bead, then coat the back with a thin layer of Mod Podge. Stick on a magnet, and voila!

Now. In the tutorial I’m linking to, she used little round magnets like these that fit perfectly onto the back of the bead, which she affixed with glue dots or a glue gun. Since I’m cheap, I purchased a self adhesive magnet strip like this one. So my magnet backings weren’t as pretty, and I still had to glue them on since the adhesive on the strip didn’t stick well. But I still loved this project. It was fun and easy enough to do while watching a movie. Also, don’t try to take a shortcut like my husband and slap the glue on the paper first and then place the magnets. All of his popped off before I even got to trimming.

Stamped Tile Coasters

Another super easy project that literally takes minutes to complete, thanks to its assembly line type steps. You’ll need some natural stone tiles from the home improvement store (very cheap), a stamp, Staz-On ink (I read that the actual Staz-On brand works best, and I wasn’t temped to try otherwise), clear acrylic spray, and felt or cork for backing.

There are approximately 1 million and 37 tutorials out there on how to do this, but I’m sticking with the simplest one. Wipe your tiles with a damp rag, let them dry completely, lay them out on a table, and stamp away. Once the ink is dry, take them outside and spray them well with the clear acrylic spray to seal them. Then wrap them up in pretty ribbon, and you’re done! (You may notice that these feature the same stamp that I used in my tutorial of how to turn your kid’s painting into a real piece of art — another great gift idea!)

I also made a homemade sugar scrub, but I was kinda “meh” about it. Take that how you will.

DIY Christmas Gifts I Haven’t Tried (but want to!)

Check out these other seriously cute and easy ideas for some of your gift recipients. And if my family is reading this, don’t be surprised if you get one of these from me!

State Map Art — Are Texans the only ones this crazy about their state? This website has all of the states ready to print and frame. Put a heart on your hometown or current town and place it in a nice clear frame.

How cool is this clothesline frame? It’s perfect for all those Instagram photos we’re all taking. This is a great gift idea for grandparents. You can send them new photos in the mail each month to change out!

These DIY monogrammed mugs from Design Mom are so simple and cool. Plus I have a thing for coffee mugs.

Are you making any gifts this holiday season, or have you tried any of these?

Disclosure: No compensation for mentioning or linking to any of these awesome tutorials, but Amazon links are affiliate links. Proceeds go to site maintenance.