Get crafty and make your own homemade gifts this Christmas

With plenty of extra time on our hands at the minute and Christmas fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to have a go at making your own Christmas gifts this year. So show people you care and have a go at some of our crafty makes ready for gifting to your friends and family.

Cement candles

An excellent one-of-a-kind statement piece for someone’s home.

You will need:
Quick set cement
Candle wicks
Old candles
Candle moulds – we used an old milk carton and an old coke bottle for ours
Paper cups
Parcel tape

• Select your moulds and cut them down to size, leaving around an inch above your desired candle size.
• Mix up the quick set cement and steadily pour into your moulds. Then, quickly before your cement starts to set, position your paper cups where you would like your candle wax to go. Use the parcel tape to secure the cups in place.
• Leave to dry overnight.
• Once dry, pull your paper cup out of the mould and peel your mould from the outside.
• Position the wicks in each hole, using a drop of wax to hold them in place.
• Melt the old candles in a double boiler, or a pan over simmering water.
• Discard the old wicks.
• Then, holding your new wick straight, carefully pour your wax into your candle space.
• Leave to harden.
• Once hardened your candles are ready to be used and gifted.

Winter hanging decorations

This one’s a super simple craft, and one that’s great for all ages and abilities!

You will need:
Wooden slices (ideally with holes and twine but you can drill these yourself if needed)
Paint – we used acrylic paints

• Hand-sketch or trace your design onto your wooden slice.
• Paint as desired.
• You can even add extra details using a black pen or posca paint pen.

Fabric hair bows

These cute bows are super easy to make a whole bunch of and make quirky little stocking fillers for friends or family. If you get really good at them you could even try turning them into a bow tie for the man in your life or your four-legged friends!

You will need:

Barrette clips
Fat quarters
Thread, to match your far quarters
A glue gun & glue

• Firstly, start with your fat quarter, measure and cut out two pieces. One 7 inches wide and 14 inches long and a second 2 inches wide and 4 inches long.
• Using your larger piece of fabric, lay it portrait in front of you, then fold your bottom edge and top edge to the middle. Your fabric should be inside out as you do this
• Sew along your left and right edges so you create a pouch.
• Turn your fabric ‘inside-out’ so that the print is now on the outside.
• Using your smaller piece of fabric, fold your fabric in half length ways, keeping the print on the inside.
• Then sew along the long edge. Once done, turn your fabric right way round so your print is on the outside again.
• Then, taking your larger piece of fabric, fold it three times in a concertina fashion, so that once held in the middle it fans out to create a bow.
• Using your smaller piece of fabric and glue gun, wrap the smaller fabric around the centre of the larger piece before securing in place with the glue gun.
• Finally, secure your barrette clip on the back of the bow with your glue gun.
• Wear, or gift your fashionable new bow!

Create your own art prints

An excellent way to create personalised gifts is to create your own lino cut stamps and make your own art prints for your friends and family to add to their walls. Once you get carving the possibilities are endless!

You will need:

Carving tools
Linoleum – we recommend the soft cut lino from craft stores, which is great for beginners
Paper to print your print onto
Acrylic paint
A lino roller

• Sketch out your chosen design onto your lino. Don’t forget, any design you create will be reversed when printing, so make sure you draw any text or numbers backwards before you start carving.
• Slowly begin carving your design, take it steady if you’ve not done this before as once you slip there’s no fixing the areas you’ve carved. Start with shallow carves and build your way up.
• Once your design is carved and you're happy, you can prepare to print your design.
• Make sure you’ve chosen your desired printing paper and have it laid out ready, this bit can get messy!
• Place a line of paint on a smooth surface, something like an artist’s pallet or a piece of smooth glass, then roll your roller through the ink to cover your roller.
• Roll the roller over your design on your lino until you’re happy you have a nice even coverage.
• Carefully lift your lino design then flipping it over, carefully line up your design and your paper in the air before placing your lino design down. Once it’s touched the paper there’s no going back.
• Using the back of a wooden spoon, work your way over the back of the lino, to make sure your print is touching the paper in all areas.
• Once you’re happy you’ve got full coverage, gently peal away your lino to reveal your print.
• Allow to dry, before framing and gifting to the lucky recipient!