Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?? We know it’s still only October, but we’re in the full Christmas swing over here at Cara & Co!
We tend to like giving gifts that are unique, intentional and thought out. And of course, coming up with a gift like that for your entire list can be a challenge. Well, don’t you worry! In this blog post we’re breaking down 6 beautiful handmade gifts! They can fit in either small or large budgets (depending on the ideas and products you choose), and will be the talk of Christmas gifts for the year to come!
Let's dive into 6 Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas!
1. DIY Game Sets
More time at home in the past two years has meant more quality time as a family. You’ve probably added more games to your family game stash! Add a few more with these beautiful handmade game sets! We made a Checkers Set and an X & O game! They both only require a few supplies from our shop and a trip to your local dollar store!
For the Checkers Set, we used a wood painting panel from our local dollar store! Once we flipped it over and saw the hollow back side, it reminded us more of a tray (which is what we had originally been looking for!). Because it was perfectly square, it made an ideal Checkers Board Tray.
To paint up your Checkers Set, measure the inside width of the board, and divide that into 8 equal parts both horizontally and vertically. Tape off your sections, and cut out the overlapping areas. Paint with acrylic paint, and seal if you prefer! We painted Peg People as our checkers players and we think they look quite smart :)
To make your own X & O’s Game, we found a similar wooden tray as the Checkers Set (again from our local dollar store!), but this one already had 9 sections made in it with wood pieces. This was perfect for an X & O’s Game, so we painted up the tray white and picked out some teethers we felt would look cute! (We used our Cross Pendants and our Party Donuts).
Of course, to fit into your budget, you can always substitute the teether playing objects with smaller beads, pendants, or really anything that you’re drawn to!
2. Stacking Baby Toys
Wood baby toys are always keepsakes that stick around! They’re durable, beautiful, and with the addition of some quality Silicone Donut Pendants, a toy that will last a lifetime or longer!
If you’re handy with wood tools or know someone who is, this little stacking toy couldn’t be simpler! All you need is a small block of Maple Wood cut to a size you prefer, with dowels precut & dowel holes predrilled. A bit of non-toxic glue or secured from the bottom with a screw (or both!), and your stacking toy is all good to go!
3. Jersey Yarn Headbands
This is a great gift for the older girl in your life! Our Jersey Yarn is so soft and pretty, and we knew it would be a great material to make comfortable headbands out of!
We learned a few fun braids on Pinterest, and dove into making our custom headbands! We found that glueing the sides with crafting glue first, then fixing them together and wrapping it all up with fabric glue was the best way to make a flat finished end to our headband.
4. Peg People Block City
Our Peg People are always a hit with kids and parents, and this cheerful block city is a fantastic (and EASY) gift set for one of your littles.
We had a piece of wood cut up by someone we knew, and then sanded them down to a buttery soft finish. The wood painted up incredibly well - all it took was a little time taping up the edges for the apartment building windows!
They’re so simple and very quickly caught the eyes of our own kids! ;)
5. Gift Sets by Handmakers
If you’re the kind of person that really appreciates the time and effort that Small Shops and Handmakers put into products, but are ALSO the kind of person who just doesn’t have the time to do it all, we’ve got a solution.
So many handmade businesses are on Instagram, Etsy or on their own websites, and they could use your business this coming holiday season! We’re lucky to have a consignment boutique in our city called Megs + Clarke that sells handmade childrens' goods from so many local small businesses. We took a look through their store and picked out a number of beautiful products that would be perfect for a ‘Baby’s First Christmas’ gift set.
Mini Minky Blanket - Austin & Elise Baby
Leather Moccasins - Lodge Collection Leather
Hair Bow Clip - Feather & Fox Co. (Etsy Shop here)
Baby Turban - Blakely & Co
Bib & Bow set - Little Head Designs (Etsy Shop here)
Teether - Poppy & Clover
If you can’t make your own handmade gifts this season, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to gift someone a quality handmade gift! Support local artisans in your area!
6. Wristlets
Our perennial favourite gift to give is a handmade Silicone Wristlet! We love switching ours up, so you best believe your family and friends will love switching theirs up too! You can buy all the supplies you need on our website, and you can follow our tutorial here to make it! It takes all of 10 minutes to make, but is such a durable and beautiful gift!
Customize your wristlets by color, size, pattern, or even beads! We’ve got endless options (see our blog post here for more inspiration), and you’ll have your family members oooing and aaahhing at your finished creation!
We hope you enjoyed reading through these handmade gift ideas! There are so many ideas out there, and so many ways to support local shops in the gift giving you choose to do!
Make sure you tag us using our hashtag #createdwithcarasupply! We love seeing what you’re up to!
Happy Crafting!
Xo
-the girls