6 Easy DIY Gifts

Embroidery Hoop Picture Frames

Step 1
Size a photo on your computer to fit in a wood embroidery hoop. (We used hoops in three sizes: 5 inches, 6 inches, and 7 inches.) Print the photo in black-and-white onto a sheet of printable fabric following the package instructions.

Step 2
Peel off the fabric’s backing and place the fabric in the hoop, trimming any excess.

Step 3
Hot-glue embellishments—such as bells, beads, or pom-poms—onto the photos. 

Colorful Jute Coasters

Step 1
Cut a piece of jute rope 46 inches long. Tightly coil the first inch or two of the rope, using dabs of hot glue to secure it.

Step 2
Wrap a short length of embroidery floss around the rope. Hot-glue the floss at both ends so it doesn’t unravel. Continue coiling and hot-gluing the rope, wrapping it with floss every inch or two.

Step 3
Once you reach the end of the rope, snip it at an angle and dab it with crafts glue so it doesn’t fray. 

Graphic Glasses Case

Step 1
Go to hgtv.com/sunglasses-case to download the sunglasses image, then print it on T-shirt transfer paper made for dark fabric.

Step 2
Cut out the image and lay it right-side up on a canvas eyeglasses case. Iron it onto the canvas following the package instructions. 

Woodland Candleholder

Step 1
Use a heavy-duty glue, like E6000 permanent craft adhesive ($4 for 2 ounces, michaels.com), to glue the head of a flat tack to the center of a mini tart pan. Let dry.

Step 2
Spray-paint the entire pan, as well as two plastic figurines. Let dry.

Step 3
Use the same glue to attach the plastic figurines to the inside of the pan, as far from the tack as possible. Let dry.

Step 4
Press a taper candle onto the tack—we used a beeswax candle, which won’t split when pierced. Note: To be safe, stop burning the candle before it reaches the top of the figurines.

Knit-Wrapped Bracelets

Step 1
Slip a wood bangle into the top of a tall knitted sock. (We used bangles in three widths: 1 1/4 inches, 1 1/2 inches, and 1 3/4 inches.) Cut the sock so it can wrap around the bangle with a little overlap.

Step 2
Hot-glue the extra material to the inside of the bangle. Let dry. 

Customized Crayons

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200˚F. Break crayons into small pieces and drop them into an alphabet silicone baking mold. You’ll need two to three crayons in the same color for each letter.

Step 2
Set the mold on a cookie sheet. Melt the crayons in the oven for 15 minutes. Let the letters cool completely, then pop them out of the mold.