Struggling to think of a great gift for your loved ones but coming up short of new ideas? We’ve all been there. Flipping through the Christmas catalog, wandering aimlessly down the aisles, strolling endlessly but you still can’t find the perfect gift. But instead of waiting to find one, why not make one?

Here at View Publishing, we’ve collected a few great, easy DIY gifts to make your gift extra personal this year.

Gift Hamper

You can never go wrong with a gift hamper, which have become very popular over the past couple years. There are many independent, local shops that offer bespoke hampers that will put the hamper together for you. But you can also make on from scratch and add all of their favourite things into it. Or you could make it themed; perhaps a throw back of all their favourite childhood sweets. Or a self care hamper, with face masks, bubble bath, sweet-smelling candles, fruit teas, fluffy socks, hand cream, tasty treats. Or many a gift hamper based on their favourite book or movie. Add in some tissue paper or maybe some dried flowers. The only limit is your imagination!

Photo Album

You can’t get more personal than a collection of shared treasured measures and you can really get creative this one. It’s time to pull together those scrapbooking skills you’ve been storing away. Now, printing off photos may seem a little old fashioned but I love having physical photos, rather than just looking at them on my screen. There are many apps that you can use to print off your photos, such as Free Prints, Snap Fish and certain apps you can print off photos that look like polaroids.

I’ve seen a lot of independent shops selling blank photos albums and scarp-booking supplies to make it as personal as possible. Go wild!

Message-a-Day

This is a really sweet one, one that I’ve done a few times myself for different people. It’s a great way to let someone know how much you care and it is SO easy to do. This one can be done in many different ways, and that’s what I like about it. You can fill a jar with lots of little messages for them to read each day, or a quote to make them laugh. You can roll them and tie them up with string, like little scrolls. A unique take on this idea, is writing these messages on the tags of tea bags.

DIY Kits

I’ve seen a lot of these recently and I love the idea. The ones I’ve seen the most have been DIY zen gardens, where you give them all the tools to create their own zen garden. I love this concept because it’s a thoughtful gift you’ve done yourself but gives that person the freedom and expression to make it their own.

You could make a DIY ice cream sundae kit, a flower garden kit or a make your own candle kit. The possibilities are endless and you can tailor is depending on the person. This is also great for kids who like being creative and encourages them to use their imagination.

Get Cooking

You know what they say, they way to someone’s heart is through their stomach! So this festive season why not bake them something special? You don’t have to be a star baker to do this, just a simple cake or biscuit recipe and get creative with the decorations. And you can wrap them up in tissue paper or opaque Christmas wrapping, tie it up with some ribbon or twine. You can even tie on a sweet message, with a sprig of pine or a wooden heart. All of this stuff can be found in your local, independent shops, where you’re guaranteed good quality products.