20 Easy Homemade Birthday Gift Ideas

Homemade birthday gifts are not only more personal but usually work out cheaper too. Here are 20 easy DIY gift ideas and tutorials for any celebration. 

There’s nothing quite like a homemade gift – the thought you put into them is always worth more than any store-bought gift. We’ve listed some easy homemade birthday gift ideas you can usually make out of common household items. They don’t have to just be for birthdays, you can use them for any celebration or occasion. 

1. DIY Beeswax Wraps

Searching for a way to charm the zero-waste aficionado in your life? DIY beeswax wraps are the ideal choice and in just a few easy steps you can make your own at home.

Instructions:

• DIY Beeswax Wraps: An Easy Way to Reduce Kitchen Plastic

2. Body Butter

What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in it. This is why the gift of a homemade body butter using all-natural ingredients is the perfect way to say “I care about you”. Follow one of our tutorials for simple, nourishing DIY body butter recipes.

DIY Guides:

• Homemade (Whipped) Body Butter Recipe
• How to Make Belly Butter at Home: Easy DIY Recipe

3. Bug Hotel

Anyone with a green thumb understands the importance of keeping good creepy crawlies happy in their garden, even throughout the winter. To bolster the survival chances of these critters, build your keen gardener a cute little bug hotel. Bees and other insects can adopt this as a snug corner to hide away and spend the colder months.

Gift idea:

• Bug Hotels: How to Build Your Own Insect House

4. Butterfly Feeder

Constructing a DIY butterfly feeder is the perfect gift for your favorite garden enthusiast. Attract butterflies into your loved one’s garden and bring them the gift of more color and beauty to their outdoor space.

Instructions:

• DIY Butterfly Feeder: How to Make One and Why

5. Cookies

Cookies invariably make a delicious snack or dessert. There’s no finer gift than a batch of home-baked cookies to get someone feeling extra special. Baking doesn’t have to be arduous, but the effort you put in is always worth more than any store-bought treat. All the same, it’s actually quite simple to make cookies that are both healthy and appetizing by following any one of our recipes.

Recipes:

• Healthy Coconut Oatmeal Cookies: A Simple Recipe
• Vegan Gingerbread Cookies That Are Easy & Delicious
• 3 Ingredient Banana Cookies: Quick & Healthy
• Matcha Cookie Recipe: Vegan Green Tea Treats
• Maamoul Cookies: Recipe with Nut or Date Filling
• 3 Ingredient No-Bake Cookies: Quick & Vegan Recipe
• Preacher Cookies: An Easy No-Bake Recipe (Vegan)

6. Homemade Cosmetics

Creating homemade cosmetics is easier than you might think. Using natural ingredients ensures that your loved one doesn’t have to risk using harsh ingredients on their face to look their best. All of our DIY cosmetic guides make fantastic low-waste gifts.

DIY Guides:

• How to Make Lipstick: Step-by-Step Guide with Natural Ingredients
• DIY Eyeliner: Homemade Recipe
• DIY Beard Oil: All Natural Ingredients for Different Skin Types
• Homemade Deodorant: An Easy DIY Recipe
• How to Make Homemade Lip Balm: Easy Recipe for Chapstick

7. Crochet a Reusable Produce Bag

This is an excellent gift for your beloved market shopper and loose produce fanatic: a functional, green substitute for plastic produce bags. We have an accessible, step-by-step tutorial and video which will help you do this in just one day, even if you’ve never crocheted before!

Instructions and Video:

• How To Crochet a Bag in Only One Day

8. Dried Home Grown Herbs

Garden herbs spring up fast – and in considerable amounts. Sharing them with friends and family as dried gifts is the perfect way to make sure none of it goes to waste. Our guides will teach you how to dry herbs naturally and give you some tips on how to preserve their aroma, ensuring you’ll be keeping everyone’s herb supply fully stocked for months to come.

Instructions:

• How to Dry Herbs: 4 Easy Methods You Should Know
• How to Dry Chives: Tips for Harvesting, Drying & Storing
• How to Dry Basil: An Easy Herb Drying Guide
• How to Dry Lavender: Preserving the Scent of Summer
• Drying Oregano: How to Preserve the Flavor

9. Dried and Preserved Flowers

Flowers handpicked and preserved from your garden are a more thoughtful and longer-lasting gift than traditional cut flowers. Your gift recipient will be able to enjoy the elegance of summertime year-round. Follow our tutorial with three easy methods for drying flowers.

How to Guide:

• How to Dry and Preserve Flowers: 3 Easy Methods

10. Homemade Vegan Truffles

Fancy vegan chocolate delights with a lush, creamy center make an ideal homemade birthday gift. These delectable truffles will always leave your lucky person wanting more.

Instructions:

• Easy and Delicious Vegan Truffle Recipe

11. Face Mask

DIY face masks are the quintessential gift for anyone who loves self-care. Smooth, luminous, and moisturized skin are only some benefits of these all-natural homemade facemasks.

Step-by-step Guides:

• DIY Avocado Honey Face Mask Recipe
• 6 DIY Peel-Off Face Masks For Healthy Skin
• 7 Natural Oatmeal Face Masks for Every Skin Type

12. Face Scrub

Exfoliation boosts the skin, keeping it looking renewed, fresh, and vibrant. However, store-bought scrubs can be expensive. Our guides will walk you through how to prepare your own easy DIY scrubs for the body and face, which will make the perfect homemade birthday gift. Most of the ingredients you can find are already in your home, including your leftover coffee grounds from your morning brew!

DIY Guides:

• Easy DIY Sugar Scrub for Body and Face – With 2 Ingredients
• DIY Coffee Scrub: All Natural, Homemade Recipe
• Homemade Sugar Lip Scrub: An Easy DIY Recipe

13. Knitted Head Band

Draw on your creativity or learn a new skill to make a knitted headband to keep your loved one’s ears warm. With our straightforward guide on how to knit a woolen headband and personalize this charming accessory, you can’t go wrong.

Instructions: 

• How to Knit a Headband: A Beginners’ Guide

14. Homemade Liqueur

A handcrafted liqueur is an excellent means of using foraged or homegrown fruit in a flavorful and innovative way. This boozy refreshment will impress anyone as a thoughtful and unique homemade birthday gift. Follow our simple recipe below and enjoy!

Instructions:

• How To Make Homemade Liqueur

15. Personalized Candles

It’s difficult to find anyone who doesn’t appreciate the gift of a candle. Be that as it may, most candles aren’t without ecological headaches. Since eco-friendly candles can be hard to find and quite costly, why not try making DIY candles yourself from candle wax scraps or soy wax and fully customize the scents? Follow any one of our tutorials for an outstanding way to make personalized, long-lasting candles that won’t cost the earth.

Instructions for DIY gift:

• Making Scented Candles At Home: A DIY Guide
• How to Make Soy Candles at Home: Step by Step Guide
• DIY Candles: How to Make Homemade Candles from Leftovers

16. Propagated Plant

Indoor plants come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and can be both decorations and hobbies. Most houseplants are also incredibly easy to propagate if you know what you’re doing. These little baby plants make the perfect housewarming gift. Take a look at one of our step-by-step guides for propagating plants from leaves and cuttings.

Propagating Guides:

• Propagating Succulents from Leaves and Cuttings in 6 Easy Steps
• How to Propagate Monstera Plants in 5 Simple Steps
• How to Propagate Aloe Vera: Tips and Tricks

17. Preserved Home-Grown Produce

Preserving fresh garden produce which tends to grow in abundance, such as tomatoes, means you not only cut down on wastage, but can also share and enjoy their incredible flavor all year long. Anyone would enjoy receiving jams, jellies, and sauces as a homemade birthday gift. 

Instructions for preserving fresh produce:

• How To Preserve Tomatoes: 3 Easy & Quick Methods
• How to Make Canned Spaghetti Sauce Better: 7 Delicious Ideas
• How to Make Basil Pesto: Traditional and Vegan Recipe
• How to Ferment Vegetables: A Beginner’s Guide

18. Homemade Soap

DIY soap calls for a few household ingredients and equipment, as well as a bit of patience. This homemade birthday gift is 100% customizable and, with some research into the benefits of different scents, can be tailored exactly to your intended gift receiver.

Instructions:

• 3 Soap Recipes: How to Make Homemade Soap

19. Watercolor Paints

A fabulous gift for children, make them some watercolor paint. Pair this with the gift of a day spent together creating your masterpieces, and you’re sure to have smiles all-round.

Instructions:

• How to Make Watercolor Paint with Natural Ingredients

20. Wild Yeast

Cultivating wild yeast for use in sourdoughs and other leaven breads is the most ancient method of making yeast, and it also just happens to be insanely easy. Sharing a live culture with the budding baker in your life is an excellent way to show you care. Our step-by-step guide will give you everything you need to get started.

Instructions:

• How to Make Yeast: Preparing and Propagating Wild Yeast

Read more:

• 27 Eco-Friendly Experience Gift Ideas
• The Gift of Time: Great Ideas for Giving Quality Time
• Minimalist Gifts: 28 Ideas That Don’t Add to the Clutter

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