All Round Creative Junkie, Cheryl Lumley brings us exciting DIY Christmas gift ideas that we guarantee will be a hit!

“Toys, books, clothes, smellies, music and of course socks are pretty much the norm in our house for Christmas, as much as we’re all grateful for everything we receive each year, I’m guessing most of us struggle to remember what Father Christmas brought last year! I try to shake things up a bit in my family though and make a few things myself.

Of course you can buy personalised gifts now and while this is at least a bit more thoughtful than your standard pack of undies or book token, it would be even more memorable if you made it yourself.

If you’re a good baker then bake a cake, if you’re crafty then make some jewellery. You could make some sloe gin, create some artwork, the ideas are endless really and if you play to your strengths then you can’t go wrong. You’ll save a lot of money and create a unique and thoughtful gift that will hopefully be remembered next year.”

Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing…

Bake A Cake!

If you’re a good baker or even a not-so-good baker then a homemade cake is always a winner, or at least in my house anyway! You can take it a step further and personalise the cake box too. For this one I upcycled a sweet tin using Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint. It only took 2 coats to cover the plastic, or you could use old biscuit tins too.

You will need: 1 old sweet tin or biscuit tin, Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint (spray), chalk and the baking prowess of Mary Berry!

Personalised art and bag

This artwork is perfect for the little ladies on your gift list. Create this look with a plain canvas or scrap of wood, a piece of remnant fabric and a selection of buttons. It can help to look for an image of the letter in a font you’d like to use to get the letter form right.

Using a glue gun – if you don’t have one of these then you need one in your life! Secure the fabric with a staple gun, arrange your buttons first then glue them down one at a time once you’re happy with the shape.

As with the cake you can also create a personalised re-usable gift bag. Using a stencil – or go freehand if you’re confident – the Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch range is perfect for this as you can buy it in small 20ml pots. I used Baby Pink and Indigo for these hessian bags.

Tip: Don’t overload your brush, it works much better with a small amount dabbed on in a few coats, almost dry brushing it on.

You will need: Square canvas or scrap wood cut to your preferred size, buttons galore, glue gun, Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch paint and a stencil (if using).

A little piece of art

Create a bespoke piece of art for your family or friends. This one couldn’t be simpler. Paint your canvas in any colour you want the letters to appear. I sprayed this one to get a nice even finish over the canvas in with Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch in Dark Grey, but you could use a brush paint in nice thin coats. I used a re-usable stencil to create the letters followed by two coats of your chosen colour. I went with Rust-Oleum Metallic Finish Furniture Paint in Gold, after all it’s not just for furniture! Once dry simply peel off your stencil.

You will need: Square canvas or scrap wood cut to your preferred size, re-usable stencil or cut out your own design using a craft knife and lightly tack it down on the surface, Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch in Dark Grey spray paint and Rust-Oleum Metallic Finish Furniture Paint in Gold

And finally, don’t forget the little ones…

Credit: In The Playroom

I found this great idea for a child’s jigsaw on In the Playroom, create simple jigsaws for young toddlers using scrap wood and little bit of imagination. I think this might be my next project so watch out friends with babies!

If you’ve been inspired to make your own bespoke gifts, make sure you share them with us on Facebook and Twitter.