Home Art Arcade Gift Guide – DIY Gifts

Arcade Gift Guide – DIY Gifts

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That time of year is upon us. The one where every person develops powers of prophecy because they just know that January is going to be a tight month and they haven’t spent a penny yet. If you know me, you’ll know I am in fact the Grinch in Human form. While I love those little Christmas treats you only seem to get around the Holidays I’m not big on the decorating, hype or annual parties. I sometimes even do my Christmas shopping in January when the sales are on and shops are trying to shift merchandise as though it’s overnight become toxic.
Either way, whether it’s because you’re a secret Christmas Grinch or you’re just looking to make something personal, thoughtful and awesome without getting yourself into debt, there are a lot of things you can make for the holidays to keep the panic out of your life towards the end of January. They’re all really cool and because it’s handmade you know nothing it going to be returned to the shops.
Behold!

secret+safe+compartment+bookSecret Book Compartment

Buy the worst book you can get. If you have to go down the B-list celebrity autobiography route then do so. Conditions? It has to be hardback and has to be something few people would ever want to read. Don’t worry, most charity stores will have shelves of candidates. Glue and cut out the center pages and maybe leave a few chocolates in there to soften the initial shock. Done.
Secondhand dodgy hardback can be sourced for under €2

Make a Clock

Seriously, if you can put a hole in the middle of it you can turn random objects into clocks. Some things even come with holes already in the center for the most conveniently cheap and awesome pressies. Tripped over an old vinyl you bought in a record-clock-via-inspirationbydesigncharity store for 50 Cent and HATE? Clock. Paper plate covered in your children’s doodles? Clock. Smashed dinner plate? Glue it hastily back together and CLOCK! The actual clock mechanism is super cheap and even when this goes horribly wrong it still looks cool.
Clock mechanism under €3
Comic book covers – These things are nifty. Pick up a cheap but pretty comic of your choosing, cut out characters and favourite scenes, glue onto everything from old picture frames, vases, random knickknacks and backpacks till totally covered for some seriously original, cheap and geek chic gifts. Remember to coat over in something sheer and waterproof to finish off. Combine this with homemade clocks for EMMA’S ULTIMATE COMBOOOO.
Varies depending on size but for stocking filler size under €5

Tea Cup Candles

Old but pretty tea cup (charity stores are our friends, people), plain, small unused candles (pound shop and avoid tea light candles as you need it to melt to the shape of the cup).original_vintage-teacup-candles Sit your plain candle in the center of the cup ensuring that it doesn’t go any higher than the rim and don’t worry about spaces. Sit cup in bowl of near boiling hot water and watch that candle melt. You can add more wax into the mix to melt down and scented oils and colour if you want to. Take out and leave to set. Make sure your wick is still free and centered. Cheap, quick and quirky.
€1 for the cup and €1 for the candle

Soaps

Have a lot of soap leavings? Maybe you don’t but you still want to be able to give something to a co-worker and proclaim that you made this cool and 2983880_1awesome item yourself. Soaps are so easy to make it would shock you. If you have some food colouring, essential oil or oat bran you can add it into the mix for something extra. Recipes for soaps are a dime a dozen online and other than pouring and stirring no skills are needed.
Free or if you’re buying you can get a pack of soaps for under €3
And lastly, I know I said to the PTBs I wasn’t going to include anything dangerous but this is just too much fun not to include…

Slingshot

So cheap. diyslingshotwithstickandrubberbandsSo cheap and so much fun. Who wouldn’t want a homemade slingshot? I make micro ones in work with rubber bands and paper clips. You could also go whole hog and make a nice Bart Simpson replica. Set up your empty Christmas Beer bottles outside someplace quiet and have yourself a showdown.
There are instructions available online for all of these things and there are no particular skills required in throwing them together.

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