60 Homemade Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List

The Cottage Peach is reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. All opinions are our own.

Most everyone loves a handmade gift, and in a season built around buying more stuff, making something is a quiet way to opt out.

I know I'm not the only one who struggles after the holidays to absorb all my presents into our home and our lives. As much as I'm grateful for the thought, and know I'm lucky to be loved by so many people who want to show it through gifts, it's a challenge when the gifts themselves don't fit into my life. A handmade gift, however, always brings me joy and earns its place in my home.

Holiday waste adds up fast, for our budgets and for the planet. A lot of wrapping paper can't be recycled or composted because of shiny plastic coatings and glitter that won't break down. Fabric wrapping can be reused year after year, and plain kraft paper is recyclable and compostable. Same gift, less trash.

And who enjoys holiday shopping anyway? Shipping delays and crowded parking lots are not my idea of a good time.

Below are 60 homemade gift ideas sorted by who you're giving to. Many link to my own step-by-step tutorials, and the rest point to tutorials from other makers. A few need time to steep, cure or set, so start those first.

Homemade gifts for the tea lover

This is the corner of the list I'd shop first if it were a store. Everything here starts in the garden, or at least could.

1. Tea blends: Mix your own blend from homegrown or purchased dried herbs and gift it in a mason jar with a pretty reusable lid, or portion it into cloth drawstring sachets for no-mess cups. Mountain Rose Herbs is my first choice when buying herbs. Need a starting point? The tea blend recipe cards are in my free tea garden guides.

2. Tea garden starter kit: For the friend who drinks tea and has a sunny windowsill. Bundle seed packets for easy growers like chamomile and calendula with a small pot and a printed copy of my free tea garden plant list. Skip the peppermint seeds. Most peppermint is a sterile hybrid and won't come true from seed, so gift a potted plant or a rooted cutting instead. If they want to go deeper, my ebook Growing Your Own Tea Garden walks through 24 plants from seed to cup.

3. Lavender simple syrup: A bottle of lavender simple syrup turns iced tea or lemonade into something fancy. Tie on a card with my lavender lemon mocktail recipe.

4. Elderberry syrup: Make a batch of stovetop elderberry syrup and bottle it for the people you love who catch everything in January. Add a "keep refrigerated" label.

5. Mug cozy: Ravelry hosts endless knitting patterns that are free to download.

6. Chalkboard coffee mug: Martha Stewart has a very simple idea for adding some individuality to a mug.

Homemade gifts for the gardener

7. Seeds: Save seeds from your summer garden and package them in homemade paper envelopes.

8. Plants: Take cuttings from your own houseplants, root them, and pot them up in a bowl, cup or pot from the thrift store.

9. Wildflower seed balls: Roll native wildflower seeds into clay and compost for a gift they get to throw. Here's how I make seed balls.

10. Terrarium: Use a glass container, small plants and mosses to create a terrarium.

11. Macramé plant hanger: A classic that doesn't need to be complicated. Check out Sarah Maker's simple tutorial.

12. Pressed flower tray: Use craft glue to apply pressed flowers to a wooden tray. Arrange them, then pick each flower up one at a time, brush it with glue and put it back in position. Finish with Mod Podge.

13. Wreath: With a wreath form, some floral tape and dried flowers, you can put together a wreath for any season.

14. Walking stick: Find a stick of the right length with a bit of a curve at one end. Sand until smooth and finish with mineral oil.

Shopping for a gardener instead? My gifts for gardeners guide has more ideas.

Homemade food gifts

15. Granola: Follow my healthy homemade granola recipe and pack it in a big jar. It keeps for weeks, which is more than I can say for my willpower around it.

16. Infused oregano oil: My most popular recipe for a reason. Infuse oregano in oil, strain, and bottle it in a small amber dropper bottle. Label it as an infused oil so no one mistakes it for an essential oil.

17. Roasted sunflower seeds: If you grew sunflowers this year, roast the seeds with salt and whatever seasoning your person likes. Here's how I save and roast mine.

18. Mulled cider kit: Fill a jar with the whole spices from my mulled apple cider recipe, tie the recipe card to the lid, and pair it with a jug of local cider.

19. Vanilla: Slice vanilla beans down the middle and let them sit in vodka for a month. Pour into a pretty jar and tie a ribbon around the top.

20. Jelly: Homemade preserves are always appreciated. Make them in summer and have more time for fun in December. New to canning? Start with my water bath canning guide.

21. Cookies: Who doesn't want cookies? No one, that's who. Package them in a compostable paper box or a reusable tin.

22. Peanut brittle: Peanut brittle can be made in the microwave, which makes it a good one to make with kids.

23. Peppermint bark: Melt chocolate in the microwave, spread it on parchment paper and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

24. Chocolate covered spoons: Make chocolate covered spoons for stirring into coffee or cocoa with this Betty Crocker recipe.

25. Hot chocolate bomb: Throw some chocolate their way with this recipe from One Good Thing.

26. Butter: Impress someone with homemade butter. No one needs to know all you did was beat cream with a mixer and add a little salt.

27. Recipe box: Write out your best recipes by hand and gather them in a box.

More ideas in a jar: mason jar gift ideas.

Homemade self-care gifts

28. Calendula salve: Turn homemade calendula oil into a calendula salve and pour it into small tins.

29. Herbal face steam: Jar up a blend of dried herbs for a herbal face steam. They pour hot water over it, drape a towel and breathe.

30. Lavender oat scrub: Oats and dried lavender make a soft, gentle scrub. Here's my lavender oat scrub recipe.

31. Sugar scrub: Mix ½ cup coconut oil with ¼ cup sugar and package it in a glass jar.

32. Bath tea: For a relaxing gift, make A Pumpkin and a Princess' bath tea.

33. Soap: Make cold process soap with lye, or use the melt and pour method with a premade base. For something quicker, decoupage a store-bought bar.

34. Lavender eye pillow: Sew two pieces of fabric together and fill with lavender buds for a soothing eye pillow.

35. Hand warmers: Sew two pieces of fabric into the shape you want and fill with rice for hand warmers that heat in the microwave.

Homemade gifts for the home

36. Candles: Melt wax, add scent if you like, and set a wick before it hardens. Collect jars and tins all year, from food packaging or the thrift store. Candle Science is a good source for supplies; I like their Golden Brands 464 soy wax.

37. Mason jar olive oil lamp: An olive oil lamp burns clean, costs almost nothing, and looks like it came from a cottage in 1850.

38. Coasters: Make coasters from tiles or slices of wood. For tile coasters with Mod Podge and paper, check out It All Started With Paint.

39. Ornaments: Frame small embroideries in mini embroidery hoops like these circles or these ovals, paint wood discs, or shape colored air dry clay.

40. Cloth napkins: Use fabric scraps or repurposed fabric to make cloth napkins.

41. Beeswax wraps: Mountain Rose Herbs has instructions for the very best beeswax wraps.

42. Rope baskets: Check out Happiness is Homemade for step-by-step rope baskets, without sewing a stitch.

43. Ring bowl: Shape a small bowl from white air dry clay. Once it's dry, paint it however you like.

44. Decorated glass: Use glass markers to decorate vases, glasses or bowls.

For more low-waste picks, see my eco-friendly gift ideas.

Homemade gifts to wear and keep

45. Scrunchie: Scrunchies are a great beginner sewing project.

46. Washi tape headbands: Check out The Crafting Chicks for instructions.

47. Jersey knit bracelet: A neat way to repurpose t-shirts.

48. No-sew flannel scarf: This no-sew flannel scarf is simple enough for anyone.

49. Mittens: Cut felted sweaters to shape and sew them into mittens.

50. Stenciled tote bag: A plain white tote, some paint, a stencil and a sponge are all you need.

51. Pendant: Make a pendant from polymer clay and hang it on a pretty ribbon.

52. Keychains: Drill a hole in a small, good-looking rock or a sanded branch.

53. Homemade game: Make a board game. Pretty pebbles make good pieces, and sturdy cardboard works for the board.

Paper and personal gifts

54. Playlist: Making a mix tape used to be a big deal, and so is a playlist. Choose meaningful songs and they'll feel the love.

55. A story or poem: Give a little piece of yourself by writing something just for them.

56. Bound journal: Bookbinding can be done by beginners. Check out Skillshare for instructions.

57. Affirmation cards: Everyone could use some good thoughts. Use colored index cards or bits of decorative paper.

58. Marbled greeting cards: Marbling paper is simple, fun and only slightly messy.

59. Bookmarks: Use decorative or marbled paper and add ribbons, tassels or other bits and bobs.

60. Leaf confetti: Punch fall leaves into biodegradable leaf confetti to tuck into cards and wrapping. It composts right along with the kraft paper.

Or skip the stuff entirely

You can take it one step further with experience gifts: a paint night, a museum membership, a massage or a baking class. Experience gifts deepen your bond with the person and leave a memory instead of a box.

Which one are you making first? Let me know in the comments.