Category: Handmade Gifts

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Handmade gift of the week: Party bag gifts for kids

Every year I struggle to find new and interesting things to pop into my kids’ party bags. Kids love lollies, but how can you make store-bought treats look unique? These little butterflies will be top of my party bag list for next year!


Why we love it:
  • This idea can work for boys and girls, depending on the colours you use. Choose red, yellow, green and orange if you don’t want to make these gender specific. 
  • Kids will have fun making these for their party bags – let them choose the lollipop flavours and wing colours, cut out the shapes and decorate the wings. 
  • This is a great way of using up scraps of wrapping paper, or you can stamp or draw on the wings. 

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Handmade gift of the week: Hostess gift

A dear friend recently came to stay with us, and this is the gift she gave us to say ‘thanks’ for letting her stay (needless to say, she’s welcome anytime!;-)
Super thoughtful Thank You gift – A bottle of classic Aussie Shiraz and homemade muesli
Even the handmade gift tag was a delightful touch
Why we love it:
  • I don’t know many people who wouldn’t be grateful to receive a beautiful bottle of wine like this Chapel Hill Shiraz, but the homemade muesli really gives it a personal, handmade touch. 
  • The green hessian tie and kraft card gift give this gift tag a very natural, organic feel. 
  • Putting the homemade muesli in a jar is a great way of presenting your homemade treat, as well as recycling a glass jar. We love the addition of the crochet tie around the lid as this matches the gift tag on the wine. 
  • You don’t need to give a huge jar of muesli – we savoured ours by sprinkling if over icecream for a healthier dessert option, or fruit and yoghurt for breakfast. 
  • Never underestimate the delight homemade food brings to a recipient. 
What homemade treat would you put in a glass jar to give someone? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…
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Handmade gift of the week: Beer box coasters

If don’t know many men who don’t like beer, but even if they don’t these cool coasters (made from beer boxes) are so bright and colourful that everyone will love these – beer fan or not!

Coasters made from beer boxes – here’s how to do it…

Why we love them:
  • Who could resist the bright colours of these coasters? They live up an table and also protect your furniture from those annoying glass rings. 
  • What a great way to repurpose a beer box and give it a new lease of life! 
  • This is a completely unique gift that would be great for the person with everything. 
  • You can never have too many coasters, and even if you have a few sets, you can always rotate them as they don’t take up much space in a draw or cupboard. 
Which coaster do you like best? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…
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Handmade gift of the week: Monster bookmarks

It’s the middle weekend of the school holidays here in Canberra. If your kids are about to loose their minds from boredom (and drive you insane), then this is a great craft activity that will keep them occupied for half an hour or so…

Handmade monster bookmarks – here’s how to make them



Why we love it:

  • It’s simple and inexpensive – it requires minimal materials and is a great way of using up paper scraps and wrapping paper from the end of the 
  • Kids love monsters – they will have fun creating lots of different types of monsters and using different colours. 
  • A fun bookmark might encourage kids to read a bit more, which is never a bad thing!
  • These make cute presents for grandparents who like to read. 
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Handmade Wedding Gift of the week: Photograph of the couple’s name

If you’ve ever written your name in the sand before, then you know how easy the first step of creating one on these beautiful pictures is. The trickiest part probably lies in picking the right time/light and angle to photograph it. But, if you can accomplish these steps, then the end result, as you can see, is quite spectacular…
Whilst we don’t recommend going out and carving your or anyone else’s name on the nearest tree or fence, there are professionals like Picture it Personal who can do this for you digitally without harming a single tree (we promise!). 
Why we love it:
  • This is one of the most unique and personalised gift ideas we’ve seen – ever! 
  • You can have a go at making one of these yourself by writing the couple’s name in the sand
  • If you can make one yourself by writing in the sand, the cost is relatively low and the result even more unique. The main cost lies in printing and framing the image. 
  • You can customise the image and make it any size and use any type of frame to suit the couple. 
  • This would also be a great gift idea for a wedding anniversary, milestone birthday or even a newborn gift. 
Which scene would you pick for your photograph? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

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Handmade Wedding Gift of the week: Bride and Groom clothes peg

Who would have thought an unassuming wooden clothes peg could be turned into such a cute little wedding gift…

Why we love it:
1. Ok, so while you probably wouldn’t give this peg as a gift on its own, it would made a gorgeous decoration on a card or as part of your present gift-wrapping. 
2. Some people have even used this decoration as a topper on their wedding cake. We think these would also look cute on cupcakes too. 
3. They’re easy and inexpensive to make – wooden clothes pegs are easy and cheap to source, and paint colours required are limited. We would recommend getting a good fine paint brush for a neat paint job. 
4. Glue a magnet on the back so the bride and groom can keep this little gift on their fridge, or attach a little stand to the bottom of the peg and you can “clip” and display photos with the peg. 
5. You could also use these on wedding invitations, or attach them to the top of wedding party favour/gift bags. 
Where would you use this cute little bride and groom? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…
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Handmade Wedding Gift of the week: A Year of Firsts Gift Basket

The first year of being married is an exciting one. It is fun to enjoy special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, holidays and New Year’s Eve together as a married couple. We thought this gift basket was a great way of celebrating these “firsts” together, with things such as a special bottle of wine for your first dinner party as a married couple… 
Image from Pinterest

Why we love it:
1. You can completely personalise this based on what the couple are into. For example, if they like to party and entertain, then things like a bottle of wine or some nibbles would probably go down well. 
2. A great deal of thought and care has been put into the labels of each item. An explanation for each item has been typed and printed on paper and then mounted on cards that have been cut out with pinking sheers (so they have a zig-zag edge). You could also hand-write a message on gift tags and attach them to the items. 
3. We love the neutral colours of this basket, as they make the products in the basket stand out, but you could opt for any colours you like. 
4. You could use a box or plastic crate instead of a basket – anything that could be used again when empty would be handy. 
5. You could apply this gift idea to a baby gift basket and include lots of interesting gift ideas that could be used for a newborn in their first year. 


What would you include or love to receive in a basket like this? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…

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Handmade Father’s Day Gift: Mess-Free Baby Painting

This handmade Father’s Day gift idea is great for families with little ones who are a bit too young to draw or colour in an artwork for Father’s Day…

Image from www.candokiddo.com



Why we love it:

  • It’s simple and inexpensive – you just need a tray, a couple of golf balls and some paint
  • This is a great (mess-free) activity for babies and young children, who will love seeing the colours and patterns they create. The activity helps promote co-ordination, especially using two hands. 
  • You could cut this artwork out into any shape, write on it and frame it, or turn it into a personalised Father’s Day card. 
  • This is a great way for kids to create art for birthdays, anniversaries, or Mother’s Day. 
Have you done any art activities with your children? 
What did you make? 
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Handmade Father’s Day gift: Beer Bottle Snacks

A six pack of empty beer bottles, as well as the six pack holder can be put to good use for dad this Father’s Day with these fun handmade snack bottles…

Why we love them:

  • These bottles are a great size to fill up with a variety of snacks and treats for dad – nuts, Smarties, seeds, rice crackers – basically anything small enough to fit through the neck of the bottles!
  • Don’t worry if you throw out the bottle top – you can easily seal the bottle with a piece of fabric placed over the opening and secure it with an elastic band and ribbon. Alternatively, you could even use a piece of wide, clear tape. 
  • You can have fun with the labels on these bottles. Use the dimensions of the original label for size and create your own personalised labels on the computer or get the kids to draw a picture. You could feature a picture, a quote, write something you love about dad on each one, or even just used colourful wrapping paper to cover up the old label. 
  • You could also use swing tags, ribbon or twine to further embellish your bottles. 
  • This is an inexpensive gift you and the kids can have fun creating together. 
  • If dad doesn’t drink beer you could use any glass jar or container in the same way – keep an eye out for any interesting jars or containers to use before you recycle them. 

What sort of snack/treat would you like to receive in one of these bottles? We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…
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Handmade Father’s Day gift: Chocolate Poster

Now this is a Father’s Day gift you could have some fun with – we’d love to see a version using Aussie chocolates…


Why we love it:
  • This is a fun way to give dad his favourite treats for Father’s Day
  • It’s a personalised gift as you can select their favourites and tailor the message to suit
  • This would look great with some classic Aussie treats, like Caramello Koalas and Freddo Frogs, or another other small treats, like little packets of chips, nuts, etc. 
  • In addition to dads, this would make a fun present for anyone – men, women and kids. 

What chocolates would you choose for your dad? 
We’d love your thoughts – please comment below…