Don’t panic! There is no need to scramble because these DIY gift ideas will take very little time and cost you under $10, while still looking handsomely charming. Please note: many of these essentials oils are in and around $10 for 10ml, but if you already have the oils it will definitely keep your gift below $10, and if you don’t mind investing in one oil to use across gifts, that will help keep your costs low, too! We begin with:
1. Bath salts in a mason jar… With a bow: Dress up the jar with some really basic holiday fluff and you’re gold! This is a VERY cheap gift to throw together, but a VERY soothing one.. Already have a little essential oil stash? Add 3-6 drops of Lavender essential oil or Neroli. Use Pink Himalayan salts for some fun colour! Add sparkles or dried flowers for your enemies, it’s a great way to clog the drain or condemn a person to glitter-hell for all eternity.
2. Beard oil: So easy and so fun for your bearded friends! All you need is a 30ml bottle with a dropper, some Jojoba oil, and no more than 6-12 drops of an essential oil that you think reflects the majesticness of the beard in question. If you want to get really fancy, you can use Rosemary essential oil to darken dark beards, or chamomile essential oil to brighten blonde beards. Other scents that are nice are patchouli or sandalwood for an earthier vibe.
3. Homemade Sexy Suggestion Cards: Sex suggestions can lead to some very good times! But you definitely don’t need to buy them. Make them super sassy with some felt or high-class papers like at The Paper Store. If you and your partner like dabbling in kinky times, maybe you can work a little Dom-Sub homework into them? The possibilities are endless…!
4. Soap!: It’s super easy… Meltdown 240g of a vegetable glycerin soap base on low heat, add 2tbsp of cocoa butter, pour them into some sort of silicone mold, let them harden on the counter or in your fridge, and boom, you’ve got multiple soap prezzies! Homemade soap, and people will be really impressed you made it yourself. It’s also not too strongly scented,though it does have a chocolatey scent thanks to the cocoa butter. Add 2.5ml (50 drops) of peppermint essential oiland it will have a nice white chocolate peppermint thing going on. Wrap in fancy paper or newspaper and tie a bow on with twine. Note: the soap base is just over $12 for 1000g, which means this gift per soap is well under $10 per person.
5. Infused Rum: Ready for this one? Here we go… Get a small mason jar. Put some cardamom, or cinnamon sticks, or split-open vanilla pods, or orange rinds, into said jar. Pour rum into jar full of stuffs. Put on the lid, slap on a bow, and label, “drink me in the new year!” (So it has time to soak up the flavours of the herbs or rinds you add). Most importantly: don’t over think it. This one is so easy it’s almost boring except your friends will think you’re really super fancy.
6. Mix-up an Herbal Tea Blend: Whatever herbs you use, use equal parts of each plant. For example, 1 part lavender, 1 part chamomile, and 1 part rose petals for a soothing mellow blend. Throw it in a mason jar, slap on a bow, impress the shit out of people. Mic drop.
7. Vanilla Sugar: This was a staple in my Oma’s house growing up. Put 1-2 vanilla pods (you can cut some slits into the pod, or not, it will still work) in a 500ml mason jar. Decorate the bow as you see fit, and tell people to wait a month or two before they use it. The pods and jar can be reused to make more vanilla sugar by adding more sugar. I’ve used the same container and vanilla pods my Oma gave me when I moved out of the house ten years ago, and I still get delicious vanilla scented sugar! This sugar is great in tea or coffee, and using vanilla sugar in a recipe means you can skip the vanilla extract entirely. I love this simple, cheap, gift! I get my vanilla pods from Karma Co-op.
8. Deodorizer Pouch: The key to making this gift really special is finding a good bag that has plenty of breathing room. Basically, you want to find a cloth bag to put some baking soda in it. If you can sow, better yet! Do a fun design, or add some felt decorative pieces. These pouches are great for the inside of shoes, closets/drawers, cars… Practical, pretty, and cheap!
9. Herbal pillow: If you can sow, you can sow a small pillow with dried lavender or chamomile in it to help with sleeping. If you can knit or crochet, you can make all sorts of fun designs like the little acorns below. If all else fails, put the same herbs in a small drawstring pouch or large cloth tea bag that can be added to the inside of a pillow case.
10. Make a $10 donation to a charity close to your person’s heart: Okay, it’s not quite DIY, but you can DIY the card to show them you did it! With the crappy political climate, this may be the best gift of all this year.
I hope that helps! And if you have any other under $10 DIY gift ideas, feel free to share them in the comments!
Things worth noting:
– Canadian Tire is a great place to get mason jars
– China town has some really nice bags at low-cost
tynan rhea 