Day 9: 12 Days of Bloggy Christmas- 10 Handmade Gifts in less than 30 minutes

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On the 9th Day of Bloggy Christmas Miss Darcy gave to me 10 Handmade Gifts in Less than 30 Minutes!

I am so excited to be participating in the 12 Bloggy Days of Christmas! When I think about Christmas, I pretty much love everything about it!! So it was really hard to narrow it down to a specific part of Christmas to write my post on. One thing I really love doing is making handmade gifts for people. I love adding personalization and, I don't know it just seems like there is an extra touch of love when you make a gift for someone. Sometimes it is hard to find the time to sit down and make something. So I decided to put together a list of 10 handmade gifts in under 30 min, that you would actually want to get!! I found some great tutorials out there I want to share with you, while also adding my own tips, tricks, and pictures of projects I have made! So enjoy! And I hope you are inspired by these fun 12 days of Christmas!!

1. An Infinity Scarf

You will find an excellent tutorial for making an infinity scarf over at The Cottage Mama. I added some lace to mine. To to do that I simply cut lace the same size as the other body pieces and laid it in the middle before sewing.

2. Lace Headband

For this I just measured and cut a strip of 24" by 2" on a stretchy lace matierial. Then I tied a knot and then you are done! You can either wear it with the knot showing or at the bottom where it is hidden!

3. Personalized Sharpie Mug

I think it is awesome that you can write on a mug with a sharpie marker, then throw it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 min and have a permanent personalized gift! I usually put my mug in the oven as it is preheating, and then leave it in there once you turn the oven off, to prevent any cracking. You can either free hand your design, buy a stencil, or if you have a Cricut or Silhouette machine, you can make your own stencil! Instead of buying the vinyl I use contact paper. It is cheaper, but still has the sticky back so your stencil wont move around! This one technically takes longer than 30 min, but the baking time doesn't really count because you don't have to do anything during that time ;)

4. Chalkboard

I am obsessed with the chalkboard fad that is going on! I have 3 chalkboards in my kitchen right now! All you need to do is buy a picture frame with the glass in it. All of mine for this project have come from garage sales or thrift stores! Spray paint the frame any color you want (or leave it the way it is). Then spray paint the glass with chalkboard paint. Once it is dry you will need to color the whole chalkboard with the side of the chalk. This sort of "primes" it. Then erase it and you are ready to write on it!

5. Etched Glass

I love etching glass! It is simple and a great way to "mark" your dishes so they always come back to you after a potluck! Or you can simply just etch a design to make a plain dish pop! Just buy etching cream at Hobby Lobby and then create or buy your stencil! Before I had a cutting machine I printed out the word or design I wanted. Then I traced the design on the contact paper, cut it out by hand, and then stuck it on the glass. Make sure any bubbles in the contact paper are smoothed down. Here is a tutorial at Martha Stewart's Website that can guide you!

6. Toothbrush Holder

We travel alot to see family and I absolutely love this toothbrush holder! No more dirty plastic holders. When we get home I simply throw this in the wash machine! It is so simple and so handy! Here is a great tutorial at Kristy's blog on how to make your own!

7. Personalized Tote

I love totes! Whether it is for an Aldi's trip, or a beach trip, or traveling, seems like I am always using one. The tutorial at Under the Sycamore shows you how to make a cute monogramed tote. You simply buy a plain tote and paint your design on! The sky is the limit, you could do just about anything you wanted with this!

8. Phone Case

Over on the blog May Richer Fuller Be you can find a fun tutorial on how to make a personalized phone case! You could even make more than one insert so the recipient could interchange them! How fun!

9. Mouse Pad

I absolutely love this mouse pad! Find out how to make one yourself over at The Handmade Home!

10. Mug Coozie

Here is a great tutorial on how to make a mug coozie! They are so cute and of course they are reusable! Instead of using interfacing like the tutorial suggests, I used Insul Bright. You can find it at JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby. It is insulated batting so it protects your fingers, while also keeping your drink hotter longer!

So there you have it, 10 handmade gift ideas! It would be fun to pair some up, like the mug coozie, with the sharpie mug. Or the infinity scarf with the lace headband. You could even throw them in the personalized tote for kind of a gift basket type gift! Hope this inspires you, and have fun creating!!

~~Darcy from The Ruffled Stitch~~