20 Free Tutorials for Easy and Beautiful DIY Gift Ideas

Love handcrafts? Express your creativity by learning how to make one-of-a-kind presents from home decor to jewelry

DIY goes way beyond simply "doing it yourself". Not only is crafting handmade gifts a great opportunity to add a personal touch to your presents, it's also a fantastic way to boost and challenge your creativity.

Plus, it's a chance to practice more sustainable gifting through tricks like upcycling and using materials you already have at home.

Whether you're looking for crafty gift inspiration for birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or just because, let the experts guide you on your way with these free handmade gift tutorials…

Packed with inspiration and advice to get you started, here you'll discover lessons for everything from how to design twisted candles to creative embroidery pieces, papercrafts, flower arranging, and lots more!

DIY gift ideas for home decor

1. Craft stylish candles with twists and bends

With some warm water and a bit of creative inspiration, you can transform classic taper candlesticks into fun and funky hand-twisted designs. Great for gifting, these playful candles add style to any home.

Famous for his candle designs (each crafted with individual forms and shapes), top product designer Lex Pott (@lexpott) reworks raw materials to create unique and chic home accessories. In this tutorial, he shows you two easy techniques to twist and bend taper candles to make your own one-of-a-kind creations.

2. Make an easy DIY ceramic pinch pot

Ceramic pieces make for lovely gifts, and—contrary to popular opinion—don't always need to involve lots of equipment. Pinch pots, for example, are an easy way to create ceramics from home that have that authentic handmade look, using minimal resources.

Mae Ceramics founder, Lily Maetzig (@mae_ceramics) specializes in creating handmade functional ceramics for everyday use, featuring her signature minimal style with sharp lines and a limited color palette. In this DIY ceramic pinch pot tutorial, she teaches you her techniques for making pinch pots. All you'll need is clay, a flat moveable surface (like a tray), a smooth knife, a clay rib, and a sponge.

3. Learn DIY flower arranging for hand-tied bouquets

The perfect DIY gift idea for flower lovers, a bright and seasonal bloom can brighten up any day. But (no matter how nice your choice of flowers are) putting them together into a well-constructed bouquet requires a bit of know-how.

Graeme Corbett (@bloomburn) is a florist behind flower styling brand Bloom and Burn, whose seasonal floral compositions have been commissioned by the likes of Jamie Oliver.

Want to give a personalized bouquet of flowers to someone special? In this floral arranging tutorial for beginners, Graeme will show you how to build a show-stopper bouquet and tie it together with paper and twine.

4. Create a simple woven coaster using a frame loom

Not only do coasters help protect surfaces, they can also add a splash of color and style to any table.

A textile artist who uses original weaving techniques to create abstract tapestry designs, in this tutorial Marion Weymes (@marionweymes) shows you how to create a simple-yet-stylish woven coaster using a hand-held frame loom.

She also shares a template of her coaster design which you can download to follow along (click on the red hyperlink for more information).

5. Decorate custom cushion covers (and all kinds of furnishings!) with homemade potato stamps

There are plenty of simple DIY solutions to craft beautiful furnishings with unique designs using easy-to-find materials whatever your budget. One example? Handmade potato stamps.

In this tutorial, founder of Dr. Living Home, María Vázquez (@drlivinghome), teaches you how to make potato stamps for DIY cushion cover designs, using only ink and potatoes.

DIY gift ideas for papercrafts

6. Fold and cut a decorative 3D paper butterfly

Not only is paper craft a meditative way to challenge yourself creatively, your creations can also make beautiful DIY gifts. Sarah Matthews (@sarahlouisematthews) is a paper engineer and author who specializes in bespoke layered paper cuts and 3D paper sculptures that make for great decorative pieces.

In this tutorial, she teaches you how to create a beautiful butterfly cutout that's perfect for framing or hanging from a decorative mobile. Click through to the full DIY 3D paper butterfly tutorial to download a template and follow along with the step-by-step video.

7. Craft a pop-up card from scratch

Whether you want to make a pop-up card or take things one step further by creating a series of 3D structures for a pop-up book, learn the skills you need with the founder of the Libracos editorial design and production company, Silvia Hijano Coullaut (@silvia_libracos).

In this tutorial to craft a pop-up card from scratch, the artist shows you how to craft a pop-up card using the grill mechanism technique with a free template to help you (click on the hyperlink for more information).

8. Make a DIY bookmark with pressed flowers

A personal present idea for the bookworms in your life, here the founder of the creativity-focused botanical lab Happy Green Family (@Happy_Green_Family), Camila Hurtado shares a simple, beautiful, and affordable way to make bookmarks with pressed flowers.

Camila has experimented with botany for years and applied it to editorial and DIY projects, collage, and jewelry making. If you're interested in exploring the relationship between botany and art to create beautiful items, this tutorial is for you.

DIY gift ideas for cupcake lovers

9. Learn how to decorate cupcakes like a pro

Treat the sweet tooth in your life to some beautiful homemade cupcakes with professional baker and cake designer Kate Kim (@katekim) as your guide.

In this tutorial, she teaches you how to decorate your cupcakes like a pro, with lettering and a leaf and berry border.

10. Decorate showstopper cakes with homemade sugar flowers

Whether it’s roses, lilies, or tulips, handmade sugar flowers add an elegant touch to cakes for all occasions. Floral decorations are incredibly versatile with plenty of opportunities to experiment with sizes, colors, shapes, and compositions.

In this tutorial, cake artist Cynthia Irani (@cynthiairani) teaches you some of her tricks for creating edible art, taking you through the steps to paint a beautiful sugar flower and a bud that will make the perfect statement decorations for your cake.

DIY gifts ideas for clothing and accessories

11. Stitch hand-embroidered patches to personalize clothes and accessories

Hand-stitched patches are a great way to repurpose generic or well-loved items into thoughtful gifts: add a personal stamp to canvas totes and purses, revamp worn jeans and jackets, or just give them as they are!

LA-based fiber artist Jen Smith (@jen_35) is known for her use of color and nature-inspired embroidery, using a needle and thread to make everything from brightly-colored earrings to clothing to patches.

In this tutorial, she will show you how to trace, embroider, and attach a handcrafted patch to a canvas pouch, step by step.

12. Upcycle pre-loved clothes into fresh, new designs

Creating original clothing packed with personality, author and crochet designer Emma Friedlander-Collins, aka Steel and Stitch (@steelandstitch), specializes in upcycling and remaking all kinds of items.

Ready to get creative? Drop fast fashion and discover Emma's five upcycling hacks to give old clothes a new lease of life by reusing fabrics, embroidery, and experimenting with scrap materials.

13. Experiment with DIY clothes printing

A thoughtful gift for your fashion-focused friends and family, discover Krizia Robustella’s (@kriziarobustella) playful techniques for injecting new life into old garments in this clothes-printing tutorial.

A designer who's showcased her designs at 080 Barcelona Fashion and Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week, here Krizia shares expert advice and guides you through creating drawings to decorate clothes, adding colors and textures for one-of-a-kind results.

14. Customize a pair of sneakers with top design tips

One way to add individual style to someone’s wardrobe is to give a pair of second-hand shoes a different look by customizing them at home—but it can have its challenges, such as painting the fabric or keeping them clean and protected.

In this tutorial, art director and founder of MYSNKRS Customs (@mysneakerscl) Juan Pablo Bello will show you how to customize sneakers, from the laces to adding details in acrylic paint, and protecting the finished pair so they're ready for daily wear.

15. Handcraft polymer clay flowers for jewelry and more

Polymer clay (aka plastic ceramic) is a soft, versatile material with which you can make all kinds of trinkets perfect for gifting: toys, jewelry, molds, fridge magnets, decorative objects, etc. All you have to do is work the clay into the desired shape then cook it in your oven at a low heat.

In this tutorial, creator of The Folky Fox and polymer clay jewelry artist Marisa Clemente (@thefolkyfox) guides you through the stages for how to mold polymer flowers.

16. Learn how to make resin jewelry with dried flowers

Educator and designer Mia Winston-Hart (@miawinstonhart) has made a name for herself by creating one-of-a-kind jewelry with epoxy resin. Offering endless possibilities, epoxy resin is a great material for experimenting and testing the limits of your creativity.

If you're curious to have a go at making keepsakes with your own hands, let Mia guide you through how to design jewelry with dried flowers.

17. Make a simple tiara for the ultimate statement accessory

Are you looking for a gift that's truly unique? Forget shop-bought hair accessories, and learn how to make a basic but beautiful statement piece with Brazilian designer Fernanda Guimarães (@s.e.r.divina).

In this tutorial, the creative director of hair accessories brand CAN CAN will teach you how to craft a handmade beaded tiara that's ideal for special occasions or to dress up any look.

18. Make DIY packaging the easy way

Packaging is a key element when it comes to presenting your gift. In this tutorial, founders of the accessories design studio Fatto (@fatto), Elsa and Dani, will teach you how to make beautiful DIY packaging for a piece of jewelry (in this case, a bracelet) using simple and quick techniques.

After learning the basics, keep experimenting by trying out the techniques to make other creative packaging designs.

19. Design your own greeting cards on Procreate

Whether it’s an invitation or birthday card, designing your own celebration cards is a great way to add a personal touch to whatever message it is you want to send. But where do you start?

Lauren Radley (@lauren_radley) has over ten years’ experience as an illustrator and now runs her own business creating whimsical prints, stationery, and other illustrated products—including cards.

Join her in this tutorial on greeting card design in Procreate, where you will learn the steps to craft your own custom designs. Sharing her process, Lauren will begin by sketching out her draft by hand, before transferring the image to Procreate to finish it digitally, explaining the tools she uses along the way.

20. Experiment with creative techniques to make colorful paper

In this tutorial, Argentinian artist Estrellita Caracol (@estrellita_caracol) will show you how to use simple, low-cost, and readily available materials to make colorful paper.

Estrellita shares five DIY methods to get creative with paper that you can then use for gift wrap, as a backdrop to illustrated cards, papercraft projects, and lots more.

Get inspired by more crafty, DIY gift ideas

Discover more ways to experiment with handmade gifts by checking out all of Domestika's DIY courses, and keep reading for more top handcraft tips...

1. Looking for a new gift-worthy creative venture? Get started in the world of yarn crafts with our free beginner’s guide to crochet, packed with advice from Domestika experts.

2. From boundary-pushing embroidery artists to haute couture fashion houses, find inspiration for your next project with these incredible embroidery designers to follow on Instagram.

3. Learn how to create seasonal and colorful floral designs with Bloom and Burn's online flower arranging course.