DIY Design: Really Last-Minute Holiday Gifts and Decorations

by Amber Eden (Subscribe to Amber Eden's posts)
Posted Dec 22nd 2009 at 6:50PM

There's still time for making holiday gifts! Photo: MCT/Adrin Snider

We're in serious holiday countdown now and just one blizzard away from complete mall cutoff. Still have a few more gifts to get? Or maybe you have an unexpected guest or invitation? Here are some last-minute easy holiday presents and decorations that you can make from items you already have around the house:

Must-make mittens: Gather the kids together and have a mitten-making party. All you need are some recycled sweaters and yarn to create the cutest, quickest mittens ever.
Sweet sachets: Or try these adorable sachets with just some fabric scraps and a couple of branches from your holiday tree.
And all that loot: Who wouldn't love these monogrammed swag totes for friends and family to stuff with gifts and use the rest of the year? It's a perfect way to use up your pretty fabric scraps, too.
Man Stash: Impress the woodworking man in your life with this quick-sew nail apron. Just make sure you use a sturdy fabric so that it holds up for the job.
Just decorate it: Here's a great link for all sorts of holiday decorations that you can pull off in just moments.
Fast ornaments: For all sorts of quick-to-make projects, CraftStylish.com is an endless resource, but I especially love these tear-drop ornaments that take next to no time.
Book it: For a book that has endless ideas on last-minute DIY gifts, check out Last Minute Fabric Gifts: 30 Hand-Sew, Machine-Sew and No-Sew Projects by Cynthia Treen. With 30 easy projects that take 3 hours or less, this book offers cute ideas like fabric-covered notepads, quick baby quilts, tea-dyed sequined scarves and more.

Wishing all of you a happy holiday and many good DIY days to come. For last week's column on quick and inexpensive gifts, click here. To read more DIY Design articles, click here.

Next week on DIY Design: New DIY Design skills you can pick up online.