How to Save Money with Handmade Holiday Gifts

The holidays are close, and handmade gifts are more popular than ever. Homemade gifts repurpose objects you might otherwise discard, such as used jars, tins, scraps of fabric, candles or soap, colored paper, including magazines, boxes of all shapes and kinds, and old pots. If you love plants, you can add cuttings and a green thumb to the mix. Today we will show you how to save money on gifts with DIY ideas for anyone on your list, while you keep the season fun, eco-friendly, and personal.

Why Handmade Gifts Are Becoming More Popular

More people choose handmade gifts every year, and the reasons are many and obvious. There’s a lot of pressure to spend your hard-earned money on expensive store-bought gifts whose prices are made higher by hidden costs such as markups, packaging, and shipping, which do not contribute to the gift itself. Most importantly, store-bought gifts are generic and commercial rather than personal and meaningful.

Handmade gifts also fit the way many of us want to live now. You cut waste, support slow and mindful habits, and give something money can’t buy - that is a core part of our mission too. Anyone can pick up a scented candle. Only you can give a rooted cutting from a plant your friend admired in your living room, right?

DIY gifts also infuse meaning into what you give. You can build it around an inside joke, a shared memory, or a favorite movie line. A silly note, a funny label, or a clever twist turns a simple jar or box into something your loved one remembers for years. A store cannot sell that; that’s priceless.

Here is how to save money on gifts while you join the trend:

• Set a budget for each person before you shop.
• Use what you already have first.
• Buy supplies in bulk when several gifts share the same ingredients.
• Grow or share your own plants for free.

DIY Holiday Gift Ideas for Everyone

First of all, remember: you do not need fancy skills to make a gift. Start by choosing a DIY gift that suits the friend or relative you’re planning to make it for. Here are some ideas from our team:

• DIY plant cuttings. Grow common roots! Root a piece of one of your own plants, e.g. a Spider Plant, the leaf of a Sansevieria, Christmas Cactus or Jade Plant or divide a Prayer Plant. [Stay clear of plants that can harm pets, like Pothos and Tradescantia.] Use something of yours that they will recognize: a chipped pot or cracked mug (so it drains water is fun or decorate a plain pot with your nail polish and stickers of places you visited together. Write a note about what they mean to you, mentioning that you now share something alive in common.
• Herb gift kits. Fill a jar with soil, a seed packet, and a handwritten care card. Even easier: use our stickers with QR codes for plant care and growth requirements.
• Dried flowers or edibles. Hang ornamentals like hydrangeas, lavender, roses and grasses, or herbs like rosemary, thyme, or sage, upside down to dry, then tie the bundles with twine or a ribbon.
• Potpourri. Start saving the petals from flower bouquets now and let them dry. Often florists will be more than happy to give you the old flowers that they cannot sell. Combine the dried petals in the colors they love, drizzle with a scent they adore and place the potpourri in a bowl or basket. To wrap it, simply gather the ends of a piece of cloth or paper and tie it with a ribbon at the top into a ‘topknot’ or ‘whalespout’.

Figure 1: Petals, buds and flowers of many, many plants dry and keep their color well. Peonies and roses contribute many colors from yellow to red, Lavender and Statice are long-lasting purples, while African Lily and Hydrangeas add blues. Crimson Flag adds pink and fuchsia, and leaves like Eucalyptus and Bay Laurel are great for green. Mixing petals and flower clusters or buds adds interest.

• Growzy™ Guide for plant-loving relatives. If your relatives love plants, give them a Growzy™ Guide of their favorite plants or a new one you are gifting. It takes the stress out of your gift of a plant and it shows you pay attention to, and support, what they enjoy.
• Popcorn and cranberry garland. String popcorn and fresh cranberries on thread for a classic, eco-friendly decoration. Watch our video to see how to make it step by step.
• Seed packets or flower sachets. Fragrant flowers such as lavender work well for those who lack the space or time to garden. For plant lovers, collect seeds from your garden or from neighbors, label them, and tuck them into small envelopes or mesh bags.
• Botanical candles or soap. Stir dried petals or herbs into warm wax and pour into an empty paper cup or ice cream container. container. Don’t forget the wick! Adding pieces of ice to the wax when it has begun to cool will make the candle full of holes for a special glow; adding powdered spices, like cinnamon, ginger or Garam Masala, or drops of perfume will give it scent. Or melt ends of bars of soap, stir in flowers and cool in a mold.
• A floral jar of connections. Fill a jar with dried petals and some small notes of favorite moments, inside jokes, or reasons you love the person. Coupons redeemable for hugs, a movie, or breakfast in bed are a sure-fire win.
• A handwritten family recipe book. Collect favorite recipes from friends and relatives and bind them with a simple string or into a small box.
• A garden calendar. Print one photo of a garden or flowers from each month of the year and bind them into a 12-month calendar. Mark reminders of to-do items for plant care into the calendar. Commercial outfits will print the books if you submit the images! Prefer digital reminders? Growzy ™ Guide is another option for keeping track of your to-do items for plant care.
• Hand-knit or sewn items. Make a scarf, a tea cozy for a mug, or a simple tote bag from fabric scraps.
• A surprise box. Fill a reused box with small treats, a funny note, and a shared joke. It follows the same idea as Dina Russell's chocolate box story below. Keep reading!

DIY Thanksgiving Gifts That Say Thank You

Thanksgiving gives you a perfect chance to thank hosts, neighbors, and friends. Try these DIY Thanksgiving gifts:

• A mini pumpkin or gourd planter with a tiny succulent tucked inside
• A jar of dried herbs for stuffing and roasted vegetables with a recipe attached
• A small pot of fresh sage or thyme with a ribbon
• A handwritten gratitude card pressed with dried leaves

These gifts cost little, and they show real appreciation, which is the whole point.

Easy Christmas Presents You Can Finish in One Afternoon

Short on time? Choose DIY Christmas gifts that need very little prep:

1. Fill a pretty jar with hot cocoa mix or homemade bath salts.
2. Paint a small clay pot and plant a mini succulent inside.
3. Create a garland or wreath while you watch a holiday movie.
4. Assemble a "Winter Tea Garden" box with dried citrus peel, cranberries, mint, chamomile, and a tea strainer.

Most of these projects take under an hour. You can batch several at once and finish your whole list in a weekend.

Figure 2. Winter tea is an easy, quick project that uses everyday flavors. Just dry what you have on hand and combine it into your own blend or leave the ingredients separate and combine just before using to suit your mood. We dried sprigs of mint, cranberries, ginger and lemon, orange and tangerine zest (bottom row), and arranged in nested wooden bowls (at top) for a small holiday tea party for a group of friends. Each person created her favorite combo!

How to Make a Gift Look Professional

Presentation does most of the work. Follow these tips:

• Stick to two or three colors for each gift.
• Use natural wrapping, such as brown paper, twine, and fresh greenery.
• Print or handwrite neat labels.
• Add a care or use tag, so the receiver knows what to do next.
• Trim ribbons and edges evenly.

A simple jar looks like a boutique gift when you tie on a tag and a sprig of rosemary.

Dina Russell's Take: Make Gifts That Start Traditions

Our founder, Dina Russell, believes in one idea above all: inexpensive gifts create enduring, fun, and silly family traditions. She has made DIY gifts for years, and her family now expects them. Everyone loves traditions shared with family and friends, especially the ones you invent.

One story for you as a gift. Her mother-in-law prefers experiences rather than gifts because her home is small. Dina thought of the famous line from Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what’s inside." So Dina built a gift around that idea, a box of chocolates with a personal twist. Her mother-in-law called it the best gift ever.

That tradition builds on three enduring ideas:

• Using what you have is a win. A recycled box and a few treats can beat an expensive item when love is attached. Gifting something of yours that the other person recognizes can be very special; a cracked teapot made new with a homegrown plant has the power to turn guilt to joy (Figure 1).
• Creating new shared experiences. Your time together, past and future, is far more impactful than the price tag. It’s the memories of your time together and the promise of continued connection that is priceless, not the object.
• It’s about connecting. When you tie a gift to a memory or honest sentiment, people remember it long after the object is gone. As Maya Angelou once said, “People do not remember what you say or do, they remember how you make them feel.”

This approach works for anyone on your list, young or old, family or friend. Give a surprise box of treats and a funny note to a friend who loves a good joke. Give a surprise box of seeds and a cutting to a plant lover, and do add a Growzy™ Guide with their favorite plants to keep their stress down! Starting your own traditions is fun, cost-effective and the gift that endures.

Figure 3: User Patty B. felt badly when she broke her favorite teapot. A friend healed that guilt by giving her an African Violet to put in her broken pot. Adding an upcycled purple ribbon on the handle of the teapot was all the wrapping it needed! Patty was also happy to get a free Dahlia tuber, ‘All That Jazz’, in a PlantShare bag too!

Start Your Handmade Holiday Gifts Today with PlantShare

PlantShare is an edutainment platform where plant lovers find unique features to learn about plants, whether you want to grow your first herb or care for a rare Monstera. Start your handmade gifts four to six weeks before the holiday, because plant cuttings need time to root and candles need time to set and everything needs to be labeled and wrapped! Gather your supplies now and check your progress weekly. You can spread holiday cheer without emptying your bank account. Choose DIY holiday gift ideas that fit your skills, reuse what you already own, and add a personal touch that makes each present one of a kind. Start today, and enjoy the process as much as the giving.

Please take a photo or create a video of your creations and post it to your social account. Add the hashtag #celebrate_with_plantshare or #diy_ gift_ideas_by_plantshare and we will re-post it to stories on our Instagram. Looking forward to seeing your DIY gifts!

FAQ

What handmade gifts can kids make for family members?

Kids can paint terracotta pots, decorate seed packets, make pressed flower cards, string a popcorn and cranberry garland, or fill jars with redeemable coupons or homemade bath salts. These projects stay safe, simple, and fun for young hands.

How can you turn simple household items into holiday gifts?

Reuse glass jars, mugs, tins, and fabric scraps. Fill a jar with cocoa mix, plant a cutting in a mug, or wrap a tin of cookies in cloth. A small creative twist gives old items new life.

What are some DIY holiday gifts that are useful as well as decorative?

Herb planters, soy candles, dried flower bundles, tea blends, photo calendars, and reusable gift bags all work well. Your friends can use them every day, and they look lovely on a shelf.

How can you make homemade gifts look more professional?

Choose a simple color palette, add neat labels, and use natural wrapping like kraft paper and twine. A care card or short note adds a finishing touch.

How can you make plant-based or garden-inspired holiday gifts?

Root cuttings, build herb kits, collect seeds, dry flowers, or pot mini succulents in painted containers. For relatives who love plants, add a Growzy™ Guide with their favorite plants.

How far in advance should you start making handmade holiday gifts?

Start four to six weeks early. Plants need time to root, and some projects, like candles and dried bundles, need time to set or dry.