As love begins to fill the air, gift buying becomes a common occurrence in stores. Many struggle to figure out what to buy their loved ones, worrying that they won’t like it. In my eyes, something homemade is always more valuable than store bought. Crafting a gift with care, carefully putting all your effort into it can be just the right present to represent the love you have for someone. These 5 simple, DIY gifts will make your loved ones beam with joy.

100 Reasons Why I Love You

This simple idea just requires four things! Grab a writing utensil, scissors, paper, and a jar. Cut the paper into tiny rectangular strips; if need be, some can be bought like this as well! On each piece of paper, write one reason why you love the person receiving this. From “you are so pretty” to “your humor lights the room up,” think of all the different reasons why that person is enjoyable to be around. If you have inside jokes, include those! Depending on how many strips of paper you want to make (60-100 typically fills the majority of the jar), the gift could be endless. You can even decorate or add tiny graphics to each piece. Once finished writing, put them all into the jar and screw on the top. Decorate the jar if you want to and done! Now you have a jar in which whenever the receiver needs a pick-me-up, they can read one of these reasons and smile!

Pipe Cleaner Flowers

With these flowers, this might take some time. However, once you get the hang of it, it becomes very easy. Grab some green pipe cleaners for the stems and leaves; the color for the petals are up to you! Make sure to tie the leaves to the stems so they don’t fall off. In order to create the petals, and attach them to the stem, you may need a hot glue gun. There are thousands of videos and tutorials online, but essentially, you will cut the pipe cleaners in half, bend them to form a curve, and then glue everything together. Once completed, you can create an entire bouquet of them. This is perfect for flowers that won’t wither! Once done, place them in a vase or jar, write a card, and your loved one will have eternal flowers!

Treat Boxes

This gift idea is for all the bakers out there. Make as many sweet treats you want, however, make them small enough to fit inside a 5 by 8 inch box. Of course you can use a bigger box, yet, this idea is perfect to give to multiple people as you can bake and cook a lot at once. Bake cookies, brownies, candy, anything your audience loves to munch on. Decorate the box, fill it with tissue paper, and put all of the goodies you made on top of it. Put on the lid and decorate or wrap the outside. Write a notecard and there you have it, a box full of treats, pastries, and sweets that were baked with love and care.

Photo Collage

With this idea, you really only need one thing: any device. Gather some photographs of you and your loved one. Some can be you two together or just them as an individual. Try to find ones that tell a story. This could be your first date or if it is for a family member, a big performance or game they had. Make sure that you know what the date was during the photos. Now that you have gathered multiple photos from specific times, go onto any website that can upload them to be edited and moved. This could be Photoshop, Canva, or even Google Slides. Arrange the photos in any way you like, ensuring that you put the correct dates next to each corresponding photo. Once you are pleased with the layout, print it out and frame it! Now, you have a gift that shows timeless events and checkpoints in both of your lives! This collage cherishes those moments and makes you relive them every day.

Gift Basket

Now, this gift requires multiple gifts, nevertheless, it can incorporate many homemade ideas as well. Go out and buy a variety of different, cheap, and small items that your loved one likes. These objects can be their favorite candy, snacks, giftcards, candles, and anything else you can think of. Once you are back at home, make a variety of other homemade gifts too (look at the ones listed above). Grab a basket that you’re not using and stuff it with tissue paper. Now, put all the gifts you made and bought into it. Write and create a meaningful card and put it in the front. This gift basket takes multiple small gifts and turns them into a big, worthwhile gift for the ones you love.