Cheap Christmas Gifts You Can Make Yourself

If only our hearts were as big as our wallets. Luckily, we've got thrifty DIY Christmas gifts that look like a million bucks (and most take less than $5 and an hour to make).

Brooch the Subject

This simple bow-tie brooch from Mary Anka Studio uses bright fabric for a little festive flash. Personalize the look by attaching the bow to a necklace chain or headband.

Buy the Christmas bow tie from Mary Anka Studio, or head to Honestly...WTF for the tutorial on a DIY cheap bow tie! 

This Takes the Cake ... Literally

Using vintage (aka incomplete) dish sets and a porcelain pen, these customized cake and appetizer plates are not only cheap, they're also quick, taking less than 5 minutes to make.

Head to A Fabulous Fete to make your own cheap cake plates!

Fired Up

Xeroxed copies of old photographs are transferred to candle votives via glue and contact paper. Use old family images or modern graphics to decorate vases, window ornaments or other home decor.

Head to Casa Sugar for this and other cheap DIY Christmas gifts! 

Da Bomb

Fizzy bath bombs can be customized into classy clam shells or even perky cupcakes using simple ingredients like baking soda and cornstarch.

Learn to make your bath bombs via Instructables! 

On the Same Page

Steal a page from a vintage dictionary or novel for this thrifty Christmas gift. Print, paint or stamp a unique graphic onto the page and add a thrift-store frame for a trendy but inexpensive Christmas gift.

Head to French Hen Farm for an easy tutorial on making your dictionary print!

He Had Us in Stitches

Cross stitch is one of the most economical of crafts, requiring 50-cent-a-skein embroidery floss and cross stitch fabric. Get inspired by your favorite cult movies or viral videos for some cheap geek giftery.

Buy this subversive cross stitch from Stitchpocalypse, or get the basics on cross stitch from Mochimochi Land!

Put a Ring on It

Simple rings using beads or gemstones salvaged from thrift-store finds offer a cheap Christmas gift with more impact on friends than wallets.

Head to Great Oak Circle for the free bead and bauble ring tutorial!

Chalk Is Cheap

This clever pendant uses chalkboard paint for a unique holiday gift. Go traditional with black paint or add some funk with unexpected colors.

Head to BrideBlu for the free tutorial in upcycling your jewelry with chalkboard paint!

Child's Play

Homemade playdough gets a crafty restyling with peppermint scents and bright sparkles. Make this unique gift for your kids' friends, or even buy the supplies for a cheap DIY kit.

Get the free candy cane playdough from The Artful Parent!

Soft Spots and Sweet Tooths

Homemade marshmallows, particularly when they're Christmas-flavored (via peppermint), are a festive treat that are also inexpensive to make. 

Head to HGTV for the free marshmallow recipe! 

Image credits (from top): Mary Anka Studio, A Fabulous Fete, inspiredideasmag.blogspot.com / Casa Sugar, flickr.com/amandabel, flickr.com/lunaclaydesign, Stitchpocalypse, Great Oak Circle, BrideBlu, The Artful Parent and HGTV