DIY Christmas Gifts that Cost Nothing

Make Your Own Christmas Gift with a Photo, Photoshop and Printer

Roy Lichtenstein was a member of the pop art movement; he elevated comic book art to a desirable genre. You may be surprised to learn that you can make your own Christmas gift with a digital photo, Photoshop and a printer. Melissa Clifton offers a virtually foolproof free online tutorial that teaches you how to turn the photo into Roy Lichtenstein-esque artwork. Mount it on a black piece of construction paper - you are bound to have this around the house if you have kids - with a few photo corners.

Free Christmas Gifts to Make with Cookie Sheets, Glue and Colorful Printouts

These homemade Christmas presents are uniquely suited to adapt to the recipient's personality, home décor, or hobbies. As DIY Christmas gifts go, this is one of the easiest around. Memorialized by Scrapbook's Krissykat, you just need a cookie sheet, colorful to-do and calendar printouts, magnet strips, ribbon and binder clips. Capitalize on the magnetic properties of your cookie sheet to make an attractive family communication center where appointments and schedules stick. Theme your calendar printouts to suit the cat lover, dog aficionado or ballet dancer; just make sure to scrape the fish stick residue off the cookie sheet first.

Gently Used Books Make Wonderful DIY Christmas Gifts with Just a Bit of Paper, Glue and Pencil

Excellent books that you have already read are free Christmas gifts. To make them special, craft a book cover from wrapping paper or white paper. Let your imagination run wild and share thoughts, drawings, favorite poems, or collages on the book cover. Laminate it with strips of clear packing tape. Next, make a bookmark; these are quintessential homemade Christmas gifts, and you can use paper, straw, dried leaves, or oversized paperclips. When you make your own Christmas gift using something you already own or used, dress up the package with a beautifully written card that explains why this book is so special to you and what moved you to share it with the recipient.

A Little Something from the Garden Lets Your Make Your Own Christmas Gift

Following along the lines of re-gifting a book, why not dig up a plant from your yard, place it into a pot - you could even decorate a plain plastic pot - and stick a small signpost (Popsicle stick painted with red stripes) into the soil. Write a note for the recipient and perhaps also some suggestions for taking care of the plant, laminate it with a few strips of clear packing tape and then attach it to the signpost.

Homemade Christmas Gifts for the Collector: Victorian Fans Made of Paint Stir Sticks, Card Stock, Odds and Ends

This idea originated with Susan Spatone. Use a paint stir stick, card stock, glue, paper of any kind, embellishments and odds and ends of ribbon, lace or whatnot. Create the basic fan shape with the help of a template. Let your imagination run wild when it comes to decorating the bare fan. You may even choose to deviate from the Victorian theme for these DIY Christmas gifts, and instead opt for an angel, Santa Claus or any Christmas motif. Make two or more, and they could become attractive wall decorations.

Sources
http://www.melissaclifton.com/
http://www.scrapbook.com/
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/