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Ever wondered what to get a crafter for Christmas? Sure, it can seem an impossible task - what can you buy the person that can make almost anything by themselves? Well, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with our list of 11 awesome Christmas gifts that will make crafters and makers say “WOW! Where was this all my life?”
To come up with this fabulous Christmas gift list of what all crafters need and want, we interviewed our team of hardcore crafters. After a couple of hours looking over wishlists and analyzing all kinds of crafting tools and kits, we came up with the ultimate ideas for people who love making things just as much as we do. These gifts are going to be instant hits with your crafter friends.
If you’re a crafter reading this Christmas gift guide, let us know in a comment below what’s the one thing on this list you’d love to receive. You can also watch our video gift guide, here.
Yes, chalkboards aren’t just for schoolrooms. Thanks to chalk paint, contact paper and even chalk markers, we can get that chic look on most surfaces and in any room. A hardcore maker or a hand lettering buff is going to love these chalk markers.
The markers can be used on any non-porous surface, like chalkboards, plastic, metal, glass, vinyl, steel and slate. So this means, you can make a calendar or a message center on your wall, draw up your daily menu in your kitchen (on your fridge or table), make your own handwritten rewritable spice jar labels or customize your herb pots. And if you want to go all in, you can draw on your windows to keep up with the seasons. Or customize your glasses, bottles and lamps. And, yes, we’re thinking snowflakes and reindeers.
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| VersaChalk Liquid Chalk Markers Classic Shop here. |
VersaChalk Liquid Chalk Markers Neon Colors Shop here. |
See the chalk markers in action here and here.
PS: for a complete kit, you can add vinyl contact paper and chalkboard paint to the list. Lamp makers we have a feeling both could work for lampshades too.
Sawhorse pipe lamps with chalkboard shades by Funky Junk Interiors.
Makers love trying new things. And your crafter friend is going to love taking a screen printing kit for a spin. And you might just be the first one to enjoy their new skill. With a screen printing kit, a crafter will be able to DIY custom prints in their own home. From t-shirts to pillowcases and stationery, with a bit of creativity, they can screen print all kinds of goodies from the comfort of their home.
For crafters that have never tried screen printing before, you can get them a starter kit that contains the basics (screen filler drawing fluid, photo emulsion, squeegee etc). But if you have a friend with a serious passion for screen printing, you can take it to another level, with a pro printmaking set, like this one.
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| Speedball Intermediate Screen Printing Kit Shop here |
Ryonet DIY Shop Pro Kit Shop here |
Screen printing your own T-shirts looks so fun, you might just want to get that starter kit for yourself. Here’s a video tutorial here and a photo tutorial here on how to screen print your own T-shirt at home.
PS: we’d love to see a lampshade customized with the help of a screen printing kit.
Crafters who are serious about their papercraft and scrapbooking hobby or business need a die-cut machine. One such machine is going to help them optimize and diversify their products, crafts, and business.
Buying a die-cut machine is a big decision, seeing as there are several different types of cutters on the market and each comes with unique features. However, at least one of the machines below is on a crafter’s wish list. And this is coming from fellow crafters. Our colleague Monica has her own Sizzix Big Shot die-cut machine, but she has a Cricut on her wish list too. A crafter can never have enough supplies.
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Cricut Machine. Shop here. There are so many how-to videos on how to use a Cricut machine for DIY projects. Check them out here. |
Silhouette Cameo Machine. Shop here. Here’s a video tutorial on how to use a Silhouette machine. |
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Sizzix Big Shot machine. Shop here. Here are a couple of ideas on how to use a Sizzix machine for scrapbooking. |
Spellbinders Die Cutting Machine. Shop here. Tutorials and dozens of inspirational projects with the Spellbinder Die cutting machine, here. |
Here are two pretty good guides on choosing the right die-cut machine (EveryDaySavvy and TopTenReviews). Remember each has its very own set of features and ability to cut through different material thickness and mediums (paper, vinyl, cardstock, chipboard, leather, thin wood, felt etc).
This is one gift idea you should be gifting every 2 years to your fellow crafter friend. Some makers might not know they need this, but from our longtime crafting experience, we can’t live without a self-healing cutting mat. And this is coming after destroying several beautiful IKEA tables by cutting through our “DIY” versions of a professional cutting mat.
Plus a cutting mat comes with a grid that guides the user to help him or her cut straight lines to the right size. There are many different sizes, but the best one does depend on the type of craft your friend is doing. If you’d ask us, we’re going to say, the bigger, the better.
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Alvin Professional Self-Healing Cutting Mat, 12" x 18", Green/Black. |
Crafty World Self-Healing Cutting Mat, 18" x 24", 12" x 18", and 9" x 12" for Quilting. Shop here. |
Complete the gift with a contour rotary cutter and an acrylic ruler.
Does this sound a bit too classic? Even crafters who hate sewing will love this gift. Having a sewing machine opens up so many new possibilities for all kind of DIY home decor projects and possibly even a new small business.
There are several sewing machine brands out there, but the most popular are Singer and Brother. Both have beginner, intermediate and advanced sewing machine models to satisfy every crafter out there. Here’s a guide on how to pick the best sewing machines for every skill level.
Our favorite in-house tested sewing machine is this Brother CS6000i.
Complete the gift with bobbins, sewing threads and a pack of universal machine needles.
If you’re on a tight budget with your Christmas gift list, a great way to make a crafter happy is by giving the gift of a hot glue gun. It’s a simple enough idea, but this handy tool has infinite uses in DIY home decor and in a variety of other crafts.
Don’t believe us? You can use a hot glue gun for things like securing wiring in small electronic projects, stacking wood, metal or fabric, beads, and rhinestones. You can also use a hot glue gun to label things and paint over them to give them a nice finish. Or for more practical things, like taking the “slip” out of slippers and hangers. Here are 40 genius glue gun projects to try.
Mini Hot Melt Glue Gun with 25pcs Glue Sticks. Shop here.
If your crafter friend likes scrapbooking, you will never be wrong gifting such supplies for Christmas. The more, the best is what crafters say. You can either choose a general kit with lots of different scissors and paper punches, be specific by choosing themed supplies (think of occasions, holidays, colors and events) or just go with the basics, like an album or a set of cards.
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| SiCoHome Scrapbooking Album. Shop here | Strathmore Watercolor Cards. Shop here | |
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| Acrylic Rhinestone Lace Washi Tape Set. Shop here |
70pcs Alphabet Stamps. Shop here |
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| SiCoHome Scrapbooking Supplies Set. Shop here |
ColorBlock CardStock Paper Pad Marble. Shop here |
Good pictures will make or break a small business and every crafter and maker needs proper photo gear. If they have a blog, an Etsy shop or they simply like to share their projects with the world, a photo studio is going to make a big change in how they market and present themselves to the wide world web.
The good news is that photo studios have become considerably more affordable lately and a lot more versatile. You can now opt for a mini photo studio, a light box or a professional, multi-equipped one. Before you head to Amazon to order that special gift, consider what type of craft your friend is doing. You should choose a photo studio based on the size of their projects, lighting options, portability and available room.
For instance, if your friend makes small objects (jewelry, scrapbooking, tiny decorations, lamps) a lightbox would work just fine. If your crafter friend makes larger items, maybe dresses, handbags, paintings, a great choice would be a traditional studio setting, like this one.
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| AmazonBasics Portable Photo Studio. Shop here | MyStudio MS20 Professional Table Top Photo Studio Lightbox. Shop here |
If you have a crafter friend who is into knitting, a weaving loom is just the right thing to take things to a whole new level. Weaving is a lot more exciting than what you’d expect and there is basically no limit to the potential designs a creative mind could come up with a loom and some yarn. You can make rugs, bags, satchels, pillow cases, scarfs, placemats, towels and so much more.
Complete the gift with a book and a lot of yarn.
Here are two guides to get your friend started with their weaving loom:
Interweave Free Weaving Patterns & The Weaving Loom Beginners’ Guide to Weaving.
This gift idea is for the ultimate maker or the friend who never stops with their DIY home decor projects. Get them easy-to-use supplies for making custom lampshades and wiring any kind of base.
With our lamp-making supplies, your friend can make a new lampshade for a table lamp, floor lamp, and even a pendant light fixture for their ceiling. We have a bunch of DIY tutorials and all kinds of inspirational content on our blog. It just takes a little bit of creativity and an hour of their time to make a totally custom, unique drum lampshade that they can be proud of.
If your friend likes a bit of a challenge, get them a lamp making kit that will allow them to make a lamp using anything as a base. You can choose between a standard electrical wiring kit or a pre-assembled bottle lamp kit. It’s guaranteed fun and they will be able to make a beautiful, quality lamp for a fraction of the cost. One that will perfectly match their own style and decor needs. Help a friend make a lamp they’ll love!
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Shop everything you need for a DIY lampshade here. Learn how to make one yourself here. |
Shop wiring kits here. Learn how to use them here. |
Finally, the cherry on top: this awesome storage/workspace that will make your crafter friend love you forever. No joke, you will be receiving handmade gifts on any occasion. It’s the ultimate crafter's dream closet with plenty of customizable storage units:
If the $1000 and something is a much too steep price tag for you, the guys from The Original Scrapbox have a much more budget-friendly alternative. A $30 ScrapMaBox Storage Unit with 8 adjustable shelves. Obviously, supplies are not included. If you want to complete the gift, scroll back to the top of this post to get some ideas of what you could get your crafter friend for Christmas.
