With wedding season approaching we thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite projects that would make fun gifts! Obviously DIY isn't always the best option. I mean, people need bath towels—am I right? But for situations where you may be attending multiple wedding showers, a DIY gift might be the perfect option. Jeremy and I received several homemade gifts at our wedding, and I have to admit: They are among the most memorable. 🙂
1. His & Her Pillow Cases
2. Starburst Mirror
3. Ladder Shelf
4. Coffee Syrup Set
5. Hand Stamped Cloth Napkins
6. His + Her Sharpie Mug Set Note: If you want this set to be dishwasher safe, just use a pebeo paint marker instead of a sharpie! Otherwise, they are handwash only.
7. What about a painted chair?
8. This tree swing would make the sweetest newlywed (or housewarming gift ever!
9. Vintage Phone Bookends
10. Minimal Magazine Rack
11. House Journal
12. Bird Plush (aweee!)
13. Kitchen Wall Art
14. Woven Rug This is an epic (read: time consuming) project. But if you can pull if off, it would make a gorgeous gift!
15. Textured Vase Set This would be so sweet in designs inspired by a couple!
16. Recipe Book
17. Paint-By-Numbers Pillow
18. Cigar Box Scrapbook
19. Bike Makeovers? Another epic project, but this would be an incredible gift for a newlywed couple!
20. Braided Rug I highly recommend this rug, it's been in my home for nearly a year and is still going strong! 🙂
Some of these projects require a close relationship with the couple and a strong understanding of their tastes and style, and others are pretty neutral. What do you think? Do you have a bunch of weddings and showers to attend this season?
xo. Elsie + Emma
74 Comments
So many lovely ideas, I personally really like the two mugs. They would make the perfect gift!
http://sincerelylara.com
Oh goodness I DO have a bunch of weddings to attend this Summer! Some of these projects would be perfect even for the couples I’m not super close with. And I might just need to make a rug for myself… 😉
You’re so creative! LOVE this post! I’m gonna save so much with wedding gifts now!
http://talisatalksbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/trilogy-rosehip-oil-antioxidant.html
What a great collection!! I’d love to make the braided rug.
http://sarahthearchitect.com/
A few of these are a huge fave of mine and I can’t wait to see what little gifts we get from our wedding 🙂 Wonderful post and great ideas! I’m in full on wedding planning for our June wedding and have been making a few things for the big day. I have so many lists everywhere haha!
Lulu xx
https://www.luluslittlewonderland.blogspot.com
This is a great list. Thanks for sharing..
xo Janika
http://crazysketchbook.blogspot.com/
Love the tree swing. Very quaint, but brilliant at the same time.
I don’t have any upcoming weddings in the near future, but though I had to miss my childhood best friend’s wedding last year, I knew I wanted to give her and her husband a gift that said something about her and my firendship, and their relationship. I made them a painted photo transfer, and wrote a blog post on the process here: http://predictionspast.blogspot.ca/2012/10/diy-painted-canvas-photo-transfer.html
I wasn’t around to see the gift opened (she had the patience to wait until after we left our lunch date. I was kind of dying inside!) She and her husband LOVED it, and told me it was one of their favourite things they were gifted for the wedding, second only to the original Star Trek show taped off TV, with commercials, in its entirety. I’m cool with losing to a champion of a gift like that!
love the recipe book, mugs, pillow cases and coffee kit!!
xo Andrea
http://www.sophisticatedsass.com
as a (fairly) newlywed, i love the idea of the custom mugs + the homemade syrup set, maybe with a pound of great coffee. the best gifts we got were the ones that were a little bit “theme”, like our guacamole kit that someone got together (a stone molcajete, an avocado tool, and some salsa).
These are such cute ideas. I love the bike
Please check out and follow my blog! I’d really appreciate it! http://seasidebeauty.blogspot.co.uk/
i dont have any friends getting married soon, but i think our house needs a braided rug!
Great ideas! Love those bookends.
xx
Morgan at http://thehonestfox.blogspot.com
Fun gift ideas! being a newlywed, i would be so impressed that someone put such thought into our gift 🙂
i want those pillows, and the mug, ok and the swing…
Great ideas for my little sister who’s getting married n a few months! xx
http://www.creativityandchocolate.com
ahh so cute! I’m nowhere near getting married soon but I am in love with all of these diys, especially the recipe book!
the coffee syrup set is a great idea! i might gift that to myself…
i’m also going to make a tree swing for our new house this weekend – hopefully it doesn’t break on the first use!
I want this home…
These are such fun & unique ideas. I will definitely be coming back for ideas!
Allyson
http://allysonwonderlandphotography.com
this post couldn’t be more perfectly timed! those pillowcases really are adorable. thanks for sharing!
the pillows are so cute!
http://somebodyfromsomewhere.blogspot.com/
I have that same grey comforter cover on our bed. Love it! Lots of great ideas here, as always.
Josi
Sweetlifeblog.net
aaww:) need those pillows! 🙂
http://www.lorietta.cz
Luckily, I’m getting to an age where my friends are all married already…but that doesn’t mean a few of these projects wouldn’t make good housewarming gifts, or stuff for just me!
That “epic” rug turned out great! I’m not sure I have the patience for something that big, but even the smaller braided rug looks like it’d be cool in the kitchen or entryway!
These are the cutest ideas! I love the His & Hers pillow set! I might have to make that for my husband and I. It’s adorable!
xo
Kristina
http://www.eccentricowl.com
Some really sweet ideas here
I’ve been making crocheted blankets the past couple of years as Christmas presents for friends who’ve recently got married, I tend to use bulky or doubled yarn so it doesn’t actually take that long and it’s something I enjoy
http://ahandfulofhope.blogspot.co.uk/
I love the pillow cases and the telephone book ends, and the starburst mirror will forever be a favourite <3
great ideas.
even though I am not newly married and do not plan on getting married for another 10 years… I will use some of these ideas for friends and such! thanks.
http://theeoptimist.blogspot.com
oooo thank you!!! my sister’s bday is at the end of this month. she and her bf just moved in together and i have so been hoping to get her something housewarmy! a couple of these are absolutely perfect!
<3becky
http://www.loosefromthezoo.com
Love the swing, would be the best present ever! xxx
How adorable! I love the pillows!
Emma x
http://beautyandrags.blogspot.co.uk/
This Magazine Rack is fabulous! Love it! =)
http://davrilpoisson.blogspot.com/
Inspiring ideas as usually…
Awesome!! I just made some hand painted tea towels and gave them as a wedding present to one of my friends. You can check it out at the link below!
Everything is better handmade!! <3
http://themellowmallow.blogspot.com/2013/04/diy-hand-painted-tea-towels.html?updated-min=2013-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&updated-max=2014-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=13
Love all these, especially the his/hers pillowcases!
Great ideas! I really love the pillow one! 😀
I love the phone bookends.
Some really great ideas here. Can I pretend I’m getting married again and make that ladder shelf for myself? Oh, but first I have to find a vintage wooden ladder.
As for your comment about bath towels, we received a full set from two different people, and at the time I remember thinking, ‘Wow, lots of towels’. Well, here we are 13+ years later and they are still being used. The years have softened them beautifully but because they were good quality, they are dreamy to use.
So how about some bath towels and a small diy gift on the side?!
really great gifts! thanks for sharing, ladies!
http://www.kotrynabass.com
Great ideas! I made the starburst mirror using your DIY a while ago and I really love how it turned out! It is SO much better than going to the store and spending $200 on one!
Here is a picture of it: http://azulhome.com/?s=starburst+mirror
Great ideas!! I love everything!!
I should pass this along to my friends for my upcoming wedding!
xo Jennifer
http://seekingstyleblog.wordpress.com
Love these gifts. Too bad many of them can’t be found in Hawaii 🙁 I really need to get on the online shopping wagon!
These are all great ideas…
but that sharpie diy doesn’t work – even for hand-wash only. As soon as you add water the sharpie will come straight off. Go and get a ceramic pen and you will have your custom mug x
Lovely ideas!
everything about this post is perfect! love those pillows! thanks for the great ideas!!
HeartofChic.blogspot.com
So many cool DIY projects!
Carina
http://carstina.blogspot.co.nz/
Do you ladies have any DIY blanket tutorials? I think they’re a great wedding gift because they’re both practical and romantic (newly wed couple cuddling together, etc.)
What a great ideas! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Some awesome ideas here! I feel a crafting session coming on for me, since I don’t know anyone getting married. I especially love the pillow cases, his and hers mugs, starburst mirror and both rugs!
So many really great ideas here!
Zoe
http://gypsiesister.blogspot.co.uk
You have some amazing ideas here! The vintage phone book ends and the yellow ladder table are awesome gift ideas.
Jen
http://fashionablyfestive.blogspot.com/
Just love the yellow chairs and the rugs…
http://hidinginheaven.blogspot.fr/2013/04/the-one-with-snakeskin-clutch.html
If I succeed in making them definitely going to keep them! xD
Such a great idea considering it’s wedding season at the minute.
I know so many people getting married this will come in so handy!
I love the pillows to, they are just so cute!
Day Dreams & Daisy Chains
-Kelly
Love the ideas here! Great gifts, but also some real home inspiration too xxx
http://www.couronnedefleurs.net
I want these! Who cares if they are for a couple or not…so fantastic!
Such great ideas! I’m going to four weddings in a four month span and it’s getting crazy expensive crazy fast. So yeah… bookmarking!
Cute cushions (nice pillow talk 😉 )
If you love creativity just visite my blog if you like! 😉
Xo maschalina
http://maschalina.blogspot.co.at
For Valentine’s Day, I gifted my husband the his + hers pillowcases (link to the end result below).
Fyi, he loved them!!
Thanks ABM!
http://hollyandboo.tumblr.com/post/43149702921/craft-project-number-5-i-heart-you-pillowcases
Ooh. The coffee syrups look delicious!
Thanks for the ideas, I’m currently looking for an idea to gift for a wedding, the house or recipe book are lovely, everything else also.
– Elke
These are all so cute! Wish I knew someone getting married!
xoxo
Juliette Laura
juliettelaura.blogspot.com
I think the two mugs are my favorite since you could do ANYTHING with them. You could go for something simple or something crazy.
Hi Emma,
I was wondering how you hung your starburst mirror.
I loved your starburst mirror and got excited and went ahead and made one (actually I love pretty much everything in your house:)
However my finished product is to heavy to hang with anything adhesive to stick to the back of the mirror and the guys at the hardware store weren’t to sure what to do.
I was wondering how you hung your starburst mirror. I want to put mine up.
Thanks,
PS your kinda my hero
I have a lot of weddings this summer so I received a lott of suggestions and my favourite are mugs!!!
I love these ideas! Do you have a tutorial on the braided rug?
I really love all ideas. Don’t know where to start.
Thank you for sharing, Nicole
A homemade recipe book is a lovely idea that can never go wrong! I love some of these other ideas though! The rugs and the bikes are fun.
-Lindsey
http://ettu-tutu.blogspot.com
Such a cute idea… love that you mentioned for multiple showers and such.
These are such great ideas! I’m moving into my own place soon and would absolutely love to make all of these projects, especially the pillowcases.
Kindness is the best accessory,
Rebecca
I made the swing for my daughter’s second birthday and there are a couple inaccuracies in your tutorial. I wanted to comment on the post to give a heads up for anyone who wanted to try it, but the comments were closed on it. First, the wood you used for the seat is probably a 1x4x8 not a 2x4x8 because it is way chunkier (and makes for a heavy seat) than the one pictured. Also your measurements for the brace pieces under the seat should be cut to 7″ not 8″, because the true size of a 2×4 is 1-1/2″x 3-1/2″ and so two widths would total 7″. I found this out the hard way since I had the guy at Home Depot cut my wood based on the measurements in the tutorial using the wood specified as well, just to get home and realize the bottom boards were an inch too long and the swing seat was really chunky in comparison to the photos. I was able to go back and have everything re-cut but it was a little bit of a pain and a bummer that the swing’s kind of heavy, so it slows down faster. Anyways, just wanted to give you guys and anyone else who might want to make it a heads up. I love the look of it and my daughter loves having her own special swing, so thank you for posting it! It was really easy to make once I got everything right and I love looking out at it in the backyard.
awww, cute bird plush!
And I love the bike♥