Watch This Mesmerizing Pumpkin Carving Video of the Sanderson Sisters, Wednesday Addams, and the Grady Twins

1. Start simple and make them a personalized card.

Nothing communicates your love, time, and effort behind a gift more than personalized cards. Even if you can’t DIY the gift itself, having a handmade card (with a thoughtful message inside) as a prelude to the unwrapping ritual will touch everyone’s heart. Make sure to craft yours on some hardy cardstock so they feel *extra* special. Peep some of these stellar holiday card ideas for inspiration!

@miascozycorner i inadvertently seem to have to fallen into a purple theme?? #christmascrafts#diychristmasdecor#diychristmasornaments#claycreations#tiktokdiy#christmas♬ original sound - mia 🍒

2. Sculpt some cutie gift toppers.

Handmade gift wrapping elements will also step up your holiday game. These darling little gift toppers that @miascozycorner made out of polymer clay are sure to inspire your own designs! Decorate the shapes you make with paint pens and coat them in Liquitex for durability, then attach them to your gift box or bag using some cute ribbon or yarn.

3. Use air-dry clay to make picture holders.

Clay is your BFF for making handmade gifts. This idea from @rileyrosestudio lets your giftee display pictures, memories, cards, or even recipe cards in the form of their favorite food! Go for a trendier take by sculpting an olive or tomato out of air-dry clay, or opt to craft something as intricate as a burger or pizza slice – no matter what shape it is, they’re sure to love it. Riley usesgesso to prime her air-dry clay pieces, then an acrylic sealant to make sure those lovely designs stay put.

4. Make an orange garland for them.

A dried orange garland takes an entire day (and sometimes more) to make, so your recipient should definitely feel special knowing you put hours of love into this handmade gift. Though they look intricate, you only need to follow a few steps (and have few materials: orange slices, twine, and a thick yarn needle) to achieve the cozy garland. Luckily, there are tons of citrus garland tutorials on social media to assist in your creation. B+C Creative Assistant, Meredith, tied cutie little pink ribbon bows on her homemade garland.

5. Craft a candle holder using clay.

6. Make coasters out of air-dry clay and gift them alongside thrifted glassware.

To make some handmade coasters, roll out some air-dry clay, let it dry, and coat it with gesso before you get to painting! The canvas is yours with this gift idea, but here are a few concepts to get the creative juices flowing: smiley faces, rainbows, spirals, initials, and fruits or vegetables. Ensure that your hard work stays in place with a sealant that’ll repel moisture. Some thrifted glassware pieces to give alongside your handmade coasters would be the absolute cherry on top!

7. Create a collage out of old magazines.

Magazines are really not hard to come by, and if you're looking for a sustainable gift, you can find some especially unique ones at re-sell bookstores or thrift stores to make your own collage. Some of the best ones to start with are Vogue and National Geographic. There are a lot of different techniques and themes you could run with, so we recommend doing some visual research on Pinterest beforehand to nail down your collage's concept. Maybe it's full of imagery that reminds you of your relationship, or a jumble of words that form a sweet poem – it's really up to you! Just have glue, an X-Acto knife, and a cutting board on-hand for the process. Complete this artsy handmade gift by signing your work and framing the collage in a nifty frame.

8. Thread a handmade necklace using thrifted or secondhand beads.

Got a necklace you don’t love? Deconstruct that baby using small wire cutters or scissors so that you can use the leftover beads and charms to make something entirely new! If you don’t have them on-hand already, you will need some beading cord, bead clamps, jump rings, clasps, and pliers.

9. DIY your very own body care line.

Making your own body scrubs or balt salts is *a lot* easier than you’d think. Some recipes only call for ingredients you’d find in your kitchen! Make a range of self-care products at home, then package them up in thrifted jars with ribbon and a handmade tag to really impress.

10. Repurpose cans and tins by pouring candles into them.

Fish tin candles are in, but you can really use any vessel to pour your own candles in. All you need is some candle wax, wicks, and a scent of your choice to create something super unique! Try your first handmade candle with an empty, clean tinned fish tin, then get adventurous with soda cans or crushed tomato cans to bring out that Tomato Girl energy for your gift recipient.

11. Make a batch of jam.

12. Make a batch of spice mix.

13. Make a batch of chili oil.

14. Knit or crochet a hat, scarf, or another garment you know they’d like.

Having knitting and/or crochet skills is invaluable when it comes to gifting season. You can easily find patterns online for creating beanies, blankets, scarves, leg warmers, balaclavas, mittens, and more, so your giftee can stay stylishly warm beyond the holidays in a bespoke garment that *you* made!

15. Make magnets out of air-dry clay for their fridge.

16. Paint a glass bottle with your own design to gift a plant cutting.

You can easily thrift a glass vessel (or use one you already have), paint a unique design on it using glass paint, then fill it with a little bit of water to gift a small plant cutting! This way, you’re giving them a stylish home decor piece along with a heirloom piece of nature that they’ll admire every day as it grows.

17. DIY an ornament (or a few) for them.

18. Burn a CD full of tracks they’d like.

It may seem a little old-school now, but the gift idea of burning a CD will appeal to every gift recipient that’s old enough to remember portable CD players. They can play it in their car or through their at-home speaker system to jam out. Just grab a pack of blank CDs that come with covers, and let the nostalgic process take you away.

19. Bake them a big batch of cookies.

You just can’t go wrong with sweets during the holidays! Whatever form they come in – vegan, gluten-free, paleo – cookies are sure to satisfy your giftee. We have a ton of recipes you could check out (I highly recommend the Taylor Swift chai cookies), but if you already have a method to your madness, whip up whatever dessert recipe you have in mind. Just make sure they’re fairly fresh when you hand them over.

20. Decorate a plant pot with pops of color.

If your gift recipient has a green thumb, it’s not a bad idea to gift them a few plant-related things. Luckily, handmade gifts have a stake in this – just grab a terracotta pot (you can easily thrift one or find one for cheap at the dollar store) and some chalk pens, then decorate the exterior however you like.

To get some ideas flowing, you could include illustrated motifs of your relationship with this person, write their name out in bubble letters, or just doodle random designs. Matching their interior design aesthetic is definitely recommended.

I’ve been making a lot of pet costumes this year, but this one has been high on my list for a long time. With some felt and One-Wrap Velcro, we created this pet costume in no time at all. Does your pet have a goofy name? Try dressing them up as their name, and make sure you snap photos and share them with us on Instagram! Oh, and don't forget to check out our 46 Cute Dogs Guaranteed To Make You Smile, too!

How To Make A Dog Turkey Costume

Tools And Materials:

• red, orange, yellow and white felt
• cardboard
• One-Wrap Velcro
• pen
• fabric scissors
• hot glue gun

Instructions:

1. Draw large, long oval feathers on your yellow felt. Stack the yellow felt on top of the orange felt and cut them both out. Next, draw a curved rectangular shape on the white felt and cut it out.

2. Hot glue the white rectangular shapes to the feathers, then glue the feathers to one another to create a fan shape.

3. Glue a horizontal strip of cardboard to the back of the feathers to help them stand upright.

4. Hot glue a piece of felt to each edge of the feathers and attach a strip of One-Wrap Velcro that is long enough to wrap around your dog’s belly.

5. Cut out a gobble from red felt and attach some One-Wrap Velcro.

Draw 12 long feathers on your yellow felt. Stack the yellow felt on top of the orange felt and cut out your feathers. Cut 12 white curved rectangular pieces to accent the feathers.

Glue the white pieces to the feathers and then glue the feathers to one another into a fan shape.

Attach a long strip of cardboard to the back of the feathers to help them stand up straight once the dog turkey costume is assembled.

Hot glue a piece of felt to each edge of the feathers and attach a strip of One-Wrap Velcro that is long enough to wrap around your dog’s belly.

Draw a gobble onto a piece of red felt, cut it out and glue it to a small piece of One-Wrap Velcro.

Hey Turkey — here’s your turkey costume!

Attach the gobble to your dog by wrapping the One-Wrap Velcro around the collar.

Cutest turkey I ever did see!

What's happening astrologically during the week of December 22-29, 2024?

The freewheeling Sagittarius energy is past, and we enter the depths of Capricorn season. This week heralds several important transits that have far-reaching effects for the coming new year. On December 24, Venus, the planet of love and beauty, forms a beneficial sextile with Chiron, the wounded healer and shaman of the Zodiac. Don’t let this opportunity pass. We can gain access to an understanding of our own innate self-worth. If we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and honest, we can face our insecurities and move past any blockages to growth and evolution of our very essence. We all have insecurities that prevent us from living our best lives at times, but with Chiron moving forward on December 29 after months of retrograde motion, the momentum is building toward lasting healing. It won't come easily, however. Chiron wounds are buried deep. Still, the work we put into addressing our core issues will result in a sense of ultimate freedom. It's a great time to work with a therapist or astrologer to identify and heal our innate wounds.

Also on December 24, Jupiter squares Saturn. This monumental transit will reflect tension in the zeitgeist for the next two years. We will be face-to-face with the reality of the decline in our societies, where injustice and immorality rise to the surface. There might be a sense of despair resulting in despondency and hopelessness. But no one will benefit from putting their head in the sand. We must face our problems head-on — growth requires hard work. On a personal level, it feels like we have one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake. It is a good time to take a pause from the indulgences of Sagittarius season, withdraw from society for a bit to gain a better perspective, and realize that a shift is required. As the frustration passes, we will be able to see that for growth and abundance, we must focus and systematically rework our approach. Patience and hard work are required, and Saturn provides the inspiration for that work. If we're successful and as we move from frustration to empowerment, we'll have the rewards we seek in the long term.

Venus in Aquarius will square Uranus in Taurus this week, and we might be feeling irritable with our loved ones or personally restless. Realize this energy will pass, but it will need to be expressed in one way or another. Harness it and use it to infuse some excitement into your relationships. Do something new together. Experiences outside our normal routines will be a good way to let the energy manifest. If you don’t initiate something, be prepared for some unexpected display of this tension between the planet of love and the planet of disruption.

Read Your Weekly Horoscope For Your Sun & Rising Signs

Aries (March 21 – April 20)

The tension of the week will require an adjustment in your daily habits. Focus on healthy eating, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep. It's a good time to break a bad habit or form a beneficial new one — just be sure to fully lean into whichever choice you make. If you don't put your passion into something, I know you'll struggle to fully commit, Aries...

Being of service to others is another way to ease any personal frustration you're dealing with this week. While we all suffer, helping others puts our own struggles into perspective. Buy some gifts for the people you love! Work at a soup kitchen! Get out there and share your infectious energy and love with the world around you.

Taurus (April 21 – May 21)

You might be feeling a sense of personal scarcity. If you find yourself on an unstable foundation, pause and allow yourself to retreat for a bit. Use any solitary time you can manage to get creative and devise a solution to your dilemma. Use light and positive affirmations to overcome any tendency toward despair. It will feel difficult until you break free from the darkness. However, I know you can use your natural tenacity to pull you through.

Gemini (May 22 – June 21)

Spend as much time with your family and at home as you can. Take time to nurture yourself and to let others nurture you. This week is a good time to recover and recuperate. You'll need to be strong and healthy in the coming weeks and months — the depths of winter can be totally brutal, so it's best to take care of yourself now. Cultivate and focus your heart on love, and let that love energy flow around you. Allow the feeling to permeate your cells and remember the healing energy of love when faced with challenges in the weeks ahead. This can help sustain you if things get tough!

Cancer (June 22 – July 22)

Communicate as clearly as possible what you're experiencing. Instead of holding your feelings in, hiding them from the people around you, share your emotional landscape with your loved ones. The healing power of love is exponentially more powerful when you give it away freely — so share that love, and let others share their love with you. It's a good time to rise above and overcome any insecure feelings you have. If you are so inclined, poetry or music can be a great way to express yourself or as a source of inspiration. Whatever you choose, just let yourself feel all the feelings and express them!

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

It's a good week to re-evaluate your resources. Do what it takes to create security, and clear out anything that is excessive or unnecessary and focus on what really matters for your stability. The space you create will soon be filled with more meaningful and appropriate activities, people and things. Be sure that whatever you do involves joy and lightheartedness. That energy and levity will propel you towards greatness, Leo, helping you create stronger foundations for your dream life.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

Prioritize yourself and your needs this week — basically just go full 'treat yourself' mode. If you're rested, healthy, and organized, everything else will proceed more smoothly. Your natural inclination to be of service will only benefit you and others if you take care of yourself first. Set clear boundaries and communicate your needs so that there are minimal misunderstandings. This will give you the recipe for the best holiday season yet!

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

Your spiritual practice will give you much comfort this week. Be sure to devote adequate time to quiet contemplation and ritual. Listen to music, go to a museum, or practice your art form and spend time in nature for inspiration. Tap into anything that elevates and soothes your spirit. You deserve the peace and tranquility — even (and maybe especially) if you're craving something else. Let the peace wash over you.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)

Spending time with your community and engaging in social connections will help alleviate any tension you feel this week. It's important to allow others to be themselves and to relinquish any tendency to control those around you. The more you go with the flow, the easier it will be to maintain harmony and joy. You can enjoy things without having to hold so tightly to the reins — let go, release, and live.

Sagittarius (November 21 – December 21)

Hopefully, you're fully sated with the holidays and can focus on any lingering responsibilities before the end of the year. Take time to get organized and set realistic goals to accomplish important tasks. I know that's not your favorite advice, but resist any tendency to procrastinate so that you can start the new year from a stable and productive position. You'll appreciate it so much more if you do!

Capricorn (December 21 – January 19)

This first full week of Capricorn season will find you in a philosophical state of mind. A broad perspective will help you navigate any tension you feel — keeping an open mind and heart can help you adopt habits, rituals, choices, and more that you may have previously ignored at first glance. And if you're not in the market for big changes on your own, at least take a moment to realize that while you might know exactly what you need, you may not know what others need. Practice being more flexible.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 19)

Tensions that may come up during the holidays — as always, these are best navigated from the perspective that all things are temporary, and all things change. Check your attitude and realize you might be too intense for productive exchanges with others. Spend time alone to understand what is going on within and try your best to let others experience life on their personal terms. It's more than okay to take a moment to reset and come back to the group when you're ready.

Pisces (February 20 – March 21)

Experiencing harmony in your relationships will give you peace this week. It's important to balance your needs with the needs of others, though. Reciprocity and fairness can be achieved, so be sure to equally emphasize the needs of everyone. Resist the temptation to acquiesce your needs to keep the peace — that will only leave you feeling depleted and resentful. Relationships go both ways, and it's okay to demand that of them.