How To Make a Gift Meaningful

Personalised handmade gifts are something we all admire – the smile they bring to the faces of our loved ones is priceless and the emotions it brings out are heartwarming. It can be a challenge to find good ideas to make a personalised DIY gifts meaningful and link them to a personal story. Here are 5 tips to consider when trying to find homemade personalised gift ideas for a special person with a special meaning.

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Find a special shared moment to memorize

A special memory is always something that makes people value and appreciate a gift even more.

Ask yourself questions like:

Do you have a childhood memory together?
Did you travel together to a place you always want to remember?
Do you have a special hobby or interest in common?

In most of the cases, the answer will guide you either to an object representing your shared moment that you can upcycle, or a motif to integrate in a personalised project.

For example:

Childhood memory:
Take an old photograph from your childhood, glue it onto a small squared wood piece and finally glue it onto a magnet to turn it into a handcrafted photo fridge magnet.
Travel memory:
Feature the coordinates or the skyline of the travel destination within an engraving project.

Hobby/ Interest:
Have you been to a concert together? Find the vinyl record from the concert and turn it into a decorative clock.

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Think of symbolics that represent the recipient of the gift

There are many symbols that can be associated to a person, whether it be the zodiac sign, spirit animal symbolism or plant symbolism that describes certain personalities.

For example, engraving a fox into the cover of a notebook could represent the cleverness and independence you appreciate about the gifted person.

Tip: Engraving motifs can be very easy. Learn how to start in this article >

Wood burning can be another creative way of bringing motifs into a DIY project with the Dremel VersaTip >

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Make a contribution to the person’s bucket list

Everyone has a bucket list with things they wish to do or achieve once in their lifetime, whether it is on their own or together with someone else. While some are actively completing their list, others need a bit of a push to be reminded of it.

Think of the dreams and milestones your loved one has and make a little contribution to this in a creative and thoughtful way.

Here are some common bucket list examples:

Travelling to a specific destination
Learn how to play an instrument
Write a story such as memoirs
Have a pet
Learn another language
Go on a road trip

Once you choose a bucket list item you would like to support, think of a creative way how to turn the motivation into a DIY.

For the above examples some ideas are:

Decorative skyline engraving
Personalisation of an instrument accessory
Personalisation of a notebook or mood board
Handmade name tag for pets with an empty spot for the name
Handmade flash card box to store vocabulary cards

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Mark someone’s special life event for lifetime

Sharing the happiness for someone else’s life event can lead to another lovely theme for making a meaningful gift. Receiving a gift made from your heart to theirs on a special day will make this one even more meaningful.

Here, are some examples that will either guide you to an object representing the life event that you can upcycle or a motif to integrate in a personalised project.

For example:

Newborn:
Handmade and personalised decorative pieces
Check out some DIYs made for kids >
Moving Homes:
Make a print of the new house key into polymer clay and engrave the moving date into the clay.
Check out more DIYs for Moving Homes >
Wedding:
Engrave the initials of the bridal couple into a wine box for them to store a wine of their wedding year
Check out Step-by-Step >
Anniversary:
Engrave a personal note on jewellery
Check out Step-by-Step >

Other occasions for your DIY gift idea might be a graduation, the first car, starting school … there are no limits!

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Value the personal interest of your loved one

The easiest way to come up with a personalisation idea is to think of an overarching interest of a person that unlocks many thoughtful DIYs:

Gift for travel lovers:

DIYs with world maps
Check out Step-by-Step >

Gift for pet lovers:

Decorative pet feeding station
Check out Step-by-Step >
Unique cat bed from drums for music enthusiasts.
Check out Step-by-Step >

Gifts for plant lovers:

Create indoor gardening solutions
Check out projects >

Gifts made from sustainable sources:

Upcycle old objects that are meaningful to the gift recipient and bring them a new lease of life
Check out Upcycling DIYs >

Gifts for BBQ/ Cooking lovers:

Build a BBQ Side Table
Check out SbS >

Gifts for home décor lovers:

Personalised Glass Coasters
Check out SbS >

Gifts for garden lovers:

Create some outdoor basket lights
Check out SbS >