How to Make a Birthday Gift for a Friend with Your Own Hands. Ideas

To please and surprise your friend on her birthday, it is important to choose a gift that is original and unique in its kind. A beautiful handmade product is a great idea for a surprise that emphasizes the value of friendship.

Gifts by age categories

A gift for a friend on her birthday, ideas and their implementation should depend on the age of the birthday girl. Also, do not forget about the individual preferences of the birthday girl.

Gifts for girlfriends 11-12 years old

Girls aged 11-12 will appreciate toys, gadget accessories, hair ornaments, costume jewelry, and things for the interior of their room as gifts.

If you have sewing or crochet skills, you can make a soft toy, pillow or mobile phone case. Girls of this age will be interested in an exclusive notebook or personal diary in scrapbooking, vintage or shabby chic. If you want to give a friend a photo, you can put it in a frame or one of the pages of a mini-album made with your own hands.

You can congratulate your friend in an original way by giving her a jar with notes.

To make it you will need:

• glass or metal jar;
• sheets of paper of different colors;
• gel pen;
• decorative elements (colored paper, ribbons, glitter, rhinestones).

Master class:

1. Decorate the jar with shapes made of colored paper, ribbons, rhinestones or other materials. It is necessary to make an inscription on the jar that will inform about the theme of the notes.
2. Make notes on the sheets of paper. You can come up with any topic for the notes, such as “reasons for our friendship,” “your best qualities,” “our bright memories,” “reasons for joy.”
3. Place the notes in the jar.

Sweets can be given as a gift: homemade pastries, marshmallows or candies. If you want to give store-bought candies, you can make a composition out of them beforehand: a bouquet, a car, a laptop, a teddy bear or a bunny.

What to give a girlfriend 15-16 years old

Girls aged 15-16 will enjoy gifts related to beauty, fashion, home design, their interests and hobbies.

The following handmade items can be gift ideas:

Gift categories	Products
Natural cosmetics	At home, you can make soap, shampoo, scrub, cream, lipstick or perfume from natural ingredients.
Decorations	You can make earrings, beads, necklaces, bracelets using decoupage, beading, embroidery techniques. Your imagination will help you make original jewelry from natural materials, beads, fabric
Clothing and accessories	If you have sewing or knitting skills, you can create things for your friend such as a hat, scarf, mittens, apron, potholders. The birthday girl will be pleased with a handbag, cosmetic bag, phone case, keychain
Things for home	Photo frames, paintings, appliques, candles, candlesticks, topiary, postcards, stands for stationery, phones
Sweets	If you want to give your friend candies, you can make a bouquet or cake out of them. The birthday girl will be pleased to enjoy a cake, pastries, cookies or homemade candies

Orange scented candle

Orange peels can be used to make a candle that releases essential oils when burned.

To make a citrus candle you will need:

• orange;
• wax or paraffin;
• orange essential oil;
• wick;
• clove sticks;
• knife;
• spoon;
• steam bath utensils;
• toothpicks.

Master class:

• Cut off the top of the orange (1/3 part).
• Using a knife or spoon, scoop the pulp out of the peel.
• Melt finely chopped pieces of wax or paraffin in a water bath, adding a few drops of orange essential oil to the container. To give the future candle an "orange" color, you can add pieces of orange wax crayon to the melted mass.

• The wick should be placed in the center of the orange peel candlestick. It can be installed using toothpick supports. Alternatively, the wick can be tied perpendicular to the skewer lying on top of the candlestick.
• Fill the candlestick with a wick with melted wax and wait until it hardens completely.
• Decorate the top of the candle by sticking cloves into the orange peel.

You can use lemon or grapefruit peel as a candle holder. To make a citrus candle even more unusual, you can change the color of its flame.

To do this, you need to soak the wick in the following chemical solutions in advance:

• A white flame can be obtained using magnesium sulfate;
• Lithium chloride will give the crimson color;
• blue – calcium chloride;
• The blue-green flame is the result of using copper chloride.

Cup of coffee beans

This cup is not used for its intended purpose, but serves as a decorative ornament for the kitchen, dining room or living room.

To make this craft you will need:

• large cup;
• coffee beans;
• cotton pads;
• twine;
• brown paint;
• glue gun.

Master class:

1. Using a glue gun, cover the entire outer surface of the cup, except for the bottom, with cotton pads.
2. Wrap the cup with twine.
3. Paint the surface with disks and threads brown. Wait until dry.
4. Glue coffee beans to the painted cup in 2 layers to hide the gaps.

The craft can be decorated with lace, organza or other materials.

Apron

Using a pattern, it’s easy to sew an apron for a friend.

To sew an apron you will need:

• fabric (ironed);
• product pattern;
• measuring tape;
• scissors;
• threads;
• chalk;
• sewing machine.

Master class:

1. Make an apron pattern. You need to draw an apron on paper, then take measurements. Using a centimeter, you should measure the desired length and width of the top and bottom of the apron, the half-girth of the waist and the length of the ties. Then you need to make patterns for the product parts: bib, apron, pocket, ties.
2. Cut out the apron pieces. You need to apply the patterns to the fabric and outline the outlines of the patterns with chalk, then draw allowances for hems and seams. After that, you should start cutting.
3. Sew the cut out large parts of the apron. Before this, you need to bend the edges to the width of the allowance and iron them.
4. Make ties for the neck and belt. They should be sewn from the wrong side, then turned inside out and ironed.
5. Sew neck ties to bib.
6. Connect the bib and apron. You should stitch the 2 pieces together with one seam, making several folds on the bottom, and then sew a long belt to the apron.

You can use the following apron patterns in your work.

DIY Jewelry

A gift for a friend's birthday, the ideas of which are related to jewelry, will be appropriate and easy to make.

You can make an original accessory with your own hands that will help you successfully transform a business suit into an evening outfit.

To make a collar necklace you will need the following tools and materials:

• large beads with a flat base;
• paper;
• felt, felt or other thick fabric;
• chain with screw clasp at the ends;
• pencil;
• scissors;
• needle and thread;
• glue.

Master class:

1. Draw a collar template on paper.
2. Transfer the template to thick fabric, then cut out the parts.
3. Using a needle and thread, attach the chain to the two collar pieces into a single structure.
4. Glue the beads to the collar. You can make a necklace from beads of one color, or you can come up with a pattern from beads or stones of several colors and sizes.

Coffee craft

Among the wide variety of coffee crafts, a coffee topiary, also called the “Tree of Happiness,” is especially suitable for a birthday gift.

To make a topiary you will need:

• coffee beans;
• foam ball with a diameter of 10 cm;
• plastic pipe 30 cm long and 14 mm in diameter;
• plastic flowerpot;
• organza and satin ribbons;
• double sided tape;
• glue gun;
• alabaster;
• utensils for mixing alabaster mass;
• scissors.

Master class:

1. Using a hot glue gun, glue coffee beans onto the ball-blank in 2 layers. The first layer should be glued with the flat side to the ball, and the second with the flat side to the top. The beans should be placed close to each other.
2. Cover the pipe with tape, leaving 2 cm from both ends. Then wrap the pipe with satin ribbon.
3. Make alabaster mass. It is necessary to pour so much water into the flowerpot that 3-4 cm remain to the edge. Then pour the water from the flowerpot into another container. It is necessary to add alabaster to the water in small doses, stirring the mass. The mixture should have a thickness similar to sour cream.
4. Place the alabaster mass into the flowerpot and insert the stem into the center of the flowerpot.
5. Glue coffee beans to the hardened alabaster. Lay out 2 layers of beans in the same way as you did for the ball.
6. Using a glue gun, attach the crown balloon to the top of the tube.
7. Decorate the topiary with organza ribbon, tying a bow on the tube under the base of the ball.

Ship of money

A gift for a friend's birthday can also be in the form of money. But it should not be presented in a banal way. Among the interesting ideas for such gifts is a ship made of money.

To make it you will need the following tools and materials:

• banknotes – 9 pcs.;
• coins;
• cocktail straws;
• jute twine;
• thick cardboard;
• wooden skewers;
• scotch;
• glue gun.

Master class:

• Wrap the tube tightly with twine, bending it at the folds by 30 degrees. Repeat the action with 14 tubes.
• Make the sides of the ship. To do this, glue the tubes together along the entire length: 7 pieces for each side.
• Make the bow and stern of the ship. You need to cut off a part of the tube so that its height is equal to the height of the sides. Then you should wrap it with twine and glue it to the sides as the bow of the ship.
• Make the stern. You need to cut the tubes into pieces. Their length should be equal to the distance between the sides. You should wrap 7 parts with twine and glue them together with a glue gun. This structure will be the back of the ship, which needs to be attached to the sides.

• Make the bottom. You need to attach the ship blank (sides with the stern and bow) to the cardboard and trace the structure along the contour. Then you should cut out the bottom and glue its sides with twine.
• Make 3 masts. You need to pierce a tube with a skewer and pull half of it through the hole. In the same tube, you should pierce 3 more skewers at equal intervals. You need to do the same with the other two tubes. All the masts should also be wrapped with twine and attached to the bottom of the ship.
• The bottom of the ship can be filled with real or chocolate coins up to the edges of the sides. And bills should be carefully attached to the protrusions on the masts using scotch tape, bending them into the shape of sails.

Heart of shells

To make a heart from shells you will need:

• shells of different sizes and shapes;
• cardboard;
• white sisal;
• sackcloth;
• rope;
• glue gun;
• scissors;
• awl;
• pencil;
• decorative elements – starfish, beads, seed beads.

Master class:

1. Make a cardboard heart template. Draw a heart of the desired size on the cardboard and cut it out. Then, using an awl, make 2 holes in the top of the template for hanging.
2. The back side of the blank is covered with burlap, also in the shape of a heart, but 1 cm larger than the cardboard. Holes should be made in the burlap for hanging and a rope loop should be inserted into them, tying knots on the front side.
3. Cover the front side of the workpiece with sisal.
4. Glue the shells to the sisal side, placing them tightly between each other. You can additionally decorate the craft with a starfish, beads, and glue the edge of the heart with twine.

Ribbon and Bead Bracelet

This decoration looks beautiful, and its production does not require much time or large financial costs.

To make a bracelet you will need:

• ribbon;
• beads;
• needle;
• fishing line.

Master class:

1. Step back 13 cm from the edge of the tape and thread the needle with the fishing line through it.
2. Sew beads onto the ribbon, threading the needle through it at equal intervals (1.3 – 2 cm).
3. After sewing on the beads, tighten the fishing line with the ribbon. You should secure the fishing line by carefully setting it on fire. Then you need to make knots on both sides of the bracelet and tie the ends of the ribbon with a beautiful bow.

Salt Dough Pendant

For a gift, you can make pendants from salt dough in the shape of a heart, flowers, angels, numbers, or initial letters.

To make a pendant you will need:

• water;
• flour;
• salt;
• PVA glue;
• gouache paints;
• brush;
• rolling pin;
• knife;
• rope or tape.

Master class:

1. Make salted dough. Mix 2 cups of flour with a cup of salt, 0.5 cups of warm water and 1 tbsp. of PVA glue, which should be diluted in water beforehand. Knead the dough thoroughly.
2. Divide the dough into parts and paint them in the desired colors, adding gouache. You should thoroughly knead the dough with paint. You can make a craft from unpainted dough, and then paint the finished product.
3. Roll out the dough and use a knife to cut out the base of the pendant of the desired shape. Make a hole in the base to hang the ribbon. You can use a cocktail straw for this work.
4. The base can be supplemented with other elements. For example, flowers, inscriptions, geometric figures. To do this, you need to mold additional elements from white or colored dough and place them on the base. Give the products time to dry completely.
5. Cover the finished pendant with varnish, you can also sprinkle it with glitter. After drying, you need to attach the braid to the craft.

Bouquet of sweets

A gift for a friend's birthday, the ideas of which are related to sweets or flowers, can be presented in an unusual form. It is worth combining two options in one surprise.

To create a bouquet of candy roses, you will need the following tools and materials:

• corrugated paper of green and white colors;
• round shaped candies;
• wooden skewers;
• green tape;
• threads;
• double sided tape;
• sisal;
• basket;
• scissors.

Master class:

1. Make the lower petals of the rose. You need to cut out 3 rectangles from white paper with sides of 7 and 5 cm. They should stretch in width. The rectangles need to be folded in half lengthwise and rounded at the top with scissors.
2. Attach the candy to the petals. You should stretch the middle of the paper rectangle and put the candy in it, attaching a skewer to the wrapper tails. Then you need to use a thread to pull the petal with the skewer and similarly attach 2 more petals to the candy bud.
3. Make the middle petals of the flower. In the same way as the lower petals, you need to cut out 2 upper petals, but with sides of 7x7 cm. The upper edge of the pink petals should be curled using a skewer or pencil.
4. Using a thread, attach the upper petals to the bud.
5. Cut out the lower petals. You will need 2 rectangles measuring 7x6 cm. Their upper edge should be rounded with scissors, without folding the rectangles in half. As in the previous step, it is necessary to stretch the middle and twist the upper edge.
6. Attach the top petals to the rose bud.
7. Make a sepal of a flower. You should cut a rectangle from green paper with sides of 4 and 5 cm so that it stretches in width. Then you need to cut out several triangles from one side of the rectangle to give the detail the shape of a flower sepal.
8. Decorate the stem of the flower. The base of the rose should be wrapped with tape and the sepal attached to it. Using tape, wrap the skewer along its entire length.
9. Form a bouquet. To create a beautiful composition, you need to make the desired number of flowers and place them in a basket filled with sisal.

Candy Cake

The process of making a candy cake does not require culinary skills, but the creation turns out delicious and original.

To make a candy cake, you will need:

• polystyrene foam;
• crepe paper;
• candies;
• double sided tape;
• PVA glue.

Master class:

1. Make a cake base. You need to cut a round or square cake base out of foam. The height of the piece should depend on the size of the candies. The foam should be covered with paper, the color of which should match the tone of the candy wrappers.
2. Attach the candies to the blank. The cake will look neater if you tightly twist the ends of the candy wrappers. Using double-sided tape, attach the candies to the side surface of the base. Then tie the base with candies with a satin ribbon. This will additionally strengthen the tier and give the composition a festive look.
3. Make the top tiers. If desired, you can make one or more tiers of the cake. Each subsequent tier diameter should be smaller than the previous one.
4. Decorate the cake with ribbons, bows, fresh or artificial flowers.

Homemade soap

You can make natural soap using the following recipe.

To do this you will need:

• 120 g soap base or baby soap;
• 2-3 tsp olive oil (avocado, clove, coconut or cedar);
• 3 drops of vitamin E;
• 5 drops of any essential oil;
• herbal chamomile decoction;
• water bath utensils;
• silicone mold.

Master class:

1. Heat the ingredients in a water bath. To do this, grate the soap base or baby soap and place the mixture in a saucepan. Then add the base oils. When the mixture becomes homogeneous, add the herbal decoction and a few drops of vitamin E. Cook the soap mass for 20 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the soap blank from the heat and finish cooking. When the soap has the consistency of thick sour cream, remove it from the heat and add essential oil. You can give the soap a scrubbing effect by adding flax seeds, ground coffee, dried herbs, and also color it with food coloring.
3. Pour the soap into the molds and put them in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Before pouring, you can grease the molds with any oil.
4. Remove the soap from the molds and dry it. If the soap is difficult to remove from the molds, you can dip them in hot water for a few seconds.

DIY Photo Frame

A birthday gift for a friend, ideas for which are connected with pleasant moments of friendship, can be made in the form of a bright memorable photo in a frame made by hand.

To make a frame you will need:

• thick cardboard;
• textile;
• pencil;
• synthetic padding;
• ruler;
• stationery knife;
• glue gun.

Master class:

• Make a cardboard base. It is necessary to draw a frame base on thick cardboard with the outer side measuring 14x18 cm and the inner side measuring 8x12 cm. Cut the frame out of cardboard using a stationery knife.
• Cut a square of fabric with sides 3 cm larger than the frame.
• Cover the frame with fabric. Apply glue to the cardboard base and press it to the fabric, lying face down. Use scissors to cut out the inner square on the fabric, leaving 2 cm for folding. Fold the inner edges of the fabric and glue them to the base.
• Fill the frame with padding polyester. The space under the fabric of the front side of the frame must be filled with padding polyester, then folded and glued to the outer edges.

• Decorate the frame. You can decorate the frame with embroidery, buttons, beads, beads, ribbons, glitter.
• Insert the photo into the frame. It needs to be glued or simply attached to a thick cardboard base, which should then be attached to the frame using glue or double-sided tape.

Hand-made postcard

To make a holiday card with balloons you will need:

• a sheet of blue cardboard;
• a sheet of white paper;
• buttons of different colors;
• threads;
• glue gun;
• gel pens.

Master class:

• Make a cardboard base for the card. Cut out a rectangle measuring 18x24 cm from blue cardboard and fold it in half.

• Decorate the front side of the card. Attach a picture of balloons to the cardboard, which will act as buttons. They need to be glued to the cardboard using a glue gun. You should get a large knit of balloons of different colors. Then glue threads to the balloons and tie their lower ends with a bow.
• Decorate the inside of the card. To do this, cut out clouds from white paper (1 large and several small ones) and glue them to the inside sheets. You can write wishes for the birthday girl on the clouds. You can also add several button balls to the inside spread.

Making gifts for a friend with your own hands is pleasant and exciting. You can bring to life a variety of ideas, taking into account what the birthday girl likes and is interested in. And the sincere joy of a friend on her birthday will be the best gratitude.

Author: Inna Chaplich

Article formatting:Natalie Podolskaya

Video about DIY gifts

How to make a DIY birthday gift for your girlfriend - video instructions: