16 last minute DIY gifts

So you've waited until the last minute and you need one more gift! How about you just avoid the crowded malls and stores and make something on your own. We've put together a list of DIYs that you can create quickly and that are great for gifting! For starters, you can personalize a mug with Sharpies! You could draw anything, definitely don't have to stick to polka dots.

Stitch a cute heart applique onto a pair of gloves!

This scrub can be made with any essential oil/scent you'd like.

Hand-bound notebooks can be made in any size and thickness that you'd like!

Potato stamped cloth napkins.

Dreamcatcher!

Neon and metallic animal decorations.

This pouch is the perfect size for traveling.

Custom colored crayon lipstick, fun to say and fun to make!

A fancy bracelet.

Candles in many different ways and containers.

Ear cuffs and clip-on earrings.

A fun message board!

String feather necklace.

A simple clutch.

Hardware necklace!

Well, hopefully there are enough ideas here to help you check off that last name on your list! Happy Holiday DIYing!

xo, Savannah

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recipe: maple spiced marshmallows

We almost had a nervous breakdown when trying to decide what flavor to use in these marshmallows. We were going for something Holiday-ish so a lot of our favorites (like lavender) were ruled out very quickly. If you have never made marshmallows, you should know that they are super super easy to make. Well.... that is if you have access to a Kitchen-aid mixer or any automatic stand mixer. You are welcome to try to make some with a hand mixer but I have a feeling you will get tired of holding that thing after 12 minutes. We hope you enjoy!

Maple Spiced Marshmallows
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Water
- 3 Envelopes Gelatin, Unflavored
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 1/2 Tbs. Vanilla
- 1/2 Tbs. Maple Extract
- 1/8 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Powdered Sugar for dusting

Directions:
1. Attach the whisk to your mixer. Add 1/2 cup water and all of the gelatin and let it sit.
2. Mix the rest of the water, the corn syrup and the sugar together in a pot over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil for 1 minute.
3. Turn the mixer on low then slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the mixer.
4. Once you've poured all of the hot mixture, turn the mixer on high and leave it on for 12 minutes. The mixture will triple in size.
5. Turn the mixer off, add the vanilla, maple and pumpkin pie spice and then mix again for a minute to incorporate the flavors thoroughly.
6. Grease a 9"x11" pan and pour the mixture into the pan. Use a greased spatula to even it all out.
7. Grease a piece of foil or plastic and place it grease side down on the top of the marshmallow mixture.
8. Leave the marshmallows to set at room temperature for at least 3 hours. We let ours sit overnight.
9. Once they are set, grease a pizza cutter and slice the mixture into 1-inch squares.
10. Roll each piece in powdered sugar so the marshmallows don't stick to each other.
11. Eat. Your. Heart. Out.

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diy: last minute christmas ornaments

Christmas is right around the corner and the Christmas trees are taking their place in our homes. All those ornaments that we collected over the years are finding their place on the tree but sometimes we feel like there is something missing.

I felt like that so I created some last minute ornaments that wouldn’t cost me a fortune to make. Ready?

What you need:

-       Plain wooden stars (or green wooden stars)

-       Glitter

-       Glue

-       Scissors

-       String

-       Paint in dark green or red

Start out by painting both sides of the star. You can either cover both sides in the same color or decide to switch things up a bit and opt for one red side and one green side.

While the paint is still a little wet, take some glitter and sprinkle it on top of the star.

Now add a little something onto one side of the ornament. I decided to add a heart. Take a small piece of paper and cut out a heart shape and use this as your stencil for the glitter. Position the stencil on the wooden star and take some glue and spread it over the surface.

Get some glitter and sprinkle it on top of the glue area. Remove the stencil and check the edges. You might need to clean up the shape a little. Let it dry.

Now add a string to the wooden stars so you can hang it on the tree. Enjoy. And happy holiday everyone!

Contributor post by: Lisa

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diy: pouf zippy pouch

When I figured out how to make this pouch, I was pretty excited. I had been trying to recreate a pouch that Casey had and it took a few tries but I got it! It's so simple, it blows my mind. If this is your first time sewing something, it may not be as exciting for you but, I will try to explain it as best I can!

First off, you will need:
- Felt (Just a standard 9"x12" piece that you can purchase at a craft store)
- A piece of fabric cut to the same size
- 14" Zipper
- Bias tape
- Thread
- Pins
- Scissors
- Sewing Machine

Lay your fabric down face up. Lay the zipper face down on the top edge (the 9" smaller side). Lay the felt face down on top of the zipper. Pin the edges together.

Sew it all together along the edge.

Fold the fabrics down and iron the edge down exposing the zipper.

Sew along the edge to keep the edges from getting stuck in the zipper.

Fold the fabric on top of it self and line the opposite edge up with the other side of the zipper. Do the same with the felt on the back side.

Sew along the edge.

Unzip the zipper so you can iron the edges again around the zipper. Sew the edges down.

Zip up the zipper and turn everything inside out.

Now you will fold the sides into itself. Take the folded edges and fold the inward toward the zipper.

From the side it should look like this. Pin it down on both sides.

Cut a 2 inch piece of bias tape and fold it in half.

Slide it on top of the zipper and into the folded mess. It should be parallel to the zipper and directly on top of it. The raw edges of bias tape should line up with the other edges.

Sew the edges all together. Make sure you unzip the zipper a little so you don't sew it up on the outside of the pouch. Trim the edges so they are all even.

Sew bias tape around the edges to make them look finished.

Turn the pouch inside out.

And it should look something like this.

The shape may not look like this right when you turn it inside out. You'll need to adjust it a little on the inside. The bias taped edges should sit straight on the inside. If you look inside the pouch in the picture, you may be able to see what I mean.

These would be perfect to make for a last minute gift! You can also purchase these pouches and larger versions in our Etsy shop!

xo, Savannah

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custom shirts with zazzle

So Zazzle approached us about making custom shirts and we thought, "why the heck not?!" We spent forever thinking of something to put on shirts and picking out shirts, and below is what we came up with. Honestly, I don't even remember what inspired this but we thought it was funny :) What's cool about Zazzle is that you custom design just about anything (shirts, mugs, bags, etc). You can purchase our shirts if you think they are as rocking as we do. We think these shirts would make an excellent gift for you & your bestie. If you're not feeling these guys, they have so many other great gift ideas. Go check 'em out! 

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diy: spike bracelet

It’s great to be back on Oh So Pretty for my second contributor post. At this time of year DIY gift tutorials come in really handy so I wanted to create something you guys could make and give to someone you love, easily and within a budget. I’ve taken the wrap bracelets that were super popular this summer and given them a winter twist using sew on studs.

I hope you enjoy this post, and if you need a little more help getting your gifts together Oh So Pretty have this excellent shopping guide and you can also check out more of my holiday gift DIY posts here.

Instructions:

1. Measure a length of rope around your wrist a couple of times, then take off about an inch.

2. Choose three out of your four embroidery threads and cut off around two meters of each. Tie these onto your rope.

3. Begin to wrap one of the threads around both the rope and the other embroidery threads. There’s no rule here to how long you should make the color block, but I think it’s nice to keep the sections random.

4. Once you want to change color take another embroidery thread and just like before wrap around the rope and other two threads. Continue to do this until you’ve covered the length of rope and tie all the threads to the end.

5. Using strong glue, secure the rope ends into your bell cap ends and attach a clasp and extension chain onto either side.

6. Take your last piece of embroidery thread and tie it onto one end. begin to wrap around the cord bracelet leaving some distance between each wrap. after three or four times around thread on a stud keeping the tension tight. Repeat this step until you reach the end.

7. Tie the thread onto the other end of the bracelet securely. Use a dab of glue to add extra strength and once dry cut off any excess.

Perfect! So easy once you’ve done one for your bezzie you can make another for yourself! Hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and I’ll be back with more tutorials in the New Year. Fran x

Contributor Post by: Fran

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