For Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, you’ll have females and males of all ages covered. But what if some of the DIY gifts mentioned have ingredients which someone is allergic to?!  Never fret, as this part of the series covers four cute DIY gifts for the home that most people will love!

Scented Goodies

1.  Replace Mothballs with Herb Sachets

Materials:

Organza cloth / sheer cloth
Herbs: Lavender, tansy, rosemary, cloves, lemon verbena, rose petals (note: tansy is essential as it has been used for centuries as an insect repellent and insecticide).
Essential Oils: Cinnamon, patchouli
Sewing Kit
Ribbon

Directions:

Create little bags by cutting the organza cloth into squares, and sewing three sides shut. Fill the bag with herbs, and a few drops of essential oil – note: tansy must be included as it repels most moth types. Sew the open side shut, and edge the entire bag with ribbon. Do a couple of these and tie them together with a piece of ribbon (the same as you’ve edged the bags with, or pick another colour) for a cute and scented gift. Optionally you find use other fabric and place your herb sachet into it – ensure you sew the ‘pillow’ shut.

Use: Place the herb sachet into your clothing draws, linen cupboard, or even into cushions.

2.  A Scent Diffuser

This is a cute scented gift which works wonderfully in a bathroom, lounge, or bedroom.

Materials:
Skewer sticks (or reeds if you can find them)
Tapered glass or porcelain jar
Cork which fits top of jar
Vodka
Jojoba or Almond Carrier oil
Essential oil of your choice (rose, lemon, lavender, neroli, ylang-ylang, etc)

Directions:

Ensure your cork can seal the mouth of the jar. Create a hole through the centre of the cork, with enough of a space to fit several skewers into this opening. Don’t forget to cut the pointy tip off of the skewer. Mix a ¼ cup of carrier oil with 2 teaspoons of vodka and mix well. Then add a dozen drops of essential oil to this mixture, and stir together. Add the fragrant mixture to the jar, insert cork and six skewer sticks. Decorate the jar as you please, with fabric scraps, paint, or beads.

Use: Every few days, flip the skewer sticks around to refresh the room fragrance. Continue this process until the mixture is used up. To create a new scent, just follow the above process again. It works out a lot cheaper than a store-bought one.

Useful Items:

3.  Pretty Peg Magnets

After many years of use, those wooden pegs of yours are likely being traded in for chicer plastic models which don’t stain your clothes when it rains. Instead of throwing out the wooden ones, revamp them into cute picture holders for fridges.

Materials:

Four or five wooden pegs
Pretty fabric
Magnets
Super Glue

Directions:

Cut the fabric into strips and glue these onto one side of the peg. Ensure you don’t place fabric over the part where the metal juts out the side. Glue the magnets onto the other side of the peg. Place in a small bag or box, with a ribbon on top.

Use: Place the magnetic side of the peg onto the fridge. Take a photo and gently clip the top of it with the peg. The picture will stay up, and look cute to boot.

4.  Rope Bowls

If you have some old rope lying around at home, gather it together and turn it into a pretty bowl to give to someone – adding potpourri to the bowl is optional.

Materials:

Rope
Glass Bowl
Glue

Directions:

Start coiling the rope into a spiral shape, and fasten the pieces of coiled rope together with super glue (or use a glue gun), until you have a coiled base about as wide as your hand. Place a glass bowl over this completed section, and continue looping the rope around the outside of the bowl, gluing the rope areas together. Continue until you reach your desired bowl height. Glue the end of the rope onto the last coiled section, and you’re done. Remove the glass bowl and wash the outside thoroughly, to remove any glue traces.

Use: Gift the rope basket to someone with pre-filled ingredients such as fruits, potpourri, or fresh flowers.

Part 4 of this series will show you how to make some cute DIY Christmas Cards to accompany your gift. Let us know what other great DIY home gifts you’ve thought of.

Main image courtesy of chatirygirl (Flickr)