Somewhere between a five-week strike, rescheduled midterms and delayed finals, Christmas is sneaking up on all of us. 

Christmas is expensive. Christmas on a student budget can be one of the most daunting events of the year. There’s the pressure to impress the in-laws, friends you want to make feel appreciated, and siblings who will never let you live it down if their gift isn’t perfect.

So just how do you find the perfect gift for everyone without adding onto your student debt? Turn to the DIY pages.

Paint Chip Magnets: 
These make the perfect gift for anybody interested in graphic design, art, or somebody with a quirky sense of style. My personal favourite paint chips (and the ones featured in the how-to) are the coveted Pantone colours— they’ll mean something to anybody in the industry, and have a certain amount of brand status recognition— but they’re expensive to get if you don’t have a friend you can bum some off of. Alternatively, the chips you can get [for free] from the paint section of Home Depot can be just as fun— some of them have really funny names. 

Check out the full tutorial from How About Orange here: https://howaboutorange.blogspot.ca/2011/03/diy-pantone-chip-magnets.html

Dinosaur Keychains:

Who doesn't love some good Pinterest inspiration? No direct tutorial for these, but they really couldn't be too much easier than they already are.

Hit up the toy aisle at the dollar store and grab a pack of plastic dinosaur toys, then make your way over to the craft aisle and choose a couple fun colours of acrylic paint, and loop-head screws from the hardware section. A couple coats of paint finished with a coat of the same glaze you used for the paint chip magnets are all it takes. Screw the loop into the top, add a split ring, and you’ve got the coolest keychain on the block.

Hot Cocoa Tubes: 

Glass test tubes layered with hot chocolate powder, mini marshmallows, and crushed candy canes. Pop in the cork, and print out an instruction tag-- there's no limit to the flavour combinations.

The Crafted Life has a great tutorial for inspiration here: http://thecraftedlife.com/diy-hot-cocoa-party-favors/

Bracelets:

There is no female out there who doesn't appreciate a fun piece of jewellery that she'll be able to wear with everything. 

Michael's regularly has sales on their glass and/or semiprecious beads, and if the ones you fancy aren't on a promo when you need them don't forget that Michael's always has a 40% off one regular priced item coupon that you can download from their website!

Some elastic chord and a small charm (optional) are the only other things you need to make this gift for all the special ladies on your list. Why not make a set that they can stack?

There's still a few weeks until the big day, and a little DIY time can be a great way to unwind-- pour a glass of wine, throw on a few episodes of your favourite show on Netlix.

Don't just dream of a DIY Christmas, Do it Your Own Competent Self.

Growing up, Lynette told everybody who would ask that one day she was going to be either a Rock Star or a Writer. She writes a little bit of everything from song lyrics to creative nonfiction, and can usually be found with a guitar or pen in her hand. She’s still working on the Rock Star thing, but at least becoming a writer has actual job postings.