Coworkers are the hardest people to buy for at Christmas. A handmade gift shows you thought about the person, costs very little in supplies, and most of the ideas below can be made in one evening, in a batch, for the whole team.
These 20 easy DIY Christmas gifts for coworkers are non-food gifts for adults and office life, things to use at a desk or at home after work, plus two ornaments for a tree. Every idea comes from a maker who has made it and written up the steps, with credit and a link to that maker’s own tutorial after each idea. If you want a food gift to go with one of these, these edible Christmas gifts are the food version of the same idea.
1. Poured soy candles in small jars
Soy wax, a wick, and a small heatproof jar are most of this project. Wax is melted in a jug over simmering water, heated to 185 degrees F, fragrance is stirred in for two minutes, and the wax cools to 135 degrees before pouring. Do not burn the candles until about two weeks after pouring, so make these early. Fabric, ribbon, and a tag finish each jar.
Idea and tutorial: The Baker Chick. Needs: soy wax flakes, fragrance drops, wicks, small jars, a candy thermometer, a heatproof jug.
2. Rolled beeswax taper candles
No hot wax at all. A sheet of beeswax is warmed with hands or a hair dryer until it bends without cracking, a cotton wick is pressed along one edge, and the sheet is rolled tightly into a taper. Small pieces of modelling wax pressed on as dots or flowers decorate each candle.
Idea and tutorial: Fox Farm Home. Needs: beeswax sheets, cotton wick, scissors, a hair dryer, modelling wax for decorating.
3. Wood-burned wood slice ornaments
Buy the wood slices pre-cut and dried and this stays a beginner project. A printed design is traced onto the slice with transfer paper, then followed with a wood burning tool. Drill a small hole at the top, thread ribbon through, and tie a knot. The same slices can be painted or stencilled instead.
Idea and tutorial: DIY Candy. Needs: wood slices, a wood burning tool, transfer paper, a pen, ribbon, a drill with a small bit.
4. Embroidered felt hoop ornament
A three-inch embroidery hoop, felt, and simple back stitch are the whole project. The free “let it snow” pattern is transferred onto felt held in the hoop, stitched in embroidery floss, washed if a stick-on transfer sheet was used, and put back in the hoop with the edges glued down at the back.
Idea and tutorial: Stephanie at Swoodson Says, via Fleece Fun. Needs: a 3-inch embroidery hoop, felt, embroidery floss and needle, a pattern transfer sheet, a glue gun, snowflake trim.
5. Jingle bell wood bead garland
Stringing is the whole job here, which makes this a good batch project. Baker’s twine is folded in half for strength and threaded through a large-eye needle, then wooden beads in mixed sizes and jingle bells are strung in a repeating pattern of four beads and one bell. Ribbon tassels made from folded Christmas ribbon are tied to each end.
Idea and tutorial: Average Inspired. Needs: wooden beads in mixed sizes, jingle bells, baker’s twine, a large-eye needle, Christmas ribbon, scissors.
6. Decoupage tile coasters
Four-inch ceramic tiles become a set of coasters with paper, napkins, wallpaper samples, or fabric. The paper is cut to fit, brushed onto the tile with Mod Podge, sealed with several more coats, and left overnight before a light coat of acrylic spray. Cork glued to the back stops the tile scratching a desk.
Idea and tutorial: Noreen Doll at Crafty Journal. Needs: 4-inch ceramic tiles, paper or fabric, Mod Podge, a brush, scissors, cork, E6000 glue, acrylic spray.
7. Painted terracotta pot with a succulent
Spray primer, then one or two coats of colour, then painter’s tape to block off a contrasting band or colour-blocked top. A clear coat on top stops the paint chipping when the pot is watered. Plant a succulent or a small cactus.
Idea and tutorial: Triple Max Tons. Needs: terracotta pots, spray primer, spray paint in two colours, painter’s tape, clear coat, a succulent or small cactus, potting soil.
8. Washi tape mason jar pen holder
A pint mason jar, painted with chalk paint, becomes a pen holder once it is covered in postage-stamp washi tape. Three coats of paint with full drying time between coats matter most, since a rushed second coat pulls the first one away. Heat from a hair dryer or a matte clear coat helps the tape stay put.
Idea and tutorial: Bellewood Cottage. Needs: a smooth pint mason jar, chalk paint, postage-stamp washi tape, a hair dryer, matte clear coat.
9. Fabric-covered notebook
A plain composition notebook gets a new cover with fusible web and cotton fabric, no sewing machine needed. Fabric cut about two inches larger than the open book is fused to the outside, folded to the inside at the spine and edges, and finished with a lining fabric that hides the raw edges. Scraps of pre-fused fabric become flowers or initials pressed onto the front.
Idea and tutorial: Lynn Woll at Create Whimsy. Needs: a composition notebook, cotton fabric, lining fabric, double-sided fusible web, an iron, scissors, fabric scraps.
10. Leather bookmark with a tassel
Cut a firm leather or faux leather scrap to the width of a ribbon crimp, crimp one end with pliers, and join a tassel with a jump ring. That is the whole project, and it takes minutes. A longer strip with a crimp and tassel at each end runs through the whole book and marks two places at once.
Idea and tutorial: Menucha at Moms and Crafters. Needs: leather or faux leather scraps, scissors or a knife, a ruler, ribbon crimps, chain-nose pliers, tassels, jump rings.
11. Leather tassel keychain with a pom-pom
A four-inch square of leather is cut into narrow strips, leaving half an inch uncut at the top, glued, and rolled into a tassel. A yarn pom-pom made by wrapping yarn round a fork about fifty times is joined to the tassel with jump rings and a short yarn braid. The result clips to keys or a bag.
Idea and tutorial: Lisa Favre at 5 Minutes for Mom. Needs: a 4-inch square of leather or faux leather, scissors, a glue gun, yarn, a fork, pliers, jump rings.
12. Clay ring dish with pressed flowers
Air dry clay rolled to about an eighth of an inch thick, cut into a circle, and left to dry for two to three days in a shallow bowl makes a small dish for rings and earrings. Gold paint on the rim and underside, and pressed flowers fixed inside with Mod Podge and sealed with a top coat, give it a finished look.
Idea and tutorial: First Day of Home. Needs: air dry clay, a rolling pin or glass jar, a round cutter, a small bowl, sandpaper, pressed flowers, Mod Podge, gold acrylic paint.
13. Lavender sachets from fabric scraps
Two six-and-a-half-inch squares of fabric, sewn right sides together with a three-inch opening left on one side, turned out, topstitched, filled with about a third of a cup of dried lavender, and sewn shut. The tutorial made four sachets in about ninety minutes from cutting to wrapping.
Idea and tutorial: Liz Johnson at Sew4Home. Needs: fabric scraps, thread, a sewing machine, dried lavender, a spoon, an iron, scissors.
14. Bath salts in small mason jars
One cup of Epsom salts, one tablespoon of baking soda, and four drops of essential oil make three small four-ounce jars. Orange oil is the version in the tutorial, with lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus suggested as swaps. Mix the salts and oil well, spoon into jars, and add a printed tag under the lid band.
Idea and tutorial: Angie Holden at The Country Chic Cottage. Needs: Epsom salts, baking soda, essential oil, small mason jars, cardstock, a printer, scissors.
15. Three-ingredient sugar scrub
Sugar, coconut oil, and essential oil, mixed to the texture of fluffy wet sand. The ratio in the tutorial is four to five parts sugar to one part coconut oil, with about twenty drops of essential oil per nine-ounce jar. Spoon it into a clean jar, wipe the rim, and add a simple label. Keep water out of the jar when it is used.
Idea and tutorial: Room for Tuesday. Needs: raw cane sugar, coconut oil, essential oils, glass jars, labels.
16. Melt-and-pour soap bars
Melt-and-pour soap skips the long cure and the lye handling of cold-process soap. Cubes of soap base are melted in short bursts in the microwave, then colour, scent, and extras such as oats or vanilla bean specks are stirred in and the mix is poured into a mould. Spraying the tops with rubbing alcohol pops the bubbles.
Idea and tutorial: Honey and Birch. Needs: melt-and-pour soap base, a soap mould, a microwavable jug, colourants, scent, oats or vanilla bean specks, rubbing alcohol, scrapbook paper.
17. Mini lotion bars
Beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil, melted together in a double boiler, scented with lavender oil, and poured into a silicone mould. The bars soften with body heat and rub onto dry hands, elbows, and cuticles. Mini bars made in a small-cavity mould are the gift version, and they set faster than full-size bars.
Idea and tutorial: Jill Nystul at One Good Thing by Jillee. Needs: beeswax, shea butter, coconut oil, lavender essential oil, a silicone mould, a double boiler.
18. Homemade lip balm tubes
One tablespoon of beeswax, one tablespoon of shea or cocoa butter, and a teaspoon and a half each of coconut oil and grapeseed or sunflower oil, melted in a jug set over simmering water. About fifteen drops of essential oil go in once the mix is off the heat. The mixture fills at least eight tubes.
Idea and tutorial: Julie at Dogwoods and Dandelions. Needs: beeswax, shea or cocoa butter, coconut oil, grapeseed or sunflower oil, essential oil, lip balm tubes, a jug, a saucepan, labels.
19. Bath bombs in a jar
Baking soda, citric acid, Epsom salt, and cornstarch whisked together, with melted coconut oil, water, colour, and eight to fifteen drops of essential oil added very slowly so the mix does not fizz early. Packed tightly into moulds, the bombs need at least eight hours or overnight to dry. One batch makes three or four large round bombs or twelve to fourteen smaller squares.
Idea and tutorial: Ann Kollegger at Crafts by Amanda. Needs: baking soda, citric acid, Epsom salt, cornstarch, coconut oil, essential oils, soap colouring, bath bomb moulds, a glass jar.
20. Aromatherapy shower steamers
The shower version of a bath bomb, for coworkers who never take baths. Baking soda and water are stirred to a wet-sand texture, essential oil is mixed in, and the mix is scooped into a greased mini muffin tin or silicone ice cube tray and left overnight. Eucalyptus and bergamot are the two versions in the tutorial.
Idea and tutorial: Patti Estep at Hearth and Vine. Needs: baking soda, water, essential oil, a mini muffin tin or silicone mould, oil for greasing, an airtight jar for storing.
Supplies to gather before you start
- Small glass jars, tins, and lip balm tubes, plus ribbon, twine, tags, and labels
- Soy wax flakes, beeswax sheets and pellets, wicks, and a candy thermometer
- Epsom salts, baking soda, citric acid, sugar, coconut oil, shea butter, and essential oils
- Mod Podge, acrylic and spray paint, brushes, and a glue gun
- Leather or faux leather scraps, felt, fabric scraps, wooden beads, and ribbon
- Air dry clay, ceramic tiles, terracotta pots, wood slices, and a small embroidery hoop
- A sewing machine, scissors, a rotary cutter, a large-eye needle, and a silicone mould
Tips for batch gift-making
Make the gifts that need curing or drying first. Poured soy candles need about two weeks before they are ready to burn, clay dishes need two to three days to dry, and bath bombs and shower steamers need overnight. The quick jobs, bookmarks, keychains, garlands, and sachets, can wait until the last weekend. Label everything with the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best easy DIY Christmas gifts for coworkers?
Gifts people can use at work or at home, made in a batch. The safest bets here are the tile coasters, the pen holder, the notebook, and the leather bookmark. Scented gifts suit people you know well, since fragrance and skin sensitivity vary a lot.
How far ahead should I start making coworker gifts?
Start three to four weeks ahead if poured candles or clay dishes are on the list, since candles need about two weeks after pouring and clay needs days to dry. Bath bombs, shower steamers, soap, and lotion bars need a night to set.
How do I keep DIY gifts cheap when I have a whole team to cover?
Pick one or two projects and make them in a batch, rather than making a different gift for each person. Lip balm, bath salts, sugar scrub, and soap all come from a small set of shared ingredients, so buying those once covers the whole team.
Are homemade bath and body gifts safe to give at work?
They are fine as long as the ingredients are listed and the scent is kept mild. Some people react to essential oils or fragrance, so a tag naming every ingredient lets the recipient decide. If you are unsure about someone, give them a non-scented gift from this list instead, such as the coasters or the bookmark.
What should I put on the gift tag?
Your name, what the gift is, and anything the recipient needs to know to use it. For candles, note that the candle should never be left burning unattended. For bath and body gifts, list the ingredients. For soap, scrub, and bath bombs, add a short use note.
Conclusion
Twenty gifts is more than one person needs, and that is the point. Choose the two or three that fit the people you work with, make them in a batch, and let the rest wait for next year. Start with the slow ones, candles and clay, and finish with the quick ones in the last week. If you want a handmade card to go with each gift, these DIY Christmas cards for kids use many of the same supplies, washi tape, ribbon, and paper scraps and adapt easily to an adult card.
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