3 Thoughtful Gifts Under $20

When deciding on the perfect gift, there’s a lot more that goes into it besides price. Anyone can buy a present at the store, but homemade gifts can be a lot more meaningful to the recipient. This holiday season, consider giving your friends and family a gift that really shows you care—all for under $20!

Container Candle

You’ve probably seen $10 candles at a shop before and mused, “I bet I can make this.” Well, you can! Not only is it cost-effective, but it also makes for a great gift. Here are the basic steps to creating your own candle:

• Melt the wax
• Adhere the wick to the container
• Add your fragrance of choice and dye
• Cool wax, pour into container
• Ensure the wick stays upright, trim any excess after cooling
• Enjoy your candle!

There are endless possibilities between fragrances and dyes, so choose the right combination for your special someone.

Fridge Magnet

Magnets are seen every time you open the refrigerator. This provides a great opportunity to remind friends and family how much you care each time they scrounge for food. There’s no great secret to magnet making; you just need a magnet, hot glue and creativity. Making a magnet involves the following steps:

• Create a design (drawn, painted, or printed) on a piece of card stock
• Hot glue the design to a small magnet

Given the ease of this gift, the real sentiment comes from the design. Think of something meaningful to include like a group photo, a drawing of a pet or a magazine clipping of their favorite celebrity.

Custom Picture Frame

They say that the picture frame is sometimes as important as the picture it holds, if not more important. That will certainly be the case if you make a custom picture frame. Like the magnet, the hardest part of this gift is figuring out how to decorate it. Think of a picture that you want to add and what elements would complement it well. For instance, if you want to use a group photo in the woods, perhaps paint some trees or etch the location of where the picture was taken into the frame.

There’s no real direction for this gift, as it all comes down to how you want it to look. You can hot glue tiles to the sides, paint scenery, inscribe a message or even carve designs. Most importantly, after finalizing the design, make sure to include a meaningful photo so there’s a reason to use the frame!