Happy Happy Nester

Weekly Inspiration for Your Nest

  • About
    • Contact
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast/Brunch
    • Desserts
    • Dinners
    • Drinks
  • Crafts
  • Decor
  • Shop My Favorites
    • Fall Decor
    • Kitchen
    • Pillows
    • Holiday Decor
  • Boutique of the Week
  • Saturday Chitchat

Home » Crafts » Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas for Friends

Crafts

Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas for Friends

Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas for Friends are the best type of gifts. This book succulent planter is a fun DIY project that is perfect for the holidays. Make this wonderful succulent project for your friends and relatives. 

handmade holiday gift ideas

The juxtaposition of a book as a succulent container is what makes it such a wonderful and unique gift. Choose a pretty book cover to add even more cuteness to the project. 

Speaking of gifts, gift-giving is in my DNA. 

I always made gifts for neighbors and friends for the holidays. My mom always made her popular fruit cake, and she neatly wrapped in shiny tinfoil and then wrapped it with some pretty green or red ribbon like a package. I remember her friends waiting to greet us at their front doors. They laughed that they were looking forward to her bread and that they had coffee brewing for her. 

My mom was a generous person, and that rubbed off on me at a young age. 

handmade gift ideas for friends

Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas for Friends

I need to mention that my friends are joining me today with their handmade Christmas gifts too. 

Every year around this time, I love to bake a batch of homemade cookies, hot chocolate mix, or make a special gift like an arm knitted wreath. 

I recently stumbled upon this project of a book succulent planter and instantly fell in love with it. I had to make one or two!

You may have a few questions about this project. 

handmade holiday gift ideas for friends

What Type of Book?

It is best to use a thick hardback book. It is preferable to use a book with a thickness of more than two inches. The deeper the container you make with the book, the better it is for the plants. I feel that a paperback book may be too flimsy for this project. 

 

What Kind of Soil Should I Use?

It is best to use cactus soil when planting succulents. This cactus mix has the rocks that you need for good drainage. 

 

Can I Trim the Succulents Roots?

If you trim off a part of your succulent from your garden, let it sit out for a while, and it will produce roots. I bought a few of these online, and after a couple of days in the dry air, some little roots began to sprout. 

 

What Happens If the Succulent Stem is Too Long?

You totally can trim it to the length you need. I have been told that succulents are hearty, and if you let the newly cut stem dry and hardened, it likes that state.

 

Supplies:

Hardback Books

Succulents – I bought mine from this Etsy shop.

Cactus Soil

Red/White Bakers Twine

Plastic Container

Small Sheet of Plastic

Pencil

Razor

Moss (Use moss from your garden if you have some)

 

Directions for the succulent book planter:

handmade holiday gifts for friends

1. Pick a hardback book that is thick enough. Also, choose a plastic container that fits the book. Don’t worry if it is too deep, because we will trim the container to fit the hole. 

handmade holiday gift ideas for friends

2. Place the container on top of the book and outline it with a pencil. Since my container gets wider at the top, I outlined the top rather than the narrow bottom. 

handmade holiday gift ideas for friends

3. Hot glue the back cover to the book. Also, glue as many pages together that you can, but don’t glue the cover to the front page since you will need to open the book later. This will eliminate the book from warping. When you water the plants, the moisture will make the book warp. 

handmade holiday gift ideas for friends

4. Cut the book cover with your razor. Once you eliminate the cover then start working on cutting the pages of the book.  

 

succulent book container

5. I trimmed about two inches of pages, so the hole that I made was deep enough to plant the succulents. 

 

succulent projects

6. I just cut some plastic from a bag that my potatoes came in! I doubled the sheets. 

handmade holiday gift ideas

7. Next, make sure to line the plastic in the hole, making a well with the plastic. Cut and glue the two sheets of plastic to the book page.

handmade holiday gift ideas

8. Place the plastic container in the hole and trim the top edge with scissors to the hole’s size. Add your soil and plants to the container. And finally, wrap some twine around the book and place a bow on the top. This twine prevents the book from warping due to the moisture. 

making holiday gift for friends

9. Add moss around the edges and in between the plants if you wish. 

The funny thing about this post of handmade holiday gift ideas, my husband wanted to read some of the short stories in this book. I’m sure that this book project kind of scares my husband, who is a published writer. Oh well, what’s a girl to do when she likes to make a planter out of a book. 

Well, let’s enjoy the holidays and bring joy to our friends and family during this tough year!

Cheers,

signature

 

More Christmas Gifts

 

DIY Christmas Gift Tags   |   My 100 Year Old Home

DIY Christmas Gift – Clay Jewelry Dish   |   Zevy Joy

Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas for Friends   |   Happy Happy Nester

DIY Christmas Tree Scented Air Fresheners   |   My Sweet Savannah

DIY Holiday Gifts Using Essential Oils   |   Most Lovely Things

 

DIY Soap Gift Idea   |   Hallstrom Home

Fun and Creative Neighbor Christmas Gift Ideas   |   Twelve on Main

Stove Top Holiday Potpourri   |   Lemon Grove Lane

DIY Hand-Twisted Taper Candles   |   Jennifer Rizzo

Boho Beaded Keychain Holiday Gift Toppers   |   Tater Tots and Jello

Homemade Seasoning Salt Gifts   |   Finding Lovely

Toasted Marshmallow Mocha Creamer   |   Satori Design for Living

Flower Arrangement For Gift Card   |   Craftberry Bush

DIY Gift Basket Ideas Using Dollar Store Items   |   The DIY Mommy

 

pin it button

Handmade holiday gift ideas for friends pin

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
happyhappynester
Follow me
happyhappynester
I named my blog Happy Happy Nester because I love everything related to the home. I’ve always enjoyed decorating my surroundings. Get cozy and stay for a bit, thanks for visiting!
happyhappynester
Follow me
Latest posts by happyhappynester (see all)
  • Stuffed Italian Pizza Bread Recipe - February 25, 2021
  • The Best Cooking Utensils for the Kitchen - February 24, 2021
  • Homemade Cinnamon Rolls – From Scratch - February 22, 2021

MORE FROM HAPPY HAPPY NESTER

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from Happy Happy Nester!

You have Successfully Subscribed!


8 Comments

« Shopping for Christmas Decorations
Handmade Wreaths for Christmas »

Comments

  1. Shauna says

    November 5, 2020 at 8:14 am

    How adorable! I have succulents I brought inside for the winter that would be perfect for making this. Thanks for the idea 🙂

    Reply
  2. Leslie says

    November 5, 2020 at 10:14 am

    Such a great gift idea and helpful tutorial! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Rhonda Hallstrom says

    November 5, 2020 at 11:38 am

    This is such a unique and beautiful diy!

    Reply
  4. Sarah @ The DIY Mommy says

    November 12, 2020 at 1:40 pm

    This is a gorgeous gift that really is versatile for anyone on your list! Wonderful job!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. DIY holiday gift: stove top holiday potpourri - Lemon Grove Lane says:
    November 5, 2020 at 5:01 am

    […] Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas for Friends   |   Happy Happy Nester […]

    Reply
  2. DIY Christmas Gift Tags - MY 100 YEAR OLD HOME says:
    November 5, 2020 at 6:04 am

    […] Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas for Friends   |   Happy Happy Nester […]

    Reply
  3. DIY Gift Basket Ideas using dollar store items + personalized details! | The DIY Mommy says:
    November 5, 2020 at 7:22 am

    […] Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas for Friends   |   Happy Happy Nester […]

    Reply
  4. Small Christmas Bouquet For a Gift Card says:
    November 5, 2020 at 9:23 am

    […] for stopping by today. Here are more amazing ideas from my friends. As usual, a HUGE thank you to Janine and Leslie for putting this hop […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Home, Craft & Cooking Circle Membership

portrait
hello from the nester We love everything related to home, so get cozy and stay for a bit. Thanks for visiting our blog.
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Holiday Printables eBook

search

Most Popular Posts

Home for the Holidays Blog Tour: White Christmas

December 2, 2016 By happyhappynester 115 Comments

Almond Cookies are my family's favorite cookie. This recipe comes from my mom. It is easy to make and is a delicious and light cookie.

Amy’s Almond Cookies (Super Easy Recipe)

October 6, 2012 By happyhappynester 72 Comments

Organizing Kitchen Labels That You’ll Love!

January 17, 2018 By happyhappynester 72 Comments

DIY Paper Flowers Tutorial | How to Make Paper Flowers

January 11, 2019 By happyhappynester 59 Comments

If beautiful linens and comfort are important, then Hallstrom Home is for you. Rhonda creates gorgeous linens that are comfy and perfect for your home.

Linens and More: Interview with Hallstrom Home

October 29, 2016 By happyhappynester 57 Comments

Join Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Affiliate Disclosure:
I am grateful to be of service and bring you content free of charge. In order to do this, please note that when you click links and purchase items, in most (not all) cases, I will receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links enables me to keep my design and customization prices ridiculously low and empower more people worldwide to blog with less worry and less hassle. Happy Happy Nester is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Thank you! :)
- Happy Happy Nester

Categories

Archives

you might also like

College Care Packages

Decorating with Antique Bottles

Homemade Lemon Curd with Printable Labels

A Unique Thanksgiving Table That You’ll Love How Easy it is to Create

A Teen’s Summer Bucket List

Copyright © 2021 · Happy Happy Nester by Janine Waite

Copyright © 2021 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Privacy Policy · Log in