101. DIY Sock Monkeys

I couldn't end this list without having at least one sock monkey tutorial. These dolls are just fun. I've included links to several different tutorials here, but they all use the same basic materials: one pair of socks, needle and thread, and poly fill stuffing. All you have to do is choose the pattern and get crafting!

99. DIY Design Tea Towels

Here's a fun (and practical) gift for cooks, bakers, new home owners (or apartment dwellers). These cute tea towels are designed using Sharpie markers! You can use the templates provided here or create your own designs. 

98. Homemade Vanilla Extract

Homemade vanilla extract may take a little advanced planning to make, but what a cool gift! Most vanilla recipes call for vodka or alcohol as the base. A lot of people don't know that you can also use food-grade vegetable glycerin as a base. Here are a couple of recipe versions to make your own vanilla extract...

97. Free Printable Mandala Coloring Book

We all need a little zen time now and again. For that reason, I've put together a set of mandala coloring pages in the form of a free printable coloring book. Simply download, print on 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper and follow the instructions for my pamphlet bound book tutorial [PDF download].

95. Message Stones

People's creativity never ceases to amaze me. This little gems are super easy and fun to make and can add a little light to someone's day. All you need are some smooth stones, some paint and some uplifting quotes.

94. Felted Soap

I know felted soap may sound a bit odd, but it's the perfect soap & scrubby delivery method. With 10 minutes, some wool roving (from the craft store), a bar of soap, and hot water you can transform a plain ol' bar of soap into something gift-worthy.

93. Bird Seed Ornaments

Bird seed ornaments are a great gift for bird lovers. This is another project that uses only a few ingredients, and is easy enough that kids can make (or help make) them.

92. Pinecone Fire Starters

If you live some place where pinecones are plentiful, why not take yourself for a little walk, collect a bunch, and make these simple fire starters?

91. DIY Spa Gift Basket

Everyone needs a little pampering. Why not create your own spa gift basket, filled with luxurious (hand made & inexpensive) ingredients...

90. DIY Vanilla Latte Spa Candle

I don't know about you, but most store-bought candles these days are a bit too overpowering (olfactorily speaking). That's why I LOVE these subtly scented candles. They won't overwhelm your senses, but they will offer up some mild, relaxing scents.

88. DIY Instagram Projects

It's crazy to think that when I started this blog, Instagram didn't exist—That it wouldn't exist for another 4 years! But here we are in the Instagram era, so how could I not include projects that make use of the ever-expanding photo-app's popularity? Here are some of the more cool Instagram crafts currently out there (imo)...

87. Coffee Cup Sleeves

Here's a simple project for coffee (or tea) lovers. Using a paper coffee cup sleeve as a template, cut out fabric (cotton or felt) and sew the ends together to make a simple fabric coffee cup sleeve.

86. DIY Sock Kitten

Here's another quick and easy project, great for kids, fun adults, and cat lovers. These cute little Sock Kittens are made with a pair of socks, needle and thread, and poly fill.

85. DIY Fabric Hobo Bag

Hobo bags are simple structures and fairly easy to construct with a minimal amount of material. 

84. DIY Instagram Magnets

I found this project over at The Surznick Common Room website and it seems fairly easy as DIYs go. They have lots of pictures if you need a visual tutorial.

83. DIY Three Ingredient Lip Balm

This is a fairly simple gift to make, especially if you already have these three ingredients... 

81. Bird House

Whether you buy the gourd or grow it, this makes a cute little bird house. I can see multiple houses in lots of different colors....

79. Going Green T-Shirt Shopping Bags

Turning an old T-shirt into a reusable shopping or grocery bag is a simple, clever craft to help everyone be "green." It's a Good Thing that will help protect the environment.

62. Hand Warmers

MATERIALS:

Ceramic Pie Weights Barley or long-cooking rice
2 3"x5" pieces of thick wool or cotton
embroidery floss
scissors
needle

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut out two 3-by-5-inch rectangles.
2. Sew together on three sides, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance; cut off corners. 
3. Turn bag right side out
4. Fill with 1/2 cup pie weights rice or barley.
5. Blanket-stitch all sides with embroidery floss.

To warm: heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Source: MarthaStewart.com

[Edit 12/16]—The original project disappeared from the Martha Stewart website for a bit. Turns out that the pie weights were holding too much heat and causing the material to burn, so instead of using that, I found a number of sites that suggested using rice (the long-cooking kind) or barley. I have several heating pads that use rice & they're wonderful.

61. Solid Perfume

This is an inexpensive and easy way to create a personalized scent for a nifty gift.

The only ingredient that can get expensive is the essential oils, especially if you make a complex scent blend requiring an initial investment of many different essentials. Of course, there's nothing wrong with picking a single pleasant scent. One bottle of an essential oil will make lots and lots of perfume; you use only drops at a time!

MATERIALS:

1 tablespoon Beeswax (available at craft shop)
1 tablespoon Almond Oil (or Jojoba Oil or Vitamin E - available at natural foods/health store)
8 - 15 drops Essential Oils (available at natural foods/health store)
a pan
a small glass bowl or jar (to use in conjunction with the pan as a double boiler)
a straw (used for stirring wax when melted)
1 container (preferably glass, ceramic or stone but plastic is acceptable)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put about an inch of water in a small saucepan, then put a small glass jar or pyrex bowl in the water. Measure out the wax and almond oil into the jar/bowl and bring the water around it to a boil.
   
   The wax will melt gradually; when it is 100% liquid, remove from heat and stir in the other ingredients with a straw (the wax will start to form solid on whatever you do your stirring with — a straw has little surface area so you lose less of the end product, and it's disposable so you don't have to clean it off). When everything is thoroughly mixed together, pour the liquid wax immediately into your final container. In about 30 minutes, it will be cooled, solid and ready to use.
2. To use the perfume, simply rub a finger around on the surface of the waxy perfume, then rub that finger on the area you want to smell good — the inside of your wrists and behind the ears works well.

Some tips for devising the ultimate scent recipe:

• combine drops of various essentials, totalling 8 -15 drops in all
• pick a primary scent and use more of that one, then one or two "background" scents, using less of each
• check out various aromatherapy sites for info on the psychological properties of various scents

Some nice essentials for background scents are:

• clary sage (a slightly smoky herbal scent that's supposed to help creativity and concentration)
• orange or ginger provide a warming sensation (good for people who are always cold)
• ylang-ylang is a floral that isn't too sweet or girly for guys, but it's a happy smell and subtle enough for a backdrop
• cedar (repels insects)

Scent Recipes (and purported aromatherapy effects):

1. For Men:
   6 drops essential oil of pine (confidence)
   4 drops essential oil of ylang-ylang (mood-elevating, energizing)
   3 drops essential oil of clary sage (concentration and creativity)
2. For Women:
   5 drops essential oil of ginger (sweet and warming)
   4 drops essential oil of orange (warming, mood-elevating)
   2 drops essential oil of ylang-ylang (mood-elevating, energizing)
   2 drops of clary sage (concentration and creativity)

Source: Instructables.com

If you dig this, you may also dig Jan Berry's book:

101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin Health & Home A Nerdy Farm Wifes All Natural DIY Projects Using Commonly Found Herbs Flowers & Other Pl
by Jan BerryTrade Paperback