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It can be tough to find the perfect gift for the people who make everything themselves. Why not give them the tools and supplies they need to create works of art with their own personal touch? Check out these gift ideas for every DIY enthusiast on your list.
1. Prismacolor Premier Hand Lettering Advanced Set; $18
With this set of high-quality pens and pencils, your artistically minded giftees will have the tools to add a personal flourish to letters, signs, greeting cards, and more. The kit includes two graphite pencils, seven illustration markers, two dual-ended art markers for bold lettering, an instruction guide, and—perhaps most importantly—an eraser.
Buy it: Amazon
2. The DIY Fortune Cookie Kit; $33
Your loved one can create their own messages with this DIY fortune cookie set from Uncommon Goods. The kit comes with all the ingredients they need to make the cookies themselves—including the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, and baking mat—along with a pen and edible ink. Users can also go the more traditional route by taking advantage of the 60 pre-written fortunes in the pack.
Buy it: Uncommon Goods
3. Instant Plant-Based Milk Making Kit; $169
This DIY plant-based milk making kit comes with everything your giftee will need to make a creamy, dairy-free drink that’s a perfect accompaniment for coffee, cereal, or smoothies. It comes with a measuring spoon, strainer, and the Nutr machine with power cord—all the recipient has to do is add nuts and water and press “blend.”
Buy it: Uncommon Goods
4. Miniature Detective Agency Building Kit; $36
Create a miniature office for Sam Spade or Sherlock Holmes with this adorable kit from Uncommon Goods. The 159-piece wooden kit should take about 10 hours for your giftee to build, and when it’s complete, they’ll have a tiny room filled with all the gear needed to solve miniscule crimes, including a working LED lamp.
Buy it: Uncommon Goods
5. ImpressArt Metal Bracelet-Stamping Kit; $92
This kit contains everything a crafter needs to stamp impressions into blank metal cuff-style or bangle bracelets. Along with the lightweight but precise hammer and small steel anvil, the Stamp Straight Guides help you make impressions in a straight line and keep letters evenly spaced. The stamps themselves feature the letters of the alphabet and special characters. As a bonus, the kit also includes blanks to make metal-stamped keychains.
Buy it: Amazon
6. Deluxe Hot Sauce Making Kit; $48
Your bestie will be weaned off Sriracha when he concocts his own sauce with dried guajillo, chipotle, and arbol peppers. The kit contains the essentials (like gloves, spices, and bottling materials), plus all the ingredients needed for six custom-made bottles of the hot stuff.
Buy it: Uncommon Goods
7. Solar Photography Kit; $15
Popularized in the 1840s by Anna Atkins, the first female photographer, solar photographs (also known as cyanotypes thanks to their blue color) use sunlight to develop images on chemically treated paper. Just lay a photo negative or object on the paper, place it in the sun for a while, and voilà. This kit includes six sheets of photosensitive paper, a light-proof storage envelope, and instructions. Fabric kits are also available.
Buy it: Uncommon Goods
8. Southern Bourbon Stout Beer Brewing Kit; $20-$50
Why fight the drunken hordes at the local craft brewery when your gift recipient can brew beer in the comfort of their home? This artisanal kit includes the hardware—a fermentor jug, racking cane, funnel, and more—and malt extract, specialty grains, fresh hops, and yeast to make one gallon of homemade brew. This particular formula relies on oak chips soaked in bourbon (booze not included) to add woodsy vanilla notes to the beer.
Buy it: Uncommon Goods
9. Bath Bomb Making Kit; $50
With this kit, the DIYer on your list can make their own bath bombs in scents like lavender, lemon, eucalyptus, and grapefruit. In addition to the essential oils, the set contains epsom salts, cornstarch, baking soda, and citric acid, along with recipes for how to make the fizzy spheres.
Buy it: Amazon
10. Raindrop Cake Molecular Gastronomy Kit; $38
This kit encourages people to play with their food: Get it for the friend who loves to experiment in the kitchen and turn simple ingredients into Insta-worthy treats. Created by Darren Wong, the Raindrop Cake is a crystal-clear confection made with sugar and a vegan thickener that DIYers can make at home. This set makes six cakes and includes six bamboo boats for serving.
Buy it: Uncommon Goods
11. Soy Candle Making Kit; $56
Sure, we all made sand candles in kindergarten—but now your giftee can take their wax-wrangling skills up a notch with SoftOwl’s soy candle kit. Everything they’ll need to create soy candles in luscious scents of vanilla, sandalwood, rose, and more is included in this bundle, along with sophisticated label and jars to hold their creations.
Buy It: Amazon
12. DIY Plant and Flower Press; $27
Retro crafters on your list will love this professional-quality plant and flower press, which lets them preserve wildflowers, ferns, leaves, or other botanical specimens for display or for use in other creative projects. This is the same gear that botanists take out in the field. The included blotters, ventilators, and wooden press will maintain the color and form of your giftee’s plants—plus, it’s small enough to fit into a backpack.
Buy It: Amazon
A version of this article was originally published in 2018 and has been updated for 2023.
This article was originally published on www.mentalfloss.com as 12 Thoughtful Gifts for DIY Enthusiasts.