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Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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50 Great DIY Gift Ideas

December 18, 2013 Leave a Comment

50 Great DIY Gift Ideas from Hands Occupied

Christmas is a week away, but there’s still time to DIY a great gift for someone special. Today I wanted to round up 50 of my favorite DIY tutorials from Hands Occupied, all of which are perfect for making and giving in under a week!

PS: Congrats to Melissa D, the winner of the ASPCA Holiday Gift Pack! I’ll be in touch via email with details on how to claim your prize!

How-to: Crab Grabby Sweater Chain at HandsOccupied.com

jewelry & accessories

  1. vintage-inspired sweater chain
  2. knotted metallic belt
  3. washi tape statement necklace
  4. duck tape tablet case
  5. bronze clay headband
  6. vintage-inspired earrings
  7. heart-shaped clutch
  8. painted acrylic necklace
  9. wide statement belt
  10. knotted nautical headband
  11. easy chainmaille earrings
  12. metal stamped necklace
  13. ruler clutch purse
  14. 5-strand braided headband
  15. a scarf made out of almost anything
  16. knit clutch purse
  17. decorated phone case -I used googly eyes, but you can use rhinestones or studs :)
  18. metal stamped cuff bracelet

How-to: Upholstered Arm Rest End Tables | Hands Occupied

home decor

  1. a homemade candle -they’re shockingly easy to DIY!
  2. arm rest end tables -my gift for my husband last year. I made them in about a day, but that was with help, so make sure you’re confident in your ability to make this before attempting them on a tight time frame. :)
  3. simple throw pillow covers -just make sure you get the size right
  4. painted Chinese lantern decor -great for teens & college students
  5. simple canvas wall art
  6. picnic tablecloth weights -for the camper in your life
  7. DIY wool Swiss army blanket
  8. home sweet home sign

How-to: Etched Shamrock Flask & Pint Glass at Hands Occupied

personalize it!

  1. faux tie dyed shirt
  2. customized, stamped pencils
  3. iron transfer t-shirts
  4. stenciled mug
  5. screen printed (with a screen) t-shirt or tote bag
  6. personalized embroidery project -this was a gift for my husband as well a couple years ago
  7. glass-etched flask or pint glass
  8. custom card game
  9. freezer paper stenciled tea towels
  10. glow-in-the-dark flask
  11. custom yo-yo
  12. DIY loom knitting kit -for the friend who always talks about how they wish they were crafty :) 

Sandbakkels | HandsOccupied.com

cookies & baked goods

  1. sandbakkel cookies -my Norwegian grandma’s recipe, super legit
  2. chocolate peppermint blossom cookies
  3. wreath surprise treats
  4. from-scratch sugar cookies and frosting -my mom’s recipe
  5. chocolate-covered pretzel rods
  6. peppermint schnapps swirl cupcakes
  7. a homemade pie

Paracord Dog Collar - Tutorial at HandsOccupied.com

for the dogs (and some cats)

  1. back seat pet protector
  2. rope ball surprise toy for dogs
  3. pet bow tie
  4. seed starter in a jar -just use cat grass seeds for the cat enthusiast in your life!
  5. paracord pet collar

Filed Under: Christmas, Inspiration Tagged With: baking, cats, christmas, christmas gifts, crafts, diy, diy gifts, dogs, home decor, homemade gifts, jewelry, personalized gifts, pet gifts, recipes

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

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handsoccupied

Craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. / #latchhookbook out now!
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knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s c Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s coincidentally International Punch Needle Rug Hooking Day today, so I’d be remiss not to share a first look at this project finished JUST in time to wear while I watch some rasslin’ on a pirate ship in a football stadium in Tampa! 💪🏻 I’m excited to watch tonight’s women’s matches the most. Eee!
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Pictured: A blond woman in a denim dress and glasses wearing a giant belt made with punch needle. The belt is made with wool in primary colors and was inspired by the WWE Universal Championship title belt. 
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This is just a preview - after jab 2.0 tomorrow (feeling grateful 🙏🏼), I’ll be editing together a vlog about the design process for this wooly waist cover. Sometimes it’s hard to know how to make some of your wilder craft ideas come to life. Stuff you’ll never find a pattern for, you know? I’ll finish editing that ASAP, but I might take a few days to edit if I feel like trash from 💉 and only want to watch wrestling and wrestling YouTube for a day or two. 😂
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#ipnrhd #punchneedle #wwe #wrestling #championshipbelt #wool #yarn #handmade #universalchampionship #universalchampion #rugmaking #wrestlingfan #wrestlemania37 #wrestlemania
A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-ins A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-inspired punch needle project! It’s interesting to see how fuzzy the handspun beige yarn is compared with the primary color sections of @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky. ❤️💛💙🤎 
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Pictured: The back of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool sits on the work.
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#punchneedle #woolrug #rugmaking  #kpambassadorsapr21 #sponsored #griefproject #handsoccupied #wrestlingfan #universalchampion #yarn #yarncraft #wool #needlepunch
Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishin Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishing up the punch needling part of this crazy @wwe inspired project by tonight. 💪🏻🧶 Anybody else have crafty plans for this fine spring day? 
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Pictured: A blond woman sits, smiling and holding an in-progress punch needle project inspired by the Universal Championship belt. Houseplants are in the background and there’s lots of sun. 
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#punchneedle #griefproject #handsoccupied #heidigustad #wrestlingcrafts #wwe #universalchampion #universalchampionship #wool #wooloftheandes #primarycolors #oxfordpunchneedle
I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back from the past few weeks, and as I dip my toe back into production mode, the long-promised seamed sweater knitting YouTube series is at the top of my list. I've got FOUR versions of a simple sweater I've been playing with since last JULY to feature as a free pattern for folks who want to knit along during the series. Pictured is the first prototype for the series, knit in 2 colors of @knit_picks Mighty Stitch yarn. I imagine this soon-to-be short sleeved number will come in handy as an emergency Waldo costume or Christmas sweater. 🌲 
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I've got my own list of topics I think folks would like to see in a series like this: things like tips for construction, working with vintage patterns, how to seam as invisibly as possible, and more, but as always, I'd love to hear from you: What scares you about knitting seamed sweaters? What would be helpful to cover, especially since we'll be doing more long form video content. I get so much positive feedback on my series of 20 minute+ intarsia tutorials, so I'm using those as a starting point as I produce this series. Seamed sweaters using vintage or self-improvised patterns are one of my favorite things on the planet, so I'm eager to share some seamed sweater skills with y'all super sweet folks. 😉 
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Pictured: A red and white striped, short sleeved sweater knit in pieces that have yet to be seamed. They are laid out on a yellow and orange colorblock background and one sleeve is yet to be bound off. 
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#handsoccupied #seamedsweater #kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #waldo #waldosweater #wip #yarncraft #yarn #knitting #knittersofinstagram #heidigustad #vintageknitting #sweaterknitting
Work continues this evening on my absurd punch nee Work continues this evening on my absurd punch needle pro wrestling inspired championship belt project. I’ve finished most of the front pretty quickly thanks to the @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky yarn I’m using. For now, I’ve got a couple more weeks until Wrestlemania, & I’m on track to finish this in time! 
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The biggest question I have is what to do with the “plates” - the open circles in the picture. Should I try to closely replicate the Universal Championship belt or go rogue and make it wool themed? Please advise in the comments. ☺️🧶🙏🏻🐑 
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Pictured: The front of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool with navy yarn running through it rests on top of the work. 
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#kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #punchneedle #rugmaking #primarycolors #punchneedlerughooking #punchneedlelove #wool #wip #yarncraft #yarn #yarnaddict
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