With Christmas now only a matter of weeks away, it’s time to finally get started on the mammoth task of the Christmas shopping – time to traipse through every single store on the high street and attempt to tick off every item on your wish-lists as quickly and as easy, as physically possible.

All-in-all, everyone in your family is pretty easy to buy for; the kids know exactly what they want, your mum has given you a strict set of instructions and your dad is happy with any item that’s either a book or a CD. Sorted, right? Not quite. Because there’s one last person you need to buy for; lovely other half. And, you have absolutely no clue what to get them.

If I’m talking to all of you females out there, you know that no book, CD, aftershave or even stylish jumper is going to solve your problem, after all, you’ve already bought him hundreds of these. And, if I’m talking to you boyfriends out there, well, you’re guaranteed to get the jewellery wrong and flowers don’t quite cut it for Christmas. You’re in dire need of some help.

Well, it’s time to get creative. Because, if you’re dab hand at being  creative, then making your own Christmas presents is the perfect way to surprise your loved one this year. As well as helping to cut down the cost of Christmas, they’ll also add a bit of sentiment to your gifts that no shop could ever provide.

So, grab any craft materials you get your hands on and take a little inspiration for some of the ideas below:

For Him : An iPad Cover:

So, you may wonder how on earth you’re going to tackle making an iPad case for your man, but believe me when I say that it’s actually relatively simple.

All you need is a bit of felt, cotton lining material, some wadding, a needle and thread, some Velcro.

Method:

1. Cut out rectangles measuring 11¼in (28.5cm) x 16½ in (42cm) from the felt, cotton and wadding. Layer the wadding, felt and cotton (right side down), lining up edges.
2. Machine-sew (or, if you don’t have a sewing machine, use your needle and thread!) the three layers together with a ¼in seam, leaving one short edge. Clip corners and turn right side out by sliding your thumbs between the felt and the cotton.
3. Press and turn in the raw edges by ½in and sew a ¼in seam on outside.
4. Then using any leftover felt, cut out a small piece measuring 9in (23cm) x 6in (15.5cm). You can use a contrasting to colour to make it look more professional.
5. Fold this small piece of felt in half lengthways and sew a 1/4in seam all the way around, leaving one short edge.
6. Turn this small sewn piece right side out, turn in raw edges, sew a ¼in seam on outside and press. Pin and sew to outside of felt cover, 4in (10cm) in from one short edge.
7. Pin one side of Velcro to end of tab and sew in place. Fold cover in half and bring tab from back to front to work out where other piece of Velcro should be. Sew to body of cover.
8. Blanket-stitch top and bottom edges of cover together using embroidery thread.

And there you have it, a lovingly made iPad case that he’s bound to use everyday!

For Her: Customised Photo Frame: 

Right guys, some of you may prefer to just go and buy your other half a present from the shop, because in your mind, it’s ten times easier to do. But, making a present for your loved one really will surprise them and add a whole new meaning to the gift you give to them.

So, if you’re not the creative type but fancy doing something different for your loved one, making a customised photo frame  is the perfect thing to do – us girls love all of this kind of sentimental stuff, so it’s guaranteed to put a smile on her face.

I bet if you take a look around your home, you’ll have plenty of materials kicking around that’ll be perfect your customising your photo frame with; from buttons, ribbon, patterned paper, glue, glitter and marker pens are good places to start. If not, you can always invest a few bits and bobs from craft shops, such as craft supplies uk, to help you on your way.

Simply start by buying a plain wooden frame. Then gather up all of the items you’ve managed to find (or those you’ve bought from the craft shop) and simply decorate it in anyway you like. Spread on some glue and dust it with glitter, cut out material hearts and stick them around the frame, or simply write them a little love note around the wooden edge. Then all that’s left to do is find your favourite picture of you both, maybe change the colour settings on the computer to make it a little bit different (sepia or greyscale are always a good option), press print and place it in the back. Perfect!