Quick and easy 'homemade' teacher gifts

End of term creeps up on us in stealth mode, descending before we know it, and often before I've had time to sort out a 'thank you' gift for the teacher.

It's lovely to be able to give a thoughtful handmade gift, but sometimes time (or the necessary skill!) is against us, so here are 6 easy ideas which can be made quickly at home, but will still have that "I've spent hours making you a unique and individual present vibe".

Personalised wine.

This is my chance to off-load gift bottles of my home brew, and I've added a fun label that our early-years teacher will hopefully enjoy.  Repeat after me everyone "W is for wine".  You can of course give shop bought wine and soak or steam off the label and replace it with a customised one with a message of thanks or season's greetings.  Search online for free printable bottle labels, or knock one up yourself in a picture editing programme.  Let's face it, what teacher doesn't deserve a bottle of plonk at the end of term?

Drinks coaster.

Hopefully the wine won't be consumed in the staff room, but these coasters would be ideal for their tea or coffee mug.  I bought this perspex magnetic heart photo holder from Ikea and turned it into a coaster with pretty paper (get creative with wrapping paper, wall paper, decoupage paper, old maps or a piece of your child's artwork) and a little motto. You can also buy blank coasters at Homecraft to make similar, and get a neat little gift box too. These take minutes to make, simply draw round, cut and secure in place.

Memo holder.

If teachers get a fraction of the letters; notes and memos that us parents do, then they'll appreciate somewhere stylish to keep them all organised.  This little memo holder is made from an upcycled picture frame with hessian folded into pocket flaps and stapled on the reverse.  You could adapt it with printed fabric instead, and paint or spray the frame white or a colour if gold isn't your thing. Check out the full how-to here.

Shabby chic bird feeders.

This is a pretty upcycled gift that the kids can help to make.  Pretty china cups would work well for an end of year gift given in the summer, but I fear they may not survive the freeze in the winter, so for Christmas time opt for some old enamel ware such as this little teapot.  Tutorial is here.

Infused oil and vinegar.

This is basically a repackaging job, but it still gives the appearance of a thoughtful gift with a homemade vibe. Decant olive oil and/or vinegar into a pretty bottle, add herbs such as rosemary or thyme or chilli peppers to flavour it and add a bit of style to their kitchen worktop.  At yuletide try infusing white wine or cider vinegar with Christmas tree needles for a festive pine flavour.  It tastes amazing, but the needles need to be removed after about 3 weeks or it will start to cloud, so add a label with instructions.

Body scrub.

A super easy and thrifty gift you can knock up from your store cupboard.  Grab a big mixing bowl and get the kids to help with scooping and stirring.  Add some essential oils to make it smell delicious and you have a lovely exfoliating and moisurising shower scrub.  The full 'recipe' is here.

So there you go. There's no excuses for gifting a box of supermarket chocolates, when even the least crafty person can knock one of these up.

For more great teacher gift ideas check out:

Domestic Goddesque's Coffee sets.
Blue Bear Wood's Apple Crisps.

Linking up with: