Best Unique Gifts for Crafters

Do you have a crafter on your Christmas list? It might seem daunting to find something unique and cool when you are not fluent in “crafting” yourself but no worries I’ve got you covered.

Whether your creative person is a seasoned pro or just someone who likes to get into the glitter on the weekends today I’m sharing the best unique gifts for crafters. Sure you can always hand your favorite creative person a gift card to Joann’s but what about something a little more unexpected with some major wow factor to it?

Craft Gadgets and Kits

There are so many craft gadgets and kits out there and while they are totally not necessary they make creating awesome things easier and faster for crafters. You might want to do some research and peer around your crafter’s workspace to see if she has any of these already (or maybe ask one of her crafting friends since lets be honest no one would be able to locate where I keep all my craft gear). Not just the gadgets but now they make kits that are so easy you have everything you need for your project right there. Here are a few of my favorites that I get asked about all the time.

If you have a sew-er who doesn’t already have a serger you might want to consider gifting her one. Seriously sergers are life changing and I haven’t ever met someone who loved sewing who said “yeah I don’t think I need one of those”. I ways here “oh I want a serger!” This is my serger that I love, it’s a great price and it’s been great quality (I have 3). But if you want to read more, I wrote a whole article about tips for buying a serger.
For something a little smaller I LOVE my loop turner. I’ve been surprised to find that very few people know about this magical tool. It’s really like a magic wand for a sewing person. To read all about what the loop turner does and to see the full video of me using it go here (it’s a little hard to explain with out actually showing you).
And I keep meaning to write a full post but it hasn’t happened yet but I swear every time I share pictures of my bias tape maker people get gaga. I really like mine. I use it a lot and it’s one of those little splurgy luxury items. You don’t NEED it but boy is it nice if you have one. They tend to go on sale this time of year at Joann’s so make sure you check there.
Craft kits are super fun especially if like most crafty folk your crafter is interested in branching out. For example I’ve always wanted to learn how to knit. I tried a few years back but didnt get past doing a few stitches but I recently discovered We Are Knitters kits and I am in love. They come with super good quality supplies and yarn and everything you need to do your project all in a cute bag. Not just that but they have TONS of videos online to help you see exactly what you’re trying to do. Their kits are really unique and are available with projects for beginners to advanced knitters. (I’ll be doing a full review and giveaway later this week but if you can’t wait they have given me a discount code you can use through 1/1/2016 for 15% off RAEGUNWAK ). And they are just one company. There are so many kit makers now all you have to do is think about what time of craft your person might be into and I’m sure you can find a cool kit.

Crafting Experiences

From my L.A. fabric trip with blogging friends (it was THE BEST) read about it here.

As much as we crafters love our gear and supplies I think what most of us want is more time to create. That can be hard when you’re juggling family and work but here are some out of the box ideas of ways to give your crafter the time she deserves.

Make her a coupon for a crafting weekend. Set some money aside for her to get away with a good friend or two, hole up in a local hotel or cabin and binge work on their favorite crafts. This would be a great thing to go in on with your crafter’s friends loved ones. Team work right?
Check out the local classes. She might really enjoy taking time out to go learn more with other crafty minded people. If you know her schedule you can sign her up or just get a gift card to a place that offers classes. Once year my husband got me “how to use your camera” classes and I loved that.
Want something kind of big? There are actually craft retreat centers you can send her too (I’d just make a voucher set aside some money and let her pick so you make sure it’s a good date and the style she wants). To this date my favorite gift my husband gave me was a planned vacation. He didn’t buy everything but made a fun card with a print out of options and dates. Did you know there are sewing and crafting conferences and full on cruses? Well yes they exist and they sound awesome!!! I did a sewing conference and it was TONS OF FUN and I’ve been drooling over the idea of a crafting cruise.
Or you can make it as simple as saying that you will keep the kids out of the house all day so she can craft in peace or invite some girlfriends over for an uninterrupted crafting day. The key to this one is to follow through. Clear out, don’t call and bug her. Give her the break without the stress of preparing everything.

Gift Cards but Not the Ones You Expect

Learn how to make a circular gift card holder

I’m all for giving a good quality gift card when the time calls for it but it’s important to me that gift cards are thought through. First make sure the person can use the gift card easily (I know it sounds crazy but I’ve been given gift cards to places that don’t have locations (or online shops) where I live). Second put a little thought into it. Sure you can give the a gift card to the big box store she goes to twice a week and I’m sure it would be appreciated but what about helping her find a place that she normally doesn’t go to or maybe just window shops since the prices are a little high.

One of my favorite gift card ideas for a crafter is $$$ to an independent craft supply store. For sew-ers there are so many cute quilt shops with designer fabric but a lot of times those fabric can be 3-4 times more expensive that what you’d find at some of the chains. But they are great quality and designs that you can only get at a quilt shop or online. Call or ask around and see what’s by you.
Money to spend at online craft or fabric shops or indie pattern shops. Oh there are so many! But for all kinds of fabric I really like Fabric.com, if your person loves sewing with knits Girl Charlee has some great stuff, and finally if she loves sewing for the kids Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop not only has MY FAVORITE kid patterns but now sells fabric too! If the place you think she’ll love doesn’t sell gift cards just make your own. Print up a picture of the website’s homepage (or if you can’t decide a few different homepages so she can pick where to spend it) and put it together with some cash. Easy peasy! Or Amazon has TONS of craft supplies.
A massage gift card. Does this sound out of place to you? Well it’s not. EVERY SINGLE TIME my crafty friends and I are talking about gifts (like Christmas or Mother’s Day) inevitable someone always mentions a massage and everyone else says oh yeah me too I want that!! I highly recommend Massage Envy I have had the pleasure of enjoying a gifted membership of this last year and let me just say it’s been heavenly. While you can certainly gift a whole membership you can definitely just give a gift card for a single massage. It will certainly be appreciated. Some day I need to share about all the things I’ve learned about a crafter/sew-er’s body from my massage therapist at #MassageEnvyUtah #MEUtah . It’s been really fun and interesting to see what body parts are tight (especially after my busy Halloween season). #ReliefStartsRightHere
Most creative people I know also love supporting other creative types. We tend to value handmade so we love buying from small businesses and local artisans like many that you find on Etsy. Whether it’s more craft supplies she’s after, the newest indie pattern, or a fabulous handmade necklace Etsy has it all. Plus they sell gift cards that work at most of the shops on the website so it’s easy to gift.

Unique Craft Books

In our digital age where Pinterest reigns supreme and blogs offer tutorials at the plenty, there is something luxurious about curling up with a good craft book. It’s a total splurge for someone who crafts because they could probably hit the keyboard and search for any project they want to learn how to do it. But let me tell you there is just something super fun about sitting down with a physical book and flipping the pages. If you need some ideas of great books here are a few of my favorites.

For the family crafter you should pick up Creating Really Awesome Free Things: 100 Seriously Fun, Super Easy Projects for Kids by Jamie Dorobek. I’ll be doing an official review of this book but it’s great. SO many awesome (and easy) craft ideas that you can do with the little ones. It would be fun to flip through the book before gifting it and picking up the supplies to one of the crafts so your friends are ready to dive in when they open their present.
For the hardcore sew-er I love love love Sew Many Dresses Sew Little Time by Tanya Whelen. I did a full review earlier this year but it’s really a gem for anyone interested in sewing dresses. It teaches you how to mix and max skirt and bodices to get hundreds of different dresses. This is definitely geared to someone with intermediate sewing skills. They don’t have to be a pro but they need to have the basics down and be up for leaning new things.
Does your friend love whimsical jewelry but is short on time? She will adore 30 Minute Jewelry by Beveryly McCullough. Oh goodness I will have to share more about this book soon but it’s sooo cool. The projects are SUPER unique but they are also very simple and fast that even a younger teen would have no problem making gorgeous wearables from this book!
And what crafter doesn’t love washi tape? Whatever level crafter you have Washi Tape Crafts by Amy Anderson is sure to be a hit. This is another that would be great for even the kids. My nieces were flipping through oohing and ahhing saying they wanted to make pretty much everything in the book. But while it’s totally accessible to kids and light crafters I adore it and I craft all the time. As a bonus this book comes with 10 rolls of super cute washi tape so that makes fur a super cute complete gift.

Crafter Swag!

Measure twice cut one tote from see kate sew

If your crafter wears her creativity on her sleeve then why not help her display her obsession proudly! There are so many to share your crafting love but why not do it in style with a cute Tee, tote, or mug?

Check out these awesome T-shirts for the sewing enthusiast! There are 15 to pick from and they are all so awesome. And as a bonus each of those links will take you to shops with even more designs for crafty fans!
Want a darling sewing tote or mug, Sew Caroline has lots of fun options! And See Kate Sew has some awesome totes and tees too! (pictured above)
And if jewelry is her think you can do a quick Etsy search with her craft of choice like I did to find this fun sew-er’s necklace and button ring or grab this simple SEW piece from the girls at Simple Simon and Co.

Let’s connect! You can also find me hanging out here.