6 Terrific DIY Gifts for Teen Girls to Create

Both of my girls are getting older, but they love crafting just as much as they did when they were younger. When they find cool DIY gifts for middle school girls, they love making them for their friends. They exchange these homemade crafts with each other throughout the year, but definitely amp up production around the holidays.

All of these projects are appropriate gifts to celebrate any occasion, but they’re definitely some of our favorite Christmas crafts for teens.

All PostsThis post contains affiliate links.

Here are 6 awesome DIY gifts that Abigail and Marianna chose to make for their friends (and matching ones for themselves) this Christmas.

Table of Contents

DIY Gifts for Middle School Girls

1. Button and Bead Letter

You’ll need: variety of buttons, small seed beads, wooden letter, glue

Anything monogrammed is a huge hit with teen girls which is why Abigail jumped at the chance to make this project. I can’t believe how amazing it turned out.

Abigail actually used a button and bead kit from our local Jo-Ann store, but you can easily do it yourself with a package of different sized buttons and some seed beads.

First, glue down a single layer of buttons on the top of your letter. Then, continue adding buttons, one layer at a time, until it is covered. Use the seed beads to fill in any empty spaces.

She chose a wooden letter that had been painted white so that the bare sides would have a finished look.

2. Earring Display/Holder

You’ll need: plastic canvas (latch hook size), picture frame, ribbon, glue

If you have friends who wear a lot of drop or dangle earrings, they will love this simple, yet cute gift.

Marianna used the tutorial from A Little Craft in Your Day as her guide for this project. Using a little glue along the back edge is a great way to keep the plastic canvas snug against the frame since you don’t use the frame’s back or glass.

She chose a wired ribbon for her bow, which turned out to be a great decision. The wire gave just enough stability to keep the bow in place while staying nice and full. She attached it directly to the front of the frame with some glue.

What a great way to display your earrings!

3. Thumb Tack Art

You’ll need: foam core, thumb tacks, X-Acto knife

Who knew that thumb tacks and foam core could look so cool?

Although she could choose any word she wanted, Marianna stuck with love, just like in the original project she found. However, instead of using their template, she chose her own font.

If you don’t want to double up your foam core, make sure to buy a size that’s thick enough so that the tacks don’t poke out the back.

I helped her by cutting everything out with an X-Acto knife. After I was done, she was afraid that the rough white edges would still be visible even after adding the thumb tacks, so she decided to paint all of the exposed areas with purple acrylic paint before pushing in the gold tacks.

4. Fabric Flower Hair Clips

You’ll need: pleated ribbon, scrap fabric, alligator clips, scrap felt, glue

Flower hair clips are popular, but can be costly. Because my girls and their friends wear them frequently, they often make their own. Recently, they chose to make the fabric flowers featured here.

Abigail fell in love with the linen folded flower, which can be made out of scrap fabric. However, instead of using fabric, she actually made hers out of wired ribbon. It turned out so cute!

Marianna wears a flower in her hair every day and couldn’t wait to try a new style. She chose the pleated ribbon flower and decided to make her version much fuller by using a full yard of ribbon.

5. Fishtail Bracelet

You’ll need: nylon cord/Chinese knotting cord, rattail cord, button

Learning how to fishtail braid can be challenging, but once you get the hang of it, these fishtail bracelets are a cinch to make! Choose a bunch of colors and make a whole stack of them for you and your friends to wear.

Tip: Consider adding a drop of glue to the knots at each end to keep them secure.

6. Scrap Fabric Cord Wrapper

You’ll need: scrap fabric, velcro and/or snap fasteners, thread

Help your friends keep their charging cords and/or earbuds secure and tangle-free with this easy sewing project.

Because it only involves a few basic stitches on the sewing machine, it’s a great learn-to-sew activity.

As you can see, we made two different versions. We followed this tutorial to make the one with rounded edges and a velcro closure.

Abigail wanted to modify it, so she decided to make it a bit bigger so she could fold and sew the outside end at an angle. Then she used snap fasteners to secure it.

Want even more Teen/Tween DIY inspiration? Check out our previous lists for DIY gifts for teen girls.

What gifts are your teens making for their friends this year?

Bio
Twitter
Facebook
Latest Posts
Pinterest

Megan Zechman

I love homeschooling! Learning is a way of life for our family. Most days you will find us exploring our Central Florida community, having fun while learning. I am constantly looking for new and interactive ways to engage my older children.