With Christmas fast approaching, I am excited to delve into some crafty holiday gift-making projects. This year, aside from the usual cards and tree ornaments, I challenged myself to make something handmade for my two creative and artistic sisters (these two can design their own sewing patterns while knitting a sweater with wool they have dyed themselves). Yikes!

On a mission to upcycle

With upcycling as my inspirational starting point, I hit the UsedVancouver.com site for some DIY motivation.  I needed something that was light, small and easy to ship (my sisters are spread out across the country). I didn’t want to take on an upcycle project that required too many tools or special equipment to get it done (I have no sewing machine and my tool box consists of scissors and a hammer).

I discovered a Used.ca ad for scrap pieces of leather. I decided to check it out!

The pieces of leather came from a furniture store. You know those fabric sample booklets? They were in great shape, but the colours weren’t quite what I was looking for. So, I decided to dig a little deeper. I eventually discovered a local designer that was willing to pass on her scrap pieces of leather (too small for her to work with).  Jackpot!

Here are some fun leather DIY crafts that were definite contenders:

Leather sketchbook from duofiberworks.com.

Leather pocket from craftstutorials.com

Leather coffee sleeve from craftynest.com

Many of the leather pieces I really liked were too tiny to make anything substantial. So, I decided to make some earrings out of my free and fabulous finds.

Leather earrings DIY

Items you will need

• Scissors
• Earring hooks (available at most craft stores)
• Grommets (available at most craft stores)
• Pliers
• Needle and thread
• Hold punch
• Various beads or charms (I took a trip to a local thrift store and picked up a necklace that I took apart for the beads and drops)

I stuck with a simple leaf shape (plus a circle or two) and played around with some of the beads and drops to create a look I liked.

I used grommets for added style and even stitched some of the tips to form a curved shape.

To finish things off, I printed some small sized vintage record covers onto stock paper to attach the earring to (the rock ‘n roll theme seemed appropriate for the leather).

I was having so much fun doing this, that I have enough earrings for all the ladies on my list.

Creating something unique

Who needs to buy new when there are so many items that can be upcycled and repurposed into something truly unique and one-of-a-kind. With such rocking results, this little craft session just might put me on a level playing field with my creative siblings.

What upcycled gifts are you working on this holiday season?

Useful links