Best Friend Gift Ideas – 58 Easy DIY Suggestions

by John Griffith
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According to Aristotle, ‘friendship is a soul in two bodies.’ This is perhaps why, whenever there is a holiday involving gifts coming up, the first ones we think of are our best friends. Naturally, an ordinary present won’t do – we have to find something exceptionally charming and unique. With the years, this can become an increasingly daunting task. Luckily, DIY opens up a whole new world of opportunities. With so many best friend gift ideas online, we can easily find inspiration and create beautiful presents that show our besties how much they mean to us.

What are the advantages of hand-made items?

Well, to begin with, DIY offers virtually limitless opportunities for customization. Store-bought gifts are mass-produced and, as a result, lack soul and originality. Even the most high-end designer item cannot be compared to the value of something you create yourself. Firstly, because each handcrafted item is of its kind in the whole world, and secondly – because you put time, effort and love in the process of making it. In addition, DIY gifts are very suitable for people on a tight budget, and will also give you the opportunity to awaken your hitherto dormant artistic side.

What sort of gifts can you make at home?

Your imagination is the limit! Many people choose to craft presents using photos, thus capturing the most special moments they shared with their friends. If you’d like to try it out you can either make a collage with several photos, or choose your favorite one and create a customized frame for it. Hand-decorated items are another suggestion – you can use decoupage techniques to give new life to boxes, journals and even candles! And if your bestie loves jewelry, why not try making a DIY necklace, a friendship bracelet or some beautiful bangles?

A jar filled with her favorite sweets or beauty products  is also a good choice, as it will show your best friend how well you know her. Home-made soaps or candles are always a good idea, and recently mini terrariums with succulents have become a real DIY hit. Whatever you choose, your bestie is sure to love it as long a you put effort and love into making it. Don’t forget to wrap it nicely to surprise her!

Naturally, you are the one who knows your closest friend’s preferences best, so it is up to you to decide what will make her happy. Nevertheless, we have collected a few suggestions to help you get started. Enjoy!

One of the most popular best friend gift ideas – a personalized photo frame containing your favorite snapshot together

best friend gift ideas, large dark blue or violet frame, decorated with writing in white, containing small photo of two smiling young women

Matching DIY leather pouches for you and your bestie

best friend gift ideas, two handmade leather pouches with zips, decorated with photos, sunglasses and phones with matching covers poking out

Accessories decorated with confetti nail polish are also a great idea

best friend gift ideas, blonde woman holding a pair of white sandals, sunglasses and a wallet, all decorated with confetti nail polish

52 things I love about you – a hand-made booklet, listing all the small quirks that make your best friend special to you

best friend gift ideas, two small handmade booklets, in white and red, bound with metal rings

How about a hand-decorated tea set?

best friend gift ideas, white tea pot and two mugs, decorated with triangular bits of colorful paper, on pale blue tray

Aren’t these kitty bookmarks adorable? Plus, they are very easy to make too!

best friend gift ideas, hand holding open book, decorated with eight bookmarks in different colors, shaped like cats

If you are looking for more bookmark ideas, here is a really cool tutorial:

Different variations of homemade scented soaps – your bestie is sure to love them

gifts for best friends, three handmade soaps in red, orange and pink, tied with a simple string, flower petals and more pink soaps in background

We love this creative stitched photo gift idea! All you need to make a black and white image truly unique is a needle and some colorful thread

gifts for best friends, female hands holding black and white photo, and stitching pink thread onto it

The end result is really cool and eye-catching

gifts for best friends, black frame containing black and white photo, decorated with colorful stitched details, near camel ornament and yellow rose

Slightly different variation of the same idea – 3D floral crowns collage made with fresh flowers

gifts for best friends, black and white photo of two smiling women, heads decorated with 3D collage, made from fresh flowers

Handmade macaroni necklaces – a cute and surprisingly effective DIY project, that’s also suitable for kids

gifts for best friends, two images of macaroni necklaces, one painted turquoise and one painted pink, on thin silver chains

gifts for best friends, close-up of two bracelets, thin gold-colored chains, decorated with colorful pebbles, with the letters BFF and a heart

best friend birthday gifts, female hand decorated with many colorful bracelets, woven friendship bracelets, chain link bangles and two rings

best friend birthday gifts, four bracelets made from wire, decorated with green, pale blue and dark blue, pink sheer stone beads

best friend birthday gifts, three pendants made from colorful jigsaw puzzle pieces, hanging on thin silver chains

If your best friend loves plants, this beautiful DIY succulent terrarium is the perfect gift 

best friend birthday gifts, round glass dish, containing earth and white pebbles, with several different kinds of cacti and succulents planted inside

best friend birthday gifts, flower pot made from three books in pastel blue and pink, tied with string, and containing some planted succulents

best friend birthday gifts, white and yellow table, containing four glass coasters with pressed flowers, surrounded by fresh tulips and hydrangeas

cool gifts for teens, smiling brunette woman, holding a pink balloon and two clear balloons filled with confetti, close up of one of the clear balloon reveals several rolled-up dollar bills inside

Aroma candles in porcelain teacups – one of the most beautiful and elegant best friend gift ideas

best friend christmas gifts, three painted porcelain cups and saucers, containing lit pink candles, on pale blue surface

cool gifts for teens, hand holding abstract card made from polaroid photo, more photos and a paint brush blurred in the background

best friend christmas gifts, five handmade candles, decorated with decoupage, with colorful and black and white patterns

Awesome photo collage, inspired by the Friends TV series

cool gifts for teens, black wooden board, decorated with the logo of the TV series Friends, and a photo collage showing several girls

cool gifts for teens, three ornate pots painted in pale pastel pink, containing a wide variety of make-up brushes

A glass jar filled with a selection of nail care products

best friend christmas gifts, clear glass jar with silver lid and festive label, containing two bottles of nail polish, cream and a small towel

best friend christmas gifts, two images of small glass jar, with and without lid, tied with plain string, containing pale violet sugar scrub, placed near a bunch of lavender

cool gifts for teens, two girls with backs facing the camera, wearing matching best friend t-shirts in black and white, one girl hugging the other

This handmade tablet (or kindle cover) is a really cute and practical present

best friend christmas gifts, black kindle inside a handmade cover, made from floral yellow and plain grey fabric

best friend christmas gifts, black smartphone inside a hand-stitched pocket, made from felt in mustard color, with white and yellow lining, and a flower pin decoration

what to get your best friend for her birthday, small open hand-stitched cream leather purse, heart ornaments, nail polish bottles and earrings pouring out

what to get your best friend for her birthday, clear glass mug, containing tea and a teabag, with handmade heart-shaped green label, more teabags in a box nearby

Making a personalized diary or sketchbook is a great option if you have a creative bestie who loves writing or drawing

what to get your best friend for her birthday, hand-decorated travel journal, with differently textured and colored paper, cutouts and stickers, tied with a ribbon

what to get your best friend for her birthday, large journal with brown leather covers, bound with a leather rope, decorated with colorful writing and small globe drawing

diy gifts for friends, three journals in different sizes, with cardboard covers, decorated with colorful, patterned masking tape and golden lines

diy gifts for friends, handmade pot holder shaped like a heart, made from white fabric with floral trim, placed on a turquoise pot with handles

More best friend gift ideas inspired by Friends

what to get your best friend for her birthday, close up of female hands, holding two white mugs with black writing

what to get your best friend for her birthday, white mug with black writing, and a drawing of a small elephant holding a flower

We love these creative jewelry holders made from old painted bowls

diy gifts for friends, three rice bowls, painted in light pastel pink and violet, inside and out, one with violet and white stripes, another image shows jewelry placed in the bowls

diy gifts for friends, three necklace holders, made from white wooden boards, decorated with colorful stones, several necklaces hanging from the stones

diy gifts for friends, two sets of keys, with handmade leather keyrings, in pale pink and decorated with gold studs, and pink and blue scribbles

diy gifts for friends, black and silver retro camera, attached to a cream colored leather neck strap, hand-decorated with silver sequins

Coasters created from scrabble blocks – a quirky and fun idea you can easily make at home

long distance friendship gifts, coasters made from scrabble letter blocks stuck together, tied with plain string, near more loose tiles, bottom photo shows mug placed on one of the coasters

cool gifts for teens, cardboard wheel decorated with photos, showing smiling teenage girls, attached to it with wooden clips

Memory jar – a thoughtful and beautiful present that will bring a tear to your friend’s eye

hand holding a clear mason jar, with silver lid, filled with colorful bits of paper, tied with simple string, with a white and pink label saying memory in green

If your bestie has a sweet tooth, consider a cute gourmet gift 

mason jar filled with small multicolored marshmallows, with silver lid and white hand-written label, tied with a cream lace bow

open cardboard box, containing plastic bags with ice cream cones, spoons and paper bowls, many different types of ice-cream toppings

close up of open clear jar, filled with sweets and gum in teal wrappers, birthday card attached to jar with glittering silver bow

long distance friendship gifts, black board decorated with white writing, and glittering rhinestones

Small wooden box full of photos – a charming memento your friend will treasure forever

long distance friendship gifts, hand holding string attached to black cardboard with a photo, inside a small wooden box, next photo shows the cardboard unfolding to show more photos

long distance friendship gifts, wooden cutout of the letter M, decorated with photo cutouts and hearts

flower vases painted in pastel pink, pale blue and vivid yellow, a set of three, placed on marble surface, and containing white tulips

Best friend contract – an amusing and creative suggestion

long distance friendship gifts, three note books in pink, green and orange neon colors, cover says best friend contract

hand painted clear glasses, a set of four, with red and yellow, blue white and violet, and multicolored spots

long distance friendship gifts, small booklet made from colorful pieces of paper, bound with a metal keyring, with black writing on the cover

John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.