It's one of the top ideas for new start up businesses, and it's the best way of sourcing unique jewellery at a fraction of the price you find in high street stores, so if you want to make your own jewellery, where is the best place to look? Good news is most independent jewellery making suppliers source the same charms as high street stores, meaning you can most likely find the bits and pieces to reproduce any jewellery you find on the high street if you have a good look around on the web. One of the top sources is eBay, where Chinese manufacturers sell their charms in bulk. A good tip is to contact these sellers if you are looking for something in particular as most will do commissioned designs if you fancy yourself as a jewellery designer; or if you are looking to become a business you can negotiate a great wholesale price. Don't forget to purchase some grip seal bags to store your jewellery findings safely!

(Image from Savage Attic)
Another great idea, if you are looking to make jewellery unlike any other, is to source some salvaged lots of broken and odd vintage jewellery. Etsy seller Savage Attic has that covered; they regularly update their listing with a lot of great finds, and save you the effort of trawling through antiques shops. 

If you're looking to make personalised jewellery you can purchase a stamping kit; think of it as a much quicker way of writing a personal message on your jewellery than engraving. You can use this kit of silver clay or any other sort of modelling clay to create jewellery made from interesting and unique materials. 

Finally my favourite idea for jewellery making is to source some adorable Kawaii charms. These doughnuts are from Evez Beadz and would make a great charm bracelet or bag charm. People are very tempted by cute things, so making incredibly sweet jewellery is a great market to be in. You can also find chocolates, marshmallows, strawberries and lollypops on Etsy, so search for Kawaii for some inspiration. 

It seems the high street has given up, so it's no surprise we've all turned to DIY fashion to express our personal style without the constraints of money and trends. Making your own clothes is a great way of obtaining fashion suited for your figure, it's especially hard to find fashionable ladies plus size dresses or good tailoring for petite girls, and you can have full control of colours, shape and fabrics by making your own clothes, it means you can always pick what flatters you best.

P.S I Made This is an excellent resounce for DIY fashion inspiration, it is regularly updated with new and exciting tutorials that are often very cheap and extremely easy to make. You can find out how to make anything from this tank top emblazoned with metallic safety pins, to a sequin applique belt.

So, we're in a recession and we have a tight hold of our money and an unwillingness to let go of it, so how do we still spoil the people we love in the season of giving, excess and extravagance? The key is to replacing cost with hard work and making our own homemade gifts to give away. It takes a little longer, but the satisfaction of giving away a present that will really be appreciated for the thought that went into making it.
Best of all you can batch produce one craft and you have the control to make everyone their own favourite colour in what you have made, and add any extra personalization. When all wrapped up with lovely hand printed wrapping paper, it'll make your Christmases if anything, more special.

1. Homemade Lipgloss

This lovely delicate tutorial from Torie Jayne is for how to make strawberry sparkle lip gloss, the perfect gift for Christmas day to glam up your party look. The colour is added to this mix with lipstick shavings, so you can make it any colour you can find to flatter your friends. Try adding different scents and colours of glitter for some really unique make-up you can't find on the high street.

2. Painted Tote Bags

Are you a dab hand with a paint brush? Then you can create this present from Amusing no problem. Even if you're not great at sewing nothing can be much easier to make than a tote bag. Just grab some fabric paint, you can purchase festive glitter paints and metallics from dylon now, and get creative. Anything from a simple graphic in the centre to a work of art can look good, and canvas fabric is super easy to paint on to.

3.Handmade Vintage Bookmarks

For the bookworm in your life look to The Vintage Lemon for a beautiful tutorial on how to make a bookmark that will last and always look lovely. Help them throw away the crumpled piece of paper they have been using, and save the corners of the classic book from being folded, you can churn out an impressive amount of these during a night in by the fire, so they're a great simple gift to keep in for any unexpected visitors.

4. DIY Coasters

Ok, this tutorial was designed for wedding favours but surely coasters are a great gift idea when drinks are one of the biggest parts of christmas, i'm not just talking about tipples, who could say no to these coasters made from your favourite fabric, wrapped up in a hamper with a beautiful hot chocolate mug and some handmade biscuits? You can find the How-to at Bayside Bride.

5. Cup Cozies

Keep your mittens warm but your hands protected from the burns of toastie hot drinks with these woolen cup cozies, they're a great accessory for the winter and would make a great accompaniment to the increasingly popular ceramic take away cups. Add charms or pom-pom trimming for a really festive look. The tutorial is from Simply Notable.