DIY Holiday Gifts for Pet Lovers

The best gifts come from the heart, so throw on your art smock and roll up your sleeves as you try your crafting hand our DIY gifts for dog lovers and cat lovers alike. These DIY gift ideas are paw-fect for the pooch in your life or to show a little extra cat love. These cute and easy DIY pet crafts make unique Christmas gifts for animal lovers that your fellow pet parents will surely adore and treasure throughout the holiday season.

• Modeling compound
• Mini chalkboard pick
• Chalk marker
• Straw
• Twine
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Cardboard

1. Shape some modeling compound into a circle, star, heart or any shape you’d like, about a 1/2 inch high and about twice as large as the size of your pet’s paw pad.
2. Place it onto a piece of cardboard (hint: empty Chewy boxes). Do not press down.
3. Gently place your own pet’s clean paw (or the paw of your friend’s pet, if you’re making a gift) onto the modeling compound and press just enough to get a print.

4. Using a clean straw, make two holes in the pliable compound away from the paw print on the upper right- and left-hand corners.

5. Write the pet’s name on the mini chalkboard pick using a chalk marker.

6. Insert the mini chalkboard pick into the top of the modeling compound shape.

7. Allow the paw print to dry for 72 hours.
8. Paint the inside of the paw print to match your, or your lucky gift recipient’s, favorite color.

9. Weave the twine into the holes of the dried print, one at a time, tying off as you go.
10. Wrap as a gift, hang on a holiday tree for decoration, or hang your paw print ornament on a holiday wreath—another fun DIY project for pet lovers.

• 2 same-size pieces of cardboard
• Scissors
• Pet photo that a dog lover or cat lover is sure to love
• Glue stick
• Scrapbook paper
• Stickers

1. In the middle of one of the pieces of cardboard, cut out a rectangle slightly smaller than the size of your photo to form a border. Set this cut-out piece aside.

2. Cut scrapbook paper to the same size and shape as the rectangular cardboard border.
3. Glue the scrapbook paper border onto the cardboard border.

4. Glue the photo into the center of the uncut piece of cardboard.
5. Glue the two pieces of cardboard together—ensuring that the photo is visible through the border and that the scrapbook paper side is on top.
6. Decorate the scrapbook paper border with stickers to complement your fellow dog lover’s personality or fellow cat lover’s.

7. Take the cardboard rectangle that was originally cut out to form the border, and bend it to form a stand for the frame.
8. Glue the stand onto the back of the frame.

9. Display your DIY gift for dog lovers or show off your cat love for the world to see!

These easy-to-follow tutorials make the perfect Christmas gifts for animal lovers. Decorate to fit your pets’ personalities or use your own favorite colors and patterns for a personalized gift to remind you of your favorite four-legged friend.