The Christmas season is upon us, and so is our budget number-crunching. If you’re looking for an inexpensive DIY Christmas gift idea, look no further. These handmade mason jar lid wreaths are easy to make, customizable for that special someone (or family) in your life, and simplistically beautiful. Give one wreath away or make an entire set to give away; the possibilities for gift-giving with this idea are endless.

Note: Although these DIY wreaths are extremely easy to make, they do take some time. So get comfortable, get Netflix in view, and get going!

DIY Level: Beginner

Giftability: Very high, although you’ll probably end up making double to keep some for yourself

Materials you’ll need for these homemade Christmas gifts:

Mason jar lids (technically they are rings, but I’m calling them lids), any size or conditionHot glue gun + sticksFishing lineVarious wrapping materials, such as: yarn, twine, string, thread, etc.

How to reuse the Mason jar lids and use them as Christmas Gifts:

Step 1: Attach the hook

Before you start wrapping your mason jar lid, you’ll want to prepare and attach a fishing line loop to serve as the wreath’s hook. Loop and tie a knot in the fishing line so the loop is about 2” tall, or whatever length feels good to you.

Step 2: Add glue

Next, stick a small dab of glue on the outside edge of your lid, and place the knot there. Spread the fishing line ends out in opposite directions so they line up with the lid edges. Hold it until it’s secure, just a few seconds.

Lay a thin line of hot glue down the sides of your lid to hold the fishing line ends in place. Secure these, one fishing line end on each side of the ring.

Step 3: Start to wrap

There are various ways to wrap your lids. One method I liked, because it really sandwiched the fishing line loop and kept it in place, is as follows: hot glue the end of your string/twine/whatever (I’ll just call it string from here on out, no matter what you’re using or what the photos show) perpendicular to the lid’s edge on the INSIDE of the ring.

Wrap your string once around the outside of the lid, right next to the knot spot.

Wrap the string a second time around the lid, this time on the other side of the knot spot.

Continue wrapping around the lid, working outward (away from the knot) from this second wrapping. You can see here that the knot is now centered between two wrappings.

Step 3: Keep it tight

Continue to wrap your string around the lid, keeping it tight against the string before it. You want no space between each string wrap, so periodically (every fourth or fifth wrap) you might want to squeeze what you’ve wrapped together before moving on.

Around and around you’ll go, keeping the strings tight and close together and flush with each other – don’t let them cross, or it will look sloppy. When you get all the way around the mason jar lid, back to the fishing line loop, it’s time to finish it off. Keeping the string pulled taut, cut the string on the inside of your lid (on the edge).

Make a little groove between the other strings for this last bit.

Holding the string tightly, pull it back so you can run a thin bead of hot glue into that groove you just made.

Quickly lay the string end down on that thin bead of hot glue. You can use something pointy, like the tip of your closed scissors, to press the string into the glue and hold it there for a few seconds until it’s secure.

Done! How simple was that?

Working with thicker and thinner “strings” each have their own benefits. This jute rope is fairly thick, and I love the look. Thicker string means fewer wraps, which means a faster wreath-finishing time. However, this thicker rope is also stiff, so it’s a little harder to work with. The methods are the same, though, for whatever “string” you choose to use.

I love the textured, almost rustic look of this rope lid.

A thinner jute twine was used for this wreath, and it turned out sweet as well.

Of course, you can decorate your wreaths any way you like – add bows, glitter, leaves, whatever. I wanted to keep a minimal look and feel to these wreaths, so I altered the wrapping mediums to bring variation but kept them free of extra accessories for a cleaner look.

How to make color block designs

I thought a peppermint-themed color blocked wreath would still have a warm but contemporary vibe, but that’s as fancy as I got. Here’s how to make a striped Christmas wreath like this one with yarn relatively efficiently.

Start by gluing both ends of your yarn (or however many colors of yarn you’re using) perpendicular on the back side of your lid, just like you’ve done on the other lids.

Choose which color you want to start with, and do two wraps to flank the fishing line loop, just like you’ve done before as well.

Now, keeping ColorB in place (in the groove on the inside of your mason jar lid), continue wrapping ColorA as far as you want your stripe to be. You should be wrapping over the ColorB strand so it’s not visible. When you finish ColorA’s stripe, hook it once with ColorB (which is visible only from the groove inside the lid), to kind of hold it in place.

Then begin wrapping ColorB. ColorA will now be in the groove underneath ColorB’s wrapping. Continue alternating this way all the way around your lid, being sure that the color not being used for wrapping stays invisible underneath the color that is being wrapped.

When beginning your final stripe, hook the two yarns together and continue for about three or four wraps. At this point, lay a thin line of hot glue in the groove, and attach whatever color is not being wrapped for this final stripe. Cut this yarn at the end of your hot glue line. Continue wrapping your final stripe color, then finish off the wreath the same way you’ve finished off the others (cutting the string on the inside, making a groove, laying a thin line of hot glue, and securing it in place).

The peppermint striping sounds complicated, I know, but it’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

You’re done! You’ve completed a bunch of beautiful, thoughtful gifts for family and friends.

I love how these wreaths really and truly can be customized to match any style. Have a friend who loves sparkle? Get some metallic yarn. Farmhouse? Go for jute twine or unbleached cotton string. Contemporary? Simple yarn in classic colors.

So many possibilities are what make this DIY project fun. You can really create something special for the people you love.

And, even better, this DIY Christmas wreath project can cost you nothing, if you use scraps you’ve already got on hand.

A gift that they’ll love that costs nothing?!? That, my friends, is practically a Christmas miracle.

We hope you enjoy making and giving yourDIY mason jar lid wreaths!

Merry Christmas or happy gift-giving holidays in whatever form you choose to celebrate. May you find joy in the giving.