Raksha Bandhan is a beautiful Indian festival that celebrates the love and bond between siblings. While traditionally, the festival was celebrated by a sister tying a ‘rakhi’ to her brother’s wrist, asking for his protection and wishes for rakhi, modern-day siblings don’t abide by those archaic (and frankly sexist) traditions. Today, siblings celebrate their love for each other by equating lots of mithai, dedicating and singing together some of the famous rakhi songs and showering each other with gifts. And of course, rakhi-tying is involved too, but it’s not specific to sisters and brothers anymore. If you have a sibling and love them endlessly, don’t hesitate to tie a rakhi on their wrist, irrespective of their (or your) gender.
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This year, we challenge you to take your gifting skills to the next level. Anyone can buy something online for their sibling, but nothing’s as special as a handmade surprise. If you’re thinking about handmade rakhis, we’re going to stop you right there, because we all made plenty of them in playschool! We’re gonna help you with some handmade gift ideas for rakhi instead because it’s time you graduated from those handmade rakhis *wink*
Scroll down for some DIY rakhi gifts that are easy and simple to make at home!
Handmade Gifts For Brothers On Rakhi
When we were little, our brothers would get super excited about fancy Rakhis–beads, lights, action figures, the works. They came in all shapes and sizes and our brothers would love them! As they grow older, brothers tend to pay little attention to the rakhi itself and are more excited about the gifts we give them (capitalism, amirite?). And buying a generic perfume won’t do it–DIY Raksha Bandhan gifts for brother will definitely earn you more brownie points.
If you want to make a DIY Rakhi gift for your brother, but don’t know where to begin, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some of our favourite handmade rakhi gifts for brothers:
DIY Ottoman
Who doesn’t love extra seating options? This DIY ottoman made with a tyre will be the perfect quirky addition of your brother’s room and an additional WFH seat! It might look complicated but is actually super easy and fun to make. All you need is a spare tyre (head to a mechanic if you don’t have one lying around), a rope in his favourite colour, colourful fabric for a cushion and some cotton to stuff it with. Here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: Cover the sides of the tyre with the colourful rope.
Step 2: Now staple the cover on each side of the inner circle of the tire and stuff it with cotton.
Step 3: Tightly pull the cover and stick it on the back of the circle.
And voila, your DIY ottoman is ready!
DIY Fridge Magnets
Wouldn’t a picture of you and your brother look adorable on the fridge? Well, what if we told you you can make one yourself instead of paying a bespoke service a lot of money to do it for you? All you need is the photograph (polaroid size would be perfect), some cardboard and some small plain magnets (you can find these online). Once you’ve gathered everything, here’s what you need to do.
Step 1: Stick the pictures onto the cardboard and cut them out (this makes the pictures thicker).
Step 2: Stick the magnet at the back of the picture.
Step 3: Wait for the glue to completely dry.
And that’s it, your DIY fridge magnets are all done.
DIY Lamp
What better gift to give to your brother on Rakhi than something that lights up his world (or at least his room)? This might be very easy to make, but trust us it adds a lovely touch to any room. All you need for this is an old glass bottle–if an empty bottle of your brother’s favourite scotch is lying around, even better! And besides that, you’ll need fairy lights, and any extra decorations you wanna add!
Step 1: Remove all the labels from the bottle.
Step 2: Ask a carpenter to drill a small hole at the bottom of the bottle.
Step 3: Add the fairy lights and take out the plug from the bottom hole.
Step 4: The lamp is ready. Now, get creative. I used glass paint on mine, but you can also add colourful ropes, ribbons, rhinestones, spray paint–the possibilities are endless!
Unleash your creativity on the lamp to make it a truly unique piece–your brother will love it!
DIY Mug
We know, mugs are pretty cliche when it comes to gifting. But not if you customise it for your brother! All you need is a plain white mug (or you can get a solid colour one too if you want a colourful base), a primer, some acrylic paints, a set of brushes and your creativity! Here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: Start by applying primer on the mug as a base.
Step 2: Pick up your paints and brushes and let your creativity loose.
Step 3: And you’re all done! Wrap it up in fancy paper if you want to make it extra special.
Pro Tip: Painting something like an inside joke will make him love it even more! Mugs that say ‘world’s best brother’ are so passé.
DIY Coasters
If you’ve been annoyed by your brother leaving cups and glasses all over your house leaving stains, this is the perfect gift for him (and the rest of the family will thank you *wink*). All you need is wooden squares (you can buy these from a carpenter), some wood polish and some paints.
Step 1: Brush polish over all the slabs to get rid of any splinters.
Step 2: Use your paints to make geometric shapes (they’re my favourite and easy to do!) or you could make whatever design you want.
Step 3: Let the paint dry and finish with another coat of polish. Set aside to completely dry.
And your coasters are ready!
Handmade Rakhi Gifts For Sister
Traditionally, Raksha Bandhan was a festival in which only women were at the receiving end of gifts because they didn’t work in those times. While both siblings exchange gifts with each other now, women still remain the star of this festival (at least according to us!). What we’re trying to say is, you don’t want to slack when it comes to giving your sister the perfect gift. So ditch those expensive presents and make this Raksha Bandhan extra special for her by giving her a handmade gift. All out of ideas? Don’t worry, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Here are our top picks for DIY Rakhi gifts for sisters.
DIY Candle
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that women love all things that smell beautiful. And candles don’t only make a room smell good, they’re also a great decor item. The idea of making a candle might seem daunting, but it’s actually quite easy. Here’s what you’ll need: a jar for the wax (you can use a mason jar or a ceramic jar), some wax and wick (you can find this at your local craft store or order them online), and your sister’s favourite essential oils. Now, here’s what you do:
Step 1: Add the wax to a pan and melt it (remember the pan will be a little hard to clean later).
Step 2: While the wax is melting, place the wick in the jar.
Step 3: Add the essential oils to your melted wax. You can also add flower petals.
Step 4: Now, hold the wick straight and carefully pour the melted wax into the jar. Set aside to completely cool.
Wasn’t that easy? You can also paint and decorate the candle jar if you want to go all out!
DIY Bookmark
If your sister is a bibliophile, this is the perfect present for her. All you need to make this is A4 size watercolour sheets, some paint and your creativity. Here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: Take an A4 size sheet, and cut it into as many four-inch strips as you can. These strips are your bookmarks.
Step 2: Keeping your sister’s tastes in mind, paint something she likes (could be a favourite movie, book, makeup, quote–anything!).
Step 3: This is optional, but you can also punch a hole at the top and add a ribbon to it.
Step 4: If you want, you can also choose to laminate it.
Step 5: Repeat the process with other bookmarks. You don’t want to give her just one, do you?
And there it is, the perfect gift for a book lover!
DIY Gift Basket
Okay, this may seem like cheating because you’ll have to buy products, but we think it’s the best of both worlds! And this way, you can give her multiple things that she likes! Once you decide on the products you want to give her (books, makeup, coffee, chocolates, clothes, gadgets etc), you’ll need a few more things: a cane basket, some satin cloth and a ribbon.
Step 1: Take the cane basket and neatly spread out the satin fabric on the bottom.
Step 2: Beautifully arrange the products in the basket. You can use double-sided take if you want them to stick.
Step 3: Cover the basket and tie a bow on top.
Trust us, your sister’s going to love this one.
DIY Flower Vase
The Twenty One
It’s 2020, and women no longer wait for a man to buy flowers for them. If your sister loves freshly-cut flowers by her bedside or on her table, why not make her a beautiful vase? This is super easy to make and the result is beautiful. You’ll need a plain glass cylindrical container, some craft tape and some gold spray paint.
Step 1: Put the tape around the vase, covering the areas you don’t want to be painted.
Step 2: Spray paint the entire vase (be careful not to spray paint inside the vase).
Step 3: Let it dry for a few hours.
Step 4: Once completely dry, remove the tape.
And you’re done! The vase will have beautiful swirls of gold and this will look good with any type or colour of flowers!
DIY Body Scrub
Why buy your sister expensive products when you can make them at home? A body scrub is found in every girl’s vanity as it exfoliates the skin, and you can make her an organic one with all natural ingredients. You’ll need: 1.5 cups of plain white sugar, 1/4 cup of baby oil, 12 rose petals (that haven’t been treated with chemicals), a food processor, a pretty jar. Once you’ve gathered the ingredients, here’s what you need to do:
Step1: Place the sugar, oil, and rose petals into a food processor.
Step 2: Blend everything together until the desired consistency is reached.
Step 3: Add more or less sugar and oil depending on texture preference.
Step 4: Once you get the desired texture, add the contents to the jar and fasten the lid.
Not only does this scrub look beautiful, but it also smells like a dream!
So, which one of these Raksha Bandhan handmade gifts are you going to try?
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Featured Image: Pinterest
