10 of the Best Last Minute Gift Ideas Pinterest Has to Offer

Pinterest is our go-to spot for thoughtful and creative gift ideas, and it has been for over a decade. Whether you need the perfect recipe to wow your dinner guests or a sweet DIY to woo your long-distance love, a DIY birthday gift for your bestie or hilarious gag gift, Pinterest has thousands of ideas. Which makes narrowing them down to the most do-able options difficult.

But don’t worry, we’ve done the legwork for you. If you need a truly last minute gift idea that you can pull off with the stuff you have in your craft closet – or maybe one trip to the store, tops – we’ve got you covered. Here’s a sneak peek at the best of Pinterest we’ve put together for you today:

• Upcycled thrift gifts that will light up their darkest days
• Thoughtful photo gifts that anyone would love to have on their desk
• Practical gifts they’ll put to good use right away

And that’s just the preview. It’s a lot to get through, so let’s jump right in!

1 - Text a Digital Gift Card

Let Them Choose Whatever They’d Like From Their Favorite Brand

Text or email a digital gift card in just a few clicks

Gift cards sometimes get a bad reputation as a lazy or thoughtless gift, but the fact of the matter is that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Consumer research studies have shown that many people would actually prefer to receive a gift card over a physical gift. After all, they can save it for a rainy day or use it the minute they get it – and they’re sure to walk away with something they really want or need.

And thanks to the wonders of technology, gift cards don’t have to be cold and impersonal anymore. GiftYa digital gift cards can be customized with a photo or video and a personal message in just a few clicks. The catalog includes thousands of local and national brands, so you’re sure to find something that even the pickiest person will love.

Not sure where to start? Consider a couple of these options for last minute designer gifts in our catalog:

• Send an Shutterfly gift card so that they can transform their precious memories into beautiful photo keepsakes they’ll cherish for years to come
• Text a Michaels gift card so they can bring their favorite Pin to life next time they see something on Pinterest that catches their interest
• Share a Painting with a Twist gift card to help them unleash their creativity on their own or with friends for a fun night out

Not feeling the digital options? You can always customize a physical Visa gift card with Gift Card Granny’s build a card feature, too. Just choose a photo of one of your favorite memories together for the front, add a personal message, and a physical card is on its way. Custom Visa and Mastercard gifts typically print same day and ship out the following day, so your order will be headed to its recipient as soon as possible.

2 - DIY Teacup Candle

A Cute, One of a Kind Upcycled “Thrift Gift”

Candles make great gifts – after all, who wouldn’t want their whole house or apartment to smell amazing? But if just picking up their favorite scent from Yankee Candle or Bath & Body Works isn’t cutting it this time, it might be time to get creative and try out this DIY candle idea.

What you’ll need: A cute vintage teacup or two from your local thrift store, an old candle you can repurpose (or wax pellets, food coloring, and essential oil from your local craft store), and wicks (also from your local craft store)

What you’ll do: 

Start by melting down your chosen wax in a pot you don’t mind getting waxy. Getting the wax off of a pot is easy enough with boiling water or an oven, but it might leave your pot out of commission for a day or two until you get around to cleaning it.

While the wax is melting, tie your wick to a pencil or another rod that can stretch across the top of your tea cup. Make sure the small metal base plate is touching the bottom of your teacup. A word to the wise, these little plates are not that heavy and might drift up when you pour the wax in, leaving you with a tilted wick. Drop in a small weight – a tiny crystal is a great aesthetic option – to hold the plate down.

Next, simply pour in your wax! If you’d like to decorate the top of the candle with glitter, crystals, or anything else, wait for the wax to be almost solid. Also, avoid putting anything too close to the wick, as it might affect the candle’s ability to burn smoothly.

Once it’s cooled – at least an hour – trim the extra wick, and viola! You’ve got a beautifully crafted Pinterest gift on your hands.

3 - Get Creative with Cold, Hard Cash

Spending Money for College, Nights Out, Their House Fund, or Whatever Else They Might Be Saving For… But Make It Cute

Cash is always appreciated, but handing someone a stack of bills feels kind of impersonal, no? Give the gift of cold hard cash a little bit of warmth and personality when you try your hand at money origami. 

What you’ll need: Cash. Lottery scratchers and other props optional. And of course, some creativity!

What you’ll do: Start out by brainstorming what kind of creation you’d like to make. The money pizza above should be pretty easy to assemble, but you can show off your advanced origami skills with money swans or simply prove that money does grow on trees. The possibilities are endless.

4 - Pressed Flower Candles

Perfect for the Cottagecore Queen or New Homeowner in Your Life

Big candles are great because they burn for hours before having to be replaced, but they’re often pretty boring. Dress up some ugly plain candles you have lying around your house with freshly pressed flowers for a Pinterest-approved DIY gift anyone would love to have on their mantle.

What you’ll need: Candle big enough to add details too, a match, a spoon, petals or leaves, wax paper, and an iron

What you’ll do:

The first thing you’ll need to do is press your flowers. To do this, place them between two layers of wax paper and go over them with a few light presses of your iron. 

Next, heat your spoon using the match and place the hot metal against your candle where you’d like the first petal to go. This will make the wax soft and sticky. Press your petal to the softened wax, and use the spoon to smooth down the edges. 

5 - Cute, Customized Tea Bags

We’re Spilling the Tea About This Adorable Pinterest Gift

Want to give a thoughtful gift to the tea lover in your life? Give them their own custom tea bags! You don’t even have to be a tea expert yourself – stop into your local tea exchange or even just pick up a few options from the grocery store, and you’ll be all set.

What you’ll need: A few tea blends that sound tasty, coffee filters or cheese cloth, string (embroidery yarn works great!), and some colorful paper

What you’ll do: Carefully scoop your tea into small squares of cheesecloth. Gather the top, and tie it tightly so no tea escapes. Use the colored paper to make tags – and a key! – indicating what type of tea is in each bag.

6 - DIY Photo Carousel

Perfect for Friends Who Have Been Around the Block With You Once or Twice

Got tons of pictures with you and your gift recipient? Selfies at concerts, pictures from casual hangouts, records of your greatest adventures? Then preserver them with a thoughtful DIY display, like this adorable working photo carousel.

What you’ll need: Popsicle sticks, cardboard, scissors, hot glue, thin wooden dowel rods, photos.

What you’ll do: Use the popsicle sticks to assemble your carousel frame. The video above gives a great step-by-step demonstration!

7 - Pretty Pitcher

Practical But Pretty Gift for Foodies, Chefs, or Even Simply a Housewarming Gift

Sometimes practical gifts are the best gifts, especially if you know how to dress them up. This one’s a great option for a summertime gift or a gift for someone who spends a lot of time in their kitchen.

What you’ll need: Large glass pitcher and some aesthetic kitchen supplies to put in it

What you’ll do: Simple enough! Just arrange your gifts in the pitcher. We love the example above, which contains everything the recipient might need to make some lemonade. Fresh lemons brighten up the arrangement, olivewood spoons are great utensils to have on hand, and a kitchen towel for messes ties it all together.

8 - Themed Gift Basket

But Your Charcuterie Skills to Good Use Making a Fun Themed Basket

Creative themed charcuterie and cocktail parties have been all the rage lately – so why not put those skills to use making a cute gift basket, too? Just gather lots of mini gifts and arrange them on a tray or in a box, and that’s all there is to it.

What you’ll need: Depends on your theme!

What you’ll do: Arrange your items however you see fit.

9 - Romantic Map Art

Perfect DIY Gift for a Best Friend, Spouse, or S.O.

This one has to be one of our favorite sentimental DIYs. It highlights all of the places that are important to you and your loved one, all in one nice frame.

What you’ll need: Maps of places that are important to your relationship, mini clothespins, hot glue, burlap/gift wrap/scrapbook paper

What you’ll do: 

Create a heart-shaped stencil using scrap paper or cardboard. Use it to outline a heart around each of your map spots, and cut them out.

Next, prep your frame. Hot glue your background material down, and hot glue your mini clothes and labels in place.

Finally, just clip the hearts into their spots!

10 - DIY Photo Playing Cards

Show off 52 Of Your Favorite Photos from Your Adventures

Having a deck of cards around is always helpful – after all, it gives you an easy activity for parties, evenings in, or anytime the internet is on the fritz. So why not treat someone you know to a customized set of cards?

What you’ll need: Playing cards, photos

What you’ll do: Size the photos to fit the center of your playing card, and glue them down. Alternatively, you can edit the photos onto playing cards using computer software and print the whole thing at once. Be sure to choose a thicker paper if you go this route so the cards don’t bend and break to easily!

There you have it - the best last minute gift ideas Pinterest has to offer.

We hope these ideas have inspired you to get creative. If you’re shopping too last minute to pull off one of the Pinterest-inspired ideas above, be sure to check out the GiftYa catalog – with gift cards to thousands of local and national brands that can be sent out by text or email in seconds, it’s a lifesafer for truly last minute shopping. Good luck!

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