DIY Graduation Gift Ideas

You’ll love these DIY graduation gift ideas. Find the perfect graduation gift for that special graduate in your life and give a memorable, handmade gift to celebrate a milestone!

It’s graduation season. Have your local schools held graduation yet? Ours will very soon, so I thought I’d put together a list of DIY graduation ideas to get your gift-giving juices flowing. Celebrate the graduate with a thoughtful and fun handmade gift.

Give your graduate a candy bar lei to wear during the graduation ceremony. There’s also instructions on how to add money to the candy bar lei.

1. Candy Bar Lei

Here’s another method for making a candy lei:

Candy Necklace Lei

Every grad appreciates a gift card. Give it in style with this printable taco gift card holder. Hilarious!

2. Taco Gift Card Holder

Graduation is a time to look to the future. Remind your grad of all the good things to come with this cute personalized mug.

3. Adventure Awaits Mug

Cash is the best gift, but no need to give it in a boring way. I love this clever light bulb gift!

4. Light Bulb Cash Holder

Or give your graduate a variety of candy and maybe a little cash too in this cute bottle gift.

5. Gift Bottle Set 

A journal is such a great gift for graduation. Talk about a time in life you’ll always want to remember!

6. Journal 

This is the cutest idea to fill a two liter soda bottle full of cash and gifts and confetti and Kim has a clever way of getting all that in there. Plus there’s a printable label to go around the bottle. Customize with school colors and you’re all set!

7. Magic Soda Bottle Full of Cash

This change jar is perfect for graduates heading to college. Those quarters will come in handy at the laundromat.

8. Hard Work Change Jar 

Is your graduate leaving the state? This gift would remind them of home.

9. Framed State 

The umbrella is handy and the cash is much appreciated.

10. Rainy Day Cash

Your graduate probably has a bunch of shirts from high school, especially if they were involved in extracurricular activities. Turn them into a quilt full of memories!

11. T-Shirt Quilt 

Can you really ever have too many cute ideas for giving cash? I love this pizza box idea!

12. Pizza Dough 

Whether they use it in college classes or just write down grocery lists, every grad can use a cute notebook.

13. Graduation Notebook 

Emergency money… they’re probably going to need it!

14. Emergency Money 

Love this graduation jar and the saying that goes with it.

15. Graduation Jar 

Make a money lei they can wear during the graduation ceremony!

16. Money Lei 

I love a good pun and this one would be a perfect gift if you have a big group of grads to find gifts for.

17. AW-some Rootbeer

Wrap up a giant candy bar and bam… cute graduation gift idea!

18. Giant Candy Bar Wrapper

This quote from Dr. Seuss is a classic for a graduation gift.

19. Oh The Places You’ll Go Frame 

Gather favorite photos and send them off with your graduate so they’ll think of home often.

20. Mini Photo Album

Who wouldn’t want this candy topiary?! I would have been the most popular girl in the dorms if I had shown up with a candy tree!

21. Candy Topiary

Another great and classic gift for any occasion is a candy bouquet. I love how they used a mug as the base for this one.

22. Candy Bouquet

Give the graduate custom luggage tags… and slip them a gift card or cash too.

23. Travel ID Cash

This is such a clever gift. Fill each pocked of a hanging organizer with college essentials like laundry quarters, gift cards, pens, Tide pens, and whatever else a college kid might need.

24. College Survival Kit

Or fill a water bottle with quarters. Both are super useful when you’re living in the dorms!

25. Water Bottle Full Of Quarters

Another good punny gift is this laundry gift idea.

26. Laundry Gift

Make a wreath out of gift cards, encouraging notes and cold, hard cash.

27. Graduation Wreath

Save that tassel and display it next to a photo from graduation day. This would also make a great graduation party decoration.

28. Tassel Frame

Who wouldn’t want a party-in-a-box? Such a fun gift idea!

29. Party In a Box

You can never have too many tumblers in my opinion and their so fun to give as gifts. Fill them with a few treats, a pack of gum, a gift card, or whatever, and you have a perfect gift for any occasion!

30. Tumblers

If your graduate plays the guitar or is musical, you could make this awesome candy bar guitar. It’s so super cool!

31. Candy Bar Guitar

I hope this fun list has helped you come up with a creative handmade graduation gift idea. Happy crafting!