Christmas is all about showing you care – and there’s no better way than with your own homemade Christmas gifts. Let your imagination take flight this festive season and get crafty with quirky and innovative DIY presents. Ideal for people who are conscious of the planet and their wallet, homemade gifts prove creativity is a resource that’s always in plentiful supply. Here are a few of the best Berlin shops to pick up supplies and tips on getting out of your creative comfort zone this Christmas.
Tip 1: Say it with clay with ceramics from de Hoog pottery studio
Add a personal touch to your Christmas presents this year – literally – and make your own handmade ceramic pottery at de Hoog. Run by Verena de Hoog, a contemporary ceramic artist, this studio in hip Friedrichshain is the ideal place to get behind the pottery wheel for the first time or perfect your skills by the kiln. The studio offers a busy calendar of regular classes and workshops for amateur and experienced potters alike. Take inspiration from de Hoog’s own stripped-back contemporary style or create a design that’s all your own for the ultimate handmade gift.
Where: Kulmer Str. 20A, Schöneberg
Tip 2: Make the stuff of miracles at Tempelhof temple of creativity Selfmade
Home to workshops, exhibitions, and a vast Stoff&Stil fabric and crafts floor, the Selfmade Store is designed for community, creativity and more. Even the beautiful Baroque building it calls home in Berlin’s Tempelhof district seems to breathe inspiration. Complete with a Fairtrade café and an open ethos promoting creativity for all, Selfmade is the perfect spot to pick up fabric and inspiration for your next project. If you’re looking to sew a lovely gift this Christmas, but don’t have the kit you need to put together a masterpiece, you can stitch up a storm at the six free sewing stations. A Selfmade masterpiece.
Where: Friedrich-Karl Straße 1, Tempelhof
Tip 3: Make magic with materials from Modulor
Do it yourself – and make it yourself: that’s the ethos at Modulor, a modern materials store in Berlin’s iconic Kreuzberg district. The company sells minimalist contemporary furnishings alongside quality sustainable materials cut to measure that you can use to turn your own space into a paradise. If you’ve got a loved one who loves their home office and you fancy sprucing up their space as a special surprise, head to Modulor for the finest materials to make it happen.
Where: Prinzenstraße 85, Kreuzberg
Tip 4: Making candles with twinkling lights and fire & flame
Candles are as much a part of Christmas as the scent of biscuits and pine needles. At Lichterglanz and Feuer & Flamme you can try out the art of candle making for yourself. And it really is child's play!
In the dipping process, you dip the wick into hot wax again and again. This creates your candle layer by layer. If you don't have that much time, you can also start with a pre-made blank. Alternatively, at Lichterglanz you can also mould candles into different shapes, decorate candles or make wax bowls or lanterns. Please register by calling 030 43 77 98 30
During the two-hour workshop at Feuer & Flamme, you will make a total of four candles, as one pair always has to cool down. Of course, you can also make more candles. For your own personal candle, you have a choice of different wick lengths and twelve different colours, which you can also mix. Registration is required by calling 0151 508 111 49.
Where: Lichterglanz, Räuschstraße 17A, Reinickendorf | Feuer& Flamme, Chodowieckistraße 2, Prenzlauer Berg
Tip 5: Get creative at Paint Your Style
Paint Your Style in Berlin is the perfect place to design creative Christmas gifts. You can choose the right ceramic blank for your project from a large selection and personalise it with your own paint. From mugs to jewellery bowls, pretty much everything is available. Ideal for making your loved ones happy with personalised and handmade gifts for Christmas. While painting, you can cosy up with a warm drink and create something unique.
Where: Schönhauser Allee 88, Prenzlauer Berg, also in Kreuzberg, Charlottenburg, Friedrichshain, Köpenick, Schöneberg und Zehlendorf
Tip 6: Put your own stamp on the festive season at Stempelbar
A Berlin crafting institution, Stempelbar is a stamp and scrapbooking emporium in Charlottenburg. Founded in the 1990s with a focus on the art of creative stamps and stampmaking, it sealed the deal on its success in the early 2000s with a move into the newly popular art of scrapbooking. Pick up a stamp with a quirky message or motif and use it to decorate your Christmas cards, envelopes and wrapping paper, or rummage through their craft materials to find everything you need to create a wonderful scrapbook of memories for a friend or loved one – another way to put your personal stamp on a gift they’ll love.
Where: Weimarer Straße 17, Charlottenburg
Tip 7: Get a bead on jewellery-making at Takaay
At Takaay Perlen - Atelier you will find an impressive selection of beads and jewellery accessories to make individual creations - from bracelets to necklaces. A wonderful address for anyone who wants to create personalised Christmas gifts. The studio offers the perfect opportunity to give unique and handmade gifts for Christmas. The loving advice will inspire and support you in realising your ideas.
Where: Hobrechtstraße 25, Kreuzberg
Tip 8: Visit crafting experts at Hobbyshop Wilhelm Rüther
Originally based in Schöneberg and now expanding across the city, old-school craft supplies store Hobbyshop Wilhelm Rüther has all the tools and materials you need to make your customised Christmas gifts sing. From colourful arts supplies to practical tools, their range is as vast as their expertise. If you’ve got the vision but can’t yet get your creative vision it off the ground, chat to the friendly team – who are also on hand to fix dyed silk scarves or fire your ceramics in their own kiln.
Where: Goltzstraße 37, Schöneberg, with branches in Spandau, Tegel and Prenzlauer Berg
Tip 9: Find the perfect materials at Peters Art
You can find colours, brushes, painting surfaces, drawing materials and much more at Peters Art Shop. Everything you need for a creative Christmas project. There is a large selection here to create unique Christmas gifts. You can find the right materials for Christmas craft and art projects here. Also you can get personalised advice in the shop to help you find the right materials. Whether it's handmade cards, decorations or personalised gift ideas.
Where: Gottschedstraße 26, Wedding
Tip 10: Bind your own books at the Friedrichshagen paper workshop
You can find beautiful things made from paper and cardboard at the Friedrichshagen paper worksho (Papierwerkstatt Friedrichshagen). But that's not all. The old art of bookbinding is still practised in the paper workshop, and some valuable old books have already been given a new spine or cover here. There are also workshops on the subject of bookbinding, where you can learn step by step how to create your own personalised book.
Where: Aßmannstraße 58, 12587 Berlin, Treptow-Köpenick
Friedrichshagen Paper Workshop
Papierwerkstatt Friedrichshagen
Tip 11: Warm up their winter with wool from Wolle Rödel
There’s nothing more comforting than winter woollens – they make the perfect festive gift. If you’re getting ready to knit a festive hit, head to Wolle Rödel, where wool is the game (it‘s all in the name!). This emporium for hobby knitters is the perfect spot to pick up everything you need to make cosy gifts for winter nights – with yarns including magnificent mohair, merino, alpaca, cashmere and much more.
Where: Joachimsthaler Straße 41, Charlottenburg
