Money is tight this year, which is why I’m happy to have my Glowforge Aura to help me make personalized gifts for family and friends with very little cost involved. This year, it’s been a fun mix of ornaments, keychains, and other small knick-knacks. What else is there to make though? Here are my top 10 favorite files that you can make with the Glowforge Aura this holiday season. If you have a Glowforge premium subscription, all the files in this post are included. If you don’t, there will be some small cost for purchasing the file.
- Money Puzzle – This is probably one of my favorite things I’ve made this year. The Christmas tree money puzzle by Glowforge user Laura Gray@PupYouUp_Designs is a fun puzzle that holds the recipient’s holiday cash. You can set it to one of 16 combinations for them to figure out, which means it’s great for repeating. I painted mine with some acrylic paint to stand out (and painting the puzzle pieces helped me remember what combination I set).
- Keychains – Keychains are one of the first projects available to you when you set up your Glowforge. With the unbelievable amount of ways to personalize them, and since everyone has at least one key in their life, keychains are a great way to personalize their keyring. The motel keychains are trending right now, and I made a Rain World one for my son in red acrylic.
- Earrings – In my first Glowforge post I mentioned how I was making a lot of earrings, and it was no joke. Earrings are easy, require only a few additional supplies, and can be personalized to the individual’s hobbies or style.
- Photo Engraving – Engrave your favorite photo in wood for a loved one. While you are at it, make sure to make a stand to go with it. I did this of my pup Bakster Stockman, and it turned out super cute. You can make these a standalone image or turn them into a keychain, ornament, or even put it on a thinner piece of material for a bookmark.
- Bookmark – There are plenty of bookmarks available in the Glowforge database. My favorite ones are the ones that take 20 minutes or less to cut, including these fun shapes by Kathryn VanHorn. I’ve made the turtle and the fish, and they turned out great.
- Ornaments – Nothing says the holidays like ornaments to hang on the tree or around the house. Get your favorite color acrylic and some paint pens, or your favorite kind of wood and some ribbon, and print personalized ornaments. This year, I used this Jurassic Park ornament file from Etsy for my grandmother, and I used this really great SVG from Etsy for the rest of my family. I also customized a Sudoku for my grandfather.
- Bubble Wands – Give the gift of bubbles with custom bubble wands made from acrylic. The Whimsical Boho Bubble Wands by Jeanne Reif @WindsongLaserStudio is a fun addition to any bubble package. Use your favorite acrylic paint pen to color in the engraving or leave it as is.
- Shanghai Rummy Board – The Shanghai Rummy Board by Robin’s Nest is a fun game for up to four people. (For more people, just print more boards.) The rules can be found online, but Robin’s Nest also includes the basic rules so you can print them on the back of the board as well. I love the portability and ease of this one for those holiday car rides. Cut this from wood and use with pegs or from acrylic and use a wipe-off marker to keep score.
- Stanley Cup Customized Toppers – Stanley Cups have become more popular in the past year, and with customized toppers by users like SnowJax Designs, you have plenty of personalization options to make something for all your Stanley Cup fans.
- Journal – Give a custom journal to the writer in your life. Glowforge user Holly Brown has a few designs that are great for the plant lover, or you can make your own with the right template. Don’t own a binding machine? That’s fine. Check out your local office supply store to see if they can bind it for you, or you can pick up this binding machine off Amazon for under $80!
The Glowforge Aura retails for $1,199 and can be purchased from Glowforge’s website, Joann Fabrics, and Michaels. If you purchase from Glowforge using my link, you will get a $50 gift card with your purchase!
Disclaimer: GeekDad was sent a review sample of the Glowforge Aura.
