Major League Baseball season is now in full swing, meaning warm summer months are right around the corner. But no matter what time of year it is, it can sometimes be hard to find practical gifts for the baseball fan in your life — especially those who already have their share of baseball gear or team apparel.

But do-it-yourself gifts are always a good option. With a little creativity, a decent amount of time and not too much money, you can create unique and one-of-a-kind gifts for baseball fans that are practical and will be put to use for years to come. 

Here are three simple DIY gifts for baseball fans even novice craftspeople should be able to pull off. I mean, hey, if you’re a Philadelphia Phillies fan like I am, it may be the only thing you have to look forward to this season.

Baseball Bat Nightstand

The project will take some time, but the basic idea is to slide the baseball bats through the PVC connector to form a three-pronged base for the nightstand. The connector is decorated with burlap and the skins of old baseballs wrapped around foam balls cut in half.

The round piece of wood is decorated to look like a baseball and secured on top of the three legs (bats). The finishing touches are sanding, painting and waxing. To make sanding portion easier, it helps to have a sander that will mount to a stand or workbench.

If you want to customize the nightstand a bit, you could use decorative decals or stencils and paint to add things such as a name or a team logo. If you’re feeling really resourceful, you could have the top portion of the nightstand autographed by your baseball fan’s favorite player.

Home Plate Wall Hanging

For a little more personalization, another option is a decorative wall hanging that looks like home plate.

The main materials needed here are a square foot of chipboard, a piece of scrapbook paper, two ribbons, letters made of more chipboard and colorful paint pens.

The large piece of chipboard and the scrapbook paper are cut to look like home plate. One of the ribbons is attached and used to hang the piece, while burlap ribbon is placed on the completed item for decoration.

The piece can be painted to give it a vintage baseball feel. A basic version of the hanging uses the letters to spell the word “home,” but any other words could be used as well, such as a child’s name or the name of a favorite team.

The beauty of this piece is that it’s simple to make, very affordable and customizable. Also, once you get the hang of it, you can produce the decoration very quickly, meaning you could prepare a number of them and give them as gifts at events such as a child’s birthday party or door prizes at a holiday party.

Baseball-Themed Lamp

This project might be a bit more time-consuming, but the final product is pretty cool looking.

Materials needed include an old baseball mitt, about four old baseballs, a piece of wood to be used as the lamp’s base, and the basic wiring components needed to build a simple lamp.

Holes are drilled in the center of all four baseballs, which are then stacked on a metal rod. The balls are placed on top of the glove, leaving room at the bottom for the lamp wire, and then the glove is attached to the wood base using a staple gun.

The wiring is then run through the baseballs from bottom to top, with a fixture for a light bulb placed on top. A lampshade is added to give the item a completed look.

A plain white or light-colored lampshade is sufficient and helps accentuate the classic baseball feel of the project. Or you could add a little flair and use a lampshade that includes the logo of your baseball fan’s favorite team.

Try any or all of these ideas yourself, or use them as inspiration to create your own baseball-themed gifts. The baseball fan in your life will appreciate them, and you will be appreciated for putting in the DIY effort.