Father's Day Gifts to Make

By Christina VanGinkel

If you enjoy any hobby that involves a craft, instead of buying another necktie or some other gift that your Dad will probably not use for this upcoming Father's Day celebration, why not make him something. As adults, we often think that handcrafted gifts are something we should leave to the kids, but as adults, we actually have the advantage of being able to create something our Dads might actually enjoy and or use. At the same time, with budgets popping up everywhere, while we might like to send our Dad off on a cruise, or some other exotic vacation, the funds most likely are just not realistically there. In addition, if you think that there is nothing you could make that would be any better of a hit than that ill-gotten necktie, think again. Not only are there items you can make that he will appreciate, you might even be able to save a few dollars by making over something you already own.

Custom Designed Frame

If you enjoy painting or creating collages, how about transforming a ho-hum picture frame into something that he would proudly display, on his desk at home or work? To start, find a frame that you might have tucked away because it was looking it's age, or it no longer fit in with the decor of you home or the room you had it displayed in. You might also find something suitable at the local dollar store or thrift shop if you cannot find an old one in need of recycling.

Once you have a frame, decide what theme you are going to aim for when considering how and what to cover it with. If your Dad has a particular interest, you could use that for inspiration, or if you have a favorite hobby or thing you two do together, consider that. Camping, football, fishing, golf, reading, NASCAR, or even going to the movies are all subjects that would be good ideas to start with, if any of them are things your Dad, or you and your Dad like to do together. If you happen to scrapbook or make cards, look through your embellishments to see what you can pilfer for this particular craft. Paper die cuts can also be used. Cover them in enamel or even Modge Podge before applying to the frame so that you will still be able to clean it when it is finished. Pop in a favorite picture of the two of you together, and he will proudly display your gift instead of stuffing it with all the other neckties he has received through the years.

Poetry from the Heart

Write you Dad a poem. Make it as mushy or as funny as he is. Even the most un-poetic person can pen a great poem when they consider the person they are writing it about. No one said every poem has to rhyme either, so if yours does not, so what. Just put your feelings down on paper, or the inside of a blank journal, and on Father's Day, your Dad will know just how much you care about him.

Create a Stepping Stone

If your Dad is the gardening type, or even if he just have a favorite spot in the yard that he likes to hang out after a long day at work, make him a stepping stone. You can pick up a kit to handcraft stepping-stones at most lawn and garden shops and sometimes at craft stores. Once you have the basic supplies, consider how you might personalize it. If he is big into fishing for example, consider embedding a couple splashy looking lures around the edge, minus the hooks. On the other hand, go all out artistically, and create a design with broken pottery or marbles, the flat marbles that are used to line vases or layer the bottom of fish tanks with work great too.

Whatever you decide to give your Dad this upcoming Father's Day will surely be welcome, but before you spend a ton of cash for something he really cannot use or will not like, consider what hobbies you enjoy that have a creative side, and contemplate making him something to show him just how much you care!