Home Made Father's Day Gift & Treat Ideas

When it comes to Father's day gifts, nothing says "I Love You" like a rock.  No, really...it's one of two gifts I've given my dad as a kid that he still has and talks about.  To be fair, I DID decorate it with my Crayola markers with the words "I love you," if I remember correctly. The other gift was a mug that I made in school when I was 12, that I shattered on the floor while attempting to wrap it (into 11 pieces, to be exact)...he pieced together his entire gift with super glue and still has it today! 

I am writing about my lame-o gift ideas to illustrate that in the end, it really IS the thought that counts.  So, here are a few things that you and your kids can make yourselves for Dad for his big day next weekend...and don't sweat it if things don't turn out as perfect as the pictures.  Heck, if I can  get away with a box of broken clay pieces, your gift will ROCK! (even if it IS a rock!)

Family Fun has some cute ideas for Father's day ideas, for gifts to make and food.  I like these little bbq grill themed cupcakes...they'd go great with my previous cheeseburger cupcake post!  They also have some adorable lawn mower cupcakes.

I've always liked their glasses case made from a recycled necktie.  You probably don't want to take a tie out of Dad's closet for this unless you know he doesn't want to wear it anymore, but it's a fun way to repurpose an old tie from a thrift store too.

Every year my husband gets a little photo book with pictures of him with his boy (boyS this year) that I've purchased on Shutterfly.  Unfortunately they quit making them...they had cute little hard cover books that were small enough to put in your pocket.  This year I've settled for a smaller, non-hard-cover version from Snapfish, and you can get 20% off with the coupon code DADSDAY2010 if you order before June 20th.  Both sites offer many fun gifts that you can personalize with photos.  My husband also travels a lot, so I've gotten him a couple photo luggage tags that he loves to use as well.

A trip to the craft store this time of year will help jog some ideas in your head as well.  There are tons of things that the kids can decorate for dad, from mugs to bbq aprons to picture frames...

If your dad likes to spend time in the yard and/or garden, these stepping stone kits are a great idea.  You can put the kids' hand prints or footprints in them and give one each year, showing how Dad's family is growing from year to year.



Kaboose has a nice collection of Father's Day card ideas, from the super basic little kid cards to this cool fish card:

Last year Sammy was finally able to hold crayons and markers, so I gave him some paper and crayons, traced one of his hands on the paper, and then let him go to town on the rest...scribbling on the page.  I took his picture while doing this, which was fun because he had marker all over his face.  I then trimmed the paper and glued it on the front of a folded piece of construction paper, added "Happy Father's Day Daddy," and put a photo of him making the card inside.  It was a great way to have a 1-yr-old "make" a card for Daddy, with a little help from Mommy.  Here he is with marker on his face:

There are billions of crafts you can find online, at any level of difficulty.  You may have noticed I have not posted anything involving popsicle sticks, as I know you can probably find more of those yourself than you can shake a popsicle stick at.  But, if you're looking for something REALLY unique and probably more advanced, check out my "Favorite Fun DIY and Craft Blogs" section of my Junk Mail Gems links page.  You'll find many great sites with tutorials for just about anything you can think of...which is a fun place to start if you're also in your 30's like me and can't get away with giving him a rock anymore.

Got any other ideas planned for Dad next weekend?  Do share!