I always struggle with gifts for my husband, father, and father-in-law. Men are usually just harder to buy for: they already have everything they need, and when they need something, they just go buy it. All the men in my life do appreciate it when my daughter makes them something, though, so I always try to find something cute that she can do herself (with maybe just a little help from me).
- Fabric paint (I used Scribbles. It looks and works great and they last forever!)
- Plain t-shirt (pre-washed)
- Chalk
- Cardboard or newspaper
First, place the cardboard or newspaper inside the shirt. This will prevent the paint from soaking through to the back.
Spread the t-shirt flat, then give your child the chalk, and let him or her draw a picture of the recipient.
It doesn't have to be perfect - my daughter got frustrated because the chalk kept "skipping" on the fabric. I explained to her that we'd smooth it all out with the paint, and the chalk would wash away so it wouldn't really matter in the long run. Also, the chalk is great because you can just rub away any errors and re-do them until it looks they way they want it to look!
Once the picture is finished, I asked my daughter to write "Granddaddy" underneath, but obviously, your child can write anything he or she would like! I also think it would be cute to have a picture of "Ganddaddy and me", but my daughter just wanted to draw her Granddaddy.
Next, you can paint over the chalk with the fabric paint. Older kids can do this themselves, but my daughter is still a little young, and I worried about her accidentally smearing it with her arm and hand. She told me which colors she wanted to use, and I filled in the picture and letters.
She wanted to use glitter paint for the gray hair, which I thought was a nice touch. Let the paint dry completely (according to the label), then wash and dry the shirt. All the chalk will be gone, and your child's design will really look great!
It's always hard to find a good gift for a man - all the men in my life buy something the minute they want it. My husband was in need of a small box to place the items from his pockets at the end of each day, though, and I was lucky enough to find this pretty wooden box at a local thrift store.
It was in great shape but had a couple of nicks and scratches in the wood. I wish I'd taken a before picture, so you could see how easy those were to fix using Restor-a-finish by Howard.
I can't say enough good things about this stuff - it rocks. I use it for any real wood - on our bedroom furniture, dining room table, wooden trim on the stairs...it really just works great, with no sanding or refinishing.
I cleaned up the inside of the box using a lint roller, and I added a photo of my daughter and me to the little indented spot in the lid, for a personal touch.
We gave it to my husband for his birthday, and it was a big hit!
If you're still looking for a quick and easy Father's Day gift, this isn't very difficult and is another fun craft for you and your kids: a hand print tree, as framed art!
I used the pencil to sketch out a tree like the one below. If your kids like drawing and art, though, they could draw it themselves.
I wrote, "Happy Father's Day 2012" at the bottom in block letters, although my lettering needs quite a bit of work. A paintbrush probably would have been a better choice here, but this was my result:
Then, I rounded my up niece, nephew, and daughter, and let them add their hands to the branches. If I do this again in the future, I'll be sure to make the tree outline darker so it shows up more.
I then let it dry and place it into a poster-sized frame, and that's it! I picked up the frame for $25 at Big Lots, but lightweight poster frames can be found at Wal-Mart for even less than that.
Have fun with it, and to all the Dads out there: may you have a Happy Father's Day!
It's nearly Father's Day, and if the men in your life are anything like mine, they already have everything they need. This leaves me searching for new ideas every year. Here are a couple of gifts we have made that the Dads and Grandpas loved:
Battery Garden
One Christmas, we gave my father-in-law a pack of batteries to power a new lantern that was separately wrapped. He opened the batteries first and went on and on about how he loved them and always needed batteries. Even after he opened the lantern, he told us how much he loved the batteries. So, it made me realize that men really do always need batteries, so why not make a cute little garden out of them and give them as a gift? My four-year-old decorated it herself and it was a fun project. I just helped cut holes in the boxes to hold the sticks, and added a little glue at their bases to hold the heavier batteries.
She had fun making it, and the Grandfathers both thought it was really cute. Be sure to tell them that they're new batteries so they'll be able to use them!
Painted T-shirts with Hand Prints and Footprints
Painted T-shirts are are a fun and simple gift, and my daughter always loves getting paint all over her, so be sure to wear old clothes if you make them! All you need is fabric paint (available at most craft stores) and plain T-shirts (they're cheaper at Wal-Mart, Dollar General, or a similar store than they are at craft stores).
Here are a few hand print / footprint designs:
"World's Best Daddy, Hands Down" with hand prints
"Best Granddaddy, Hands Down" with hand prints
"My Granddaughter Walks All Over Me" with footprints
The best part of painting your own T-shirts is that you can customize them with whatever you call the Dads and Grandfathers in your life: Papa, Papaw, Grandpa, etc. Then, there's the added bonus of just getting messy with paint, so have fun with it!
In the never-ending search for new Grandparent gifts, I came across a Doodlebook Photo Frame and thought it was a cute idea. If you want to make your own as a gift (or for yourself), you can by following these easy steps!
What You'll Need:
-Frame (any size you'd like - I used one for a 4"x6" photo)
-Cardboard
-Plain white paper
-Glue
-Scissors
-Utility knife
-2 Paper clips or binder clips
I picked up a couple of cheap, ugly frames at a thrift store for $1 each. They have blue denim on the front, but it really doesn't matter how ugly they are, because they'll soon be covered. I liked these because they have a flat front, so they provide a nice surface for the pad of paper.
To start, use one piece of paper to make a pattern of the front of the frame. Use this pattern to cut the cardboard to fit the front border of the frame.
Next, cut the paper to the size of the frame and line it up neatly so that the top edges are straight.
Now, lay it down flat on a surface that won't be damaged by the utility knife. Using the cardboard as a guide, gently cut away the inside opening through the stack of paper. It's best to take your time during the step and apply a gentle, even pressure with the knife. If you rush or press too hard, the paper is more likely to tear or have rough edges.
Next, line the top edge of the stack of paper, and clip them all tightly together with your clips. Use a thin, even layer of glue along the top edge to create a pad of paper in the shape of the front of the frame. Lean the pad against something so that it remains upright, and let it dry.
Once the glue is dry, glue the cardboard to the front of the frame. Most any glue would probably work, but I like Quick Grip glue.
Finally, glue the paper to the cardboard by gluing the back page to the cardboard. You can decorate the front page however you'd like.
My daughter added her own, special decorations, and we placed a copy of her annual photo with Santa inside the frame before we wrapped them for her grandparents. Now, whenever she visits, she can redecorate the frame simply by removing the top sheet and coloring the next clean sheet.
Here is another great use for the voice recordable modules from the last post: an easy-to-make felt Christmas ornament with a recorded greeting inside it.
What you'll need: -Felt pieces large enough for the front and back of the ornament. I just used 2 green triangles and a small brown rectangle to make a tree. -Fabric glue or craft glue (I prefer Quick Grip Glue) -Buttons, beads, ribbon, or other decorative items -Fiberfill -Voice Recordable Module (10 sec) - Available on Ebay -Needle and thread
Putting your ornament together is pretty simple. My daughter helped pick out a few pretty buttons and ribbon, and she recorded the greeting on the module. We glued the decorations on the front of the ornament and let them dry.
Make sure you cut your felt pieces large enough to accommodate the module, but if you're tight on space, you can trim all the extra wires after you have recorded the greeting you want (and only after you have the greeting you want). To do this, trim off the wires that connect the record button (the red-wired button) and the microphone.
Now, place the module between the two pieces of felt and sew the two pieces together. When you have it nearly sewn together, add some fiberfill to the inside to give it some fluff. Be sure that the play button doesn't get lost inside the ornament - I kept mine at the top so it would be easy for the recipient to press.
Finish sewing the edges, and don't forget to add a ribbon or string at the top so that it can be hung on the tree!
These are great for kids to make, but they would also make a wonderful gift for a loved one who is far away, such as a husband or wife who is overseas during the holidays.
With the Holidays right around the corner, many parents are trying to find fresh ideas to make a custom, personalized gift for friends and relatives. Sure, we have all done our share of crafts with the kids' hand prints and pictures on your home printer. You may have even picked up a recordable greeting card or two to give to your folks. Believe it or not, for only a few dollars each, you can make a keepsake pillow with all three - your child's hand print, a photo chosen by you, and a playable greeting recorded by you.
My daughter and I made these three pillows as Christmas gifts for her father and grandparents. They turned out better than I'd expected, and only took a couple of hours to make (not including the paint drying overnight). My favorite part is the fact that you can press a button in the pillow and hear my daughter tell each recipient, "Merry Christmas" and "I love you." Here is a video of the finished product. Step-by-step instructions can be found after the jump:
What you'll need:
-Fabric pieces large enough for the front and back of the pillow. I used colorful scraps for the front and muslin for the back.
-Fabric paint
-Inkjet Cotton Sheets
-Inkjet printer
-Fiberfill for pillow stuffing (not pictured)
-Voice Recordable Module (10 sec) - Available on Ebay
-Scissors
-Iron
-Paintbrush
-Paper and pen for heart pattern
-You'll also need either a sewing machine or needle and thread
To get started, decide how large you want your heart-shaped pillow to be. Fold a piece of white paper, then draw half of a heart along the fold. Cut your pattern.
Iron your fabric to get all the wrinkles out, then fold it so that you'll be able to use your pattern on it.
Place your pattern with the straight edge along the fold of the fabric, then cut along the curved edges of your pattern.
Next, get out the recordable modules and let your kids record their messages. The good news is that they can keep recording over and over until they get one that all of you like.
A couple of notes about the recordable modules: they're readily available on Ebay and other websites, but they all (unfortunately) appear to ship from overseas*. You'll want to keep this in mind for shipping times and availability - it may take a couple of weeks to receive them. Also, mine didn't come with instructions. To use them, first remove a clear tab from the circuit board (just pull it straight out). This activates the battery connection. To record, press the button connected to the red wire. The button connected to the yellow wire is to play back. The third small round item is the microphone, and your children will want to put it close to their mouths when they speak. They can say anything you'd like (obviously). My daughter just kept it simple and said, "Merry Christmas, Daddy (Grandma, etc.). I love you."
Once you get the recording you want, clip the red-wired button off to avoid accidentally erasing your message. This will be crucial as you handle the module and put it inside your pillow.
You'll also want to somehow label which module is for which pillow, if you're making more than one at a time.
Next, coat your child's hand with fabric paint and let them put hand prints on the pillows.
At this point, replace the plain white paper in your inkjet printer with as many Inkjet Cotton Sheets as you'll need. Print out your pictures onto the cotton sheets. You may want to do a few test prints onto plain white paper first and check the photo sizes on your hearts, to make sure they're the size you'd like.
I then used fabric paint to paint the words, "Little Hands, Big Heart" on the fronts of the pillows.
Both the printed cotton and the fabric paint will need to completely dry before you proceed. Most manufacturers recommend 24 hours, but you will want to follow the manufacturer's instructions for your specific products.
Once the paint and photo print are completely dry, you're ready to complete the pillow. Place the hearts onto the fabric you chose for the backs of your pillows, and cut around the edges.
Remove the paper backing from your printed cotton photo and trim the excess cotton away from the photo.
Sew the cotton photo onto the back of the pillow.
Place the fabric pieces right sides together.
Sew them together, leaving an opening about 3 - 4 inches along one edge.
Turn the hearts right side out by pulling the fabric through the openings. Be sure to push the fabric all the way out along the seams so that the heart shape shows well. Get out your fiberfill.
Stuff your pillows with fiberfill.
I can't stress this enough: If you haven't already done it, double check your module one last time to make sure that it hasn't been accidentally erased, and if it's still intact, snip the red-wired button on your module. If you try to stuff it into the pillow intact, your message will surely be erased.
Place the module into your pillow. You'll want to leave the speaker (largest round part) near the fabric, and you'll want the yellow-wired button to be kept to the side. The rest can be placed into the middle, inside the fiberfill, so it will be cushioned. Once most of it is tucked away, place the yellow-wired button in the lower part of the pillow (the bottom of the V in the heart, if you will).
Close the opening in the seam by using your sewing machine or needle and thread.
I then used a foam sticker and pen to mark the button on our pillows, but you could either skip this step and demonstrate it yourself, or use any other temporary method of showing the recipient where to press the button to hear the greeting.
That's it! Obviously, if you wanted to skip any of these steps and, for example, just do the pillow without the greeting, or leave off the photo on the back, it would still be a cute keepsake that anyone would appreciate.
*Heads up American manufacturers! I would have gladly paid more if any American-made modules had been available.
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