Dad's birthday is coming up and was wondering if any of you had any ideas for a birthday gift that the girls could create or help create. Girls are 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 years old. For Father's Day last year we did the handprints on a ceramic coffee mug. Thanks for all of your continued advice and support.
We have done hand and foot prints in a garden stepping stone. We found the kit at Jeffrey Alans. They come in grey or terracotta with coloroful stones to decorate.
There is a website called Choice T-Shirts (www.choicetshirts.com) . . . it is awesome! They have t-shirts,sweatshirt, mugs, etc. that have all kinds of clever or funny sayings AND best of all they have a ton of stuff that can be personalized for any relative (dads, moms, grandparents, kids). I can always find something for my husband from my 3 kids there and it's not ridiculously expensive. I know several people who use this site and I've never heard of any problems and the quality is good (no thin, flimsy material for the clothes). I really hope this helps you out!
When my girls were small I always got my husband and my dad a tie with their photos on it. I also had a mousepad and calendar made for my husband to take to work. Although this is not anything they can really create, it is just an idea.
I'll keep thinking, my baby is sick and it was a long night!
We do this every year for Father's Day but you could do it for a birthday also.
Have each child answer your questions... do a few each day, not all at one time. Then type it up and it is just priceless. It is great to see how the answers change each year.
Enjoy!!
“My Great Dad”
My Daddy is ___ olds.
He weighs ___ pounds and
His hair is _____ and his eyes are ____________.
My dad loves to relax by _____ and he likes to wear __________.
He loves to cook _____________.
His favorite thing to do at home is ___________.
His favorite TV show is _____________________ and his favorite song is _____________.
Daddy always tells me ___________________________
It makes him happy when __________________.
When my dad shops, he loves to buy ________________.
If he could go on a trip, he would go to ________________ and he would take ___________.
I really love it when my daddy ________________.
*** As told by _________ on April ____, 2008, age ____ ***
How about a 7x7 scrapbook filled with blank pages for the next several years. On the title page, create a "Happy Birthday, Daddy!" page. The next two-page spread, put a picture of the kids, and across from it, let them each draw a picture. Next year, put the year's new picture on the left page of the next spread, with another picture drawn across from it. So it goes each year until they are able to write, at which time handwritten messages are fun. It gives Dad (and you!) a chance to see they're changes each year in appearance and abilities and creates a very special keepsake just for dad!
Homemade gifts are the best ones. If they are useful they are even better! Here are a few things I did.
Had my son paint a picture and got a really nice frame for it. My husband has it hanging at his office. My son was 20 months at the time to give you an idea of the painting.
This past Jan. I went through my pictures and printed the best ones of my husband and my son. I made a mini photo album that included pictures from birth to current.
Good luck!
If he has an office how about a finger paint drawing then then you can frame it. Our children are 42 and 43 and we still have theirs framed and hanging in a prominent place in our home. The "kids" love to look at it when they visit and tell their children about the abstract painting.
Each of their finger painting looks like a real artist painted it.
Check out Pots & Paints in New Lenox behind Bluestone Bar. The owner has so SO many cute ideas & she always has $2.00 coupons in the papers. We did a few plates (with handprints - each different themes) which i have on a plate rack in my dining room. Fun stuff.
My girls are grown and in high school and college already but I do remember one gift that brought their Dad to tears.
I bought an alarm clock at an electronic store like Radio Shack or something like that. It was an alarm clock that recorded the message that you wake up to. At the time, their father was doing some traveling for his job and he said it was just so cool to wake up to the sound of their little voices in the morning instead of negative news or even music. You record their voices saying something to him to wake him up in the AM. He doesn't use it anymore but it's still in his drawer and I'm sure he'll never get rid of it. I think its really precious to him.
Just an idea! Have a glorious day! D.
I found this website today and thought of your request. I hope you find something useful that the girls can make their dad.
http://crafts.kaboose.com/wrabbits.html
T.
I bought a picture frame 2x2 traveling alarm clock with a 10 second voice recorder (can be used as alarm) for father's day a couple years ago. My daughter was a baby at the time and made cute baby noises on it. My plan was to change the message every so often but my husband loves it so much he wouldn't let me touch it. It was $25 and actually slightly looking but my husband loves it.
Hi, My daughter is 29 now, but when she was small, she painted a few pictures in watercolor. I bound them into a book with cloth glued on heavy cardboard. The cardboard was scored and folded about one inch from edge. A leather strip was laced and tied through 2 holes at top and another through 2 holes at the bottom of the edge. It made a lovely gift for her grandpa.
I took a picture of my 2 girls and my husband, softened the edges with my computer photo program and wrote a "statement" about being a father on the bottom. I framed it and the girls gave it to him for Father's Day. I chose a photo taken while we were on vacation in Maine. They were on the cliffs of Pemaquid Point with the ocean being the backdrop. I used a fancy paper from a ream of "executive" paper that was a soft blue to match the ocean. The poem or statement was about him being a really wonderful father. It really turned out special.
My daughter and I painted a picture. I let her go and then tried to add some elements that would bring the picture together. I found that I was really inspired by my daughter. I bought some canvas (prestretched)and had her paint on my easel. She felt like a real artist.
Another idea is a calendar. They can pose for every holiday. With services at target or even on line they make this totally feasible.
My favorite: the kids can draw pictures for daddy. You can scan them into your computer. buy some specialty paper (found at target) to print them on through your home printer. Instant cuteness on a shirt for dad!
If you are into digital photos, upload your best ones to www.kodakgallery.com or one of the other photo websites, and creat a calendar or mini photo book of photos of Daddy and his girls. It is super-easy to do. I do this for my husband every year and he loves to keep the calendar in his office or bring the mini-photo book when he travels so his boys are always near. Good luck!
How about hand and footprints on a t-shirt with World's Best Daddy on it?
.
You can make a tshirt or tank top or sweatshirt with the girl's footprints and/or handprints on there with their names and ages at the time. I did this with my kids for a father's day gift. With the footprints I put on the shirt, "My kids walk all over me".
I don't know if their Dad wears T-shirts but maybe have the girls take a picture together and put on a t-shirt or cap or something like that.
Hi! A great idea I used for my husband was having the kids form letters with thier bodies. They spelled out "We love Dad!" It took some time to cut and paste the letters together, but framed it looks awesome! It was a big hit. Good Luck!
Buy a disposable camera. Have the whole family spend the day together doing something fun and take pictures of it. Then select the best picture and frame it for their dad!
Grandpa and Me scrapbook would probably be a hit. If you're overwhelmed they have scrapbook kits you can buy at Hobby Lobby w/ everything you need-just add pics. Also, you can (and should) go to Hobbylobby.com to print out the coupon to use for this. Have fun!
This might be too goofy for your guy but what if they made him little books in which he could write his thoughts and wishes for them? Or what he likes about being a Dad, funny moments, etc... Then they could wrap it up in a shoe box or something not to be opened until they're 10 (or whenever...) Kind of a reverse gift but I wish I had something like that from my Dad!
stepping stones outside with footprints each year as they grow would be my suggestion
How about taking them (unbeknownst to him) to the photo studio and having their picture taken. Then take one of the 8x10's or 11X13's and matte and frame it for his work or home office? Remember though to act quickly if there's a wait time for photo's or visit one with immediate print-outs (like Picture People)
I suppose it depends on what your husband does, whether or not this would be appropriate. My husband always likes notepads with the kids pictures on them. He uses them at work all the time. We make new ones every year for his birthday, Christmas, and Father's Day. I get mine at www.vistaprint.com. The quality is excellent. This year we also made him a pen with caricature faces of the kids. I even got myself one :)
