My gosh… I can’t even believe that it’s already almost June. {I feel like I say it constantly, but honestly – I just don’t know where the time goes these days.} Of course June means Father’s Day, so my little miss and I have been brainstorming ways to spoil her papa this year.
I don’t know why, but I often find my husband really tricky to buy for, so we usually go in a completely different direction on Father’s Day and make him something sweet and from the heart {but something he’ll either use or eat} and then go on some sort of family outing together. It’s never the most elaborate of days, but Miss G is always so thrilled to give him her little gifts and we undoubtedly have fun, which counts as a win in my books.
While we haven’t quite decided what we’ll make this year, here are some of the homemade Father’s Day gifts we’ve made in the past should you need some inspiration for the dad in your little one’s life…
{this post contains affiliate links}
1. Kid-drawn portrait mug – So sweet, so easy, and something that will actually get used! And yes, I know most people have too many mugs as it is {guilty!}, but can one ever say no to adding an adorable family portrait clad mug to their collection?! I think not. All you need for this project is a nice big white mug with lots of flat surface {we bought ours at William-Sonoma in Kuwait, but I love this one and this one on Amazon too} and some oil-based Sharpies. Done!
2. Sweet & spicy Sriracha Cashews – If the papa of your family is anything like ours, he probably loves snacking. Brad loves pretty much anything that is crunchy and/or spicy, so Miss G and I created this recipe that combines sweet with heat and a good amount of crunch and it turned out SO well. We made a double batch and let me tell you, they didn’t stick around for long… Just pop your cooled Sriracha nuts into a fun jar and they’re ready for gifting.
3. Handwritten ‘I love you’ pillowcase – Awww… Miss G’s ‘I love you, Papa’ pillowcase. I just adore this simple gift. She made this when she was first learning to really print all of her letters and I just think it’s the perfect little snapshot in time. It sort of breaks my heart that this doesn’t seem to have made it home with us from the Middle East, but I’m still holding out hope that it’s in one of the few boxes / suitcases that skipped the sorting stage and went straight into storage {terrible, but entirely possible}. Best part – it requires two things – a plain white pillow case and a set of fabric markers.
4. Kid-drawn cellphone case – Because which dad doesn’t have a smart phone these days, right?! I wasn’t sure what Brad would think of this one, but he very sweetly retired his matte black leather case for a few months in order to sport this awesome kid-drawn case {evidence here}. All you need is one of these inexpensive clear cases (iPhone 7), some card stock, and markers, crayons, or pencil crayons of your choice. The best part is that once you have the clear case, you can make as many card stock inserts as you like!
5. Homemade beef jerky – A must for any meat lover, but especially for our meat lover who eats vegetarian almost every single night due to the cook’s preferences! Being someone who actively avoids cooking meat, I wasn’t sure what we were getting ourselves into with this one, but my gosh – it’s dead easy. Basically once you have some lean steak it’s just marinade and dry out in the oven. That’s it. Loads of opportunities for little ones to help out too.
6. Handprinted memory box – If you kiddo is anything like ours, you have a growing collection of pictures, notes, homemade books, and papers you’re gifted on the daily. They’re so sweet and while I totally want to save some of the most special pieces, I never knew what to do with them. Enter the handprinted memory box… Miss G made one of these for me and one for Brad, and they were the perfect solution. Easy as pie to make too – all you need is a cardboard photo storage box, a Sharpie, and some acrylic paint.
7. Treats for dad basket – Easiest gift ever and perfect for keeping dad snacking on all kinds of delicious treats during Father’s Day weekend. You could certainly do without, but the printable ‘for you dad’ tags make it a little bit more special. Best part – everything {including the faux leather storage tote usually} can be bought at your local grocery store.
8. Flip photo frame – I’m really pushing the definition of ‘homemade’ here, but Miss G and I have put together a flippable photo frame for Brad twice {once in Kuwait, once here – story of our lives} so that he could have a little collection of pictures of he and the kiddos on his desk at work. Flip photo frames like this one are great because they give you lots of bang for your buck – a whole swack of photos to choose from all in one compact album that doesn’t take up much desk space. The best part of these {besides sorting through photos and letting your little ones pick their favourites} is flipping through them while visiting dad at work.
Well that’s it for now, but stay tuned – we’ll be adding this year’s ideas here very soon!
Are you following us on social media? Find us on:
Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter
We’d love to have you!