When thinking of what to get your dad for Father’s Day, it’s easy to consider the obvious: A new mug, a place to set his phone and smart watch to charge at night, maybe some grilling supplies or even slippers to wear around the house. Obviously do that – we know he secretly loves those things – but it’s time to do something familiar yet different.
Bring out the glitter, construction paper, colored pencils or markers: Make him a good ol’ homemade card.
The greeting card industry is big, and around this time every year, more than 72 million fathers receive one for Father’s Day, according to Hallmark. Sure, it’s tried and true, but do you really want to spend $5 on a greeting card that’s going to be thrown into a drawer with all the other cards he’s gotten from you for various holidays – or even worse – thrown into a trash bin?
A homemade card is unique. You can personalize it to his likes, add personal touches and make it as sappy, cheesy or snarky as you want. It’s also probably going to pull at his heart strings, and more importantly, when was the last time he received a handmade card from his child?
If you’re looking for creative inspiration, here are a few ideas:
• Use different media. Do you like painting? Maybe use some watercolor or acrylic paints to make the card pop after making paint-resistant designs along the front page with crayons. Use ribbons, leaves, bottle caps, whatever you can get your hands on to create something your dad will love.
• Make a collage. Print out some photographs taken during your childhood that you have saved in the cloud or a hard drive and paste them onto a piece of paper with words of gratitude or a special message. While the photos will bring a smile to his face, the process of going through old photos will also take you back.
• Glitter, glitter and glitter. No one likes glitter (except your young nieces) but I can assure you that few things bring out your inner child as much as the process of using glitter to create something for someone you love.
• Make a pop-up card. Pop-up cards were my personal favorite type of card while growing up. It requires multiple pieces of paper, scissors and glue. First, fold a piece of cardstock horizontally, then take your scissors and cut a thin rectangle into the middle of the card. Open the paper up, then pop it up – the piece of paper that goes inside the closed card is the “pop-up” portion of the card. Fold the other piece of paper, glue it to the outside of the cut card, and bam – you’ve got a pop-up card. Maybe cut out a beer bottle, a heart, or anything else your little heart desires, and stick it to that pop-up section. The possibilities are endless.
While you may be an adult, in your dad’s eyes you’re always going to be the little kid whose shoelaces he tied, the child who he picked up after falling and the baby he swaddled so lovingly. Anything you put effort into – even a card – he’ll be sure to love.
