DIY Father's Day Photo Gifts

I'm a happy girl when DIY translates to photos-and-computer-skillz.  So, these projects were wonderful for me...and, with any luck, will be wonderfully received by the daddy's in my life! Click to enlarge...

First, for the Grandpas, I made these composite photos of all the offspring.  They had a riot with this!  I bought the MDF letters at Hobby Lobby for less than $2 each...and I only needed one P, A, O, and Y, since all the pictures are taken separately.  Honestly, that's the beauty of this project: only one child to coax a good expression out of for each photo!

I work in Photoshop Elements, but you can use any editing software to compile your photos.  You can just line-'em-up like I did for the PAPA project, or be fancy and use scrapbook products like the POPPY project.  I did one of each, because fitting five photos across made them too narrow to read properly.

The frames came from Walmart for $3 a piece (they're designed for two matted 4x6s, so the full opening is roughly 5x12).  Costco did my printing, as usual...$1.50 each.  Cut, frame, wrap, done.  Brilliant.

For Hubs, I downloaded this subway art that I found on Pinterest.  I covered over a section in the middle with square photos of him with each of the babies in the hospital on the day of their birth.  It's really a sweet personalization, and I'm thrilled with the way it turned out.

The download is sized for 11x14 (amazing!), but I chose to print at 8x10 so it can go on his desk if he wants.  Plus, that size frame is less expensive, right?  So, $4 for the frame and another buck-and-a-half to print.  Because, he almost never wears ties...

I can't wait to give these out tomorrow (or later in the week when I see my Dad).  I hope you have a fantastic Father's Day...love all you Dads!

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Hot Pink Faux Hawk

Yesterday was Pup's official birthday, and for a present, big bro #2 did this:

Faux Hawk digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits: Neon Love by Yellow Butterfly; Sketch: The Instinctive Scrapper; Fonts: Underwood Champion, You Are Loved

I was digging through my stash for a different kit and ran across this neon stuff, and I couldn't resist immediately scrapping these pictures!  And, bonus, I got to use another of my Pinterest-inspired sketches for it!

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Dear Ole Dad

I was happy to guest CT for a new kit called "Dear Ole Dad" that Nibbles Skribbles has released at Digital Scrapbooking Studio, just in time for Father's Day.

It's an adorable kit with a great mix of light and dark colors, perfect for all the men in your life (both young and old)!  It was the *perfect* collection for these old pics of Pup on Daddy's shoulders...just look at how their blue eyes shine!

On Daddy's Shoulders digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kit: Dear Ole Dad by Nibbles Skribbles; Sketch: The Instinctive Scrapper; Fonts: Grant's Ghosts, Underwood Champion

Click over and pick it up today!

P.S.  I finally got a chance with this layout to use one of my own Pinterest-Inspired Sketches!  Check it out!

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The Angry Birds Party

Birthday parties are kind of a big deal at our house.  Not big as in lots of people come over...but big as in each kids gets to plan their own theme and menu and decorations.  With five kids on board now, birthdays are one way we try to make sure that they each get something special, just for them.

Son #2 had his big friend party this year (see "Fiesta!"), so we decided to combine his family party with Pup's.  Fortunately, Pup was totally in favor of it...because they both wanted Angry Birds.  Easy enough!

Balloon Angry Birds bombed balloon King Pigs in a cardboard fort in the entryway, and flew on black streamer garlands above the dining table!  They were made using the fabulous printables here.  I used 9" balloons for my characters, so I shrunk the templates by half; they're definitely made for larger sized balloons.  The pieces are stuck on with double-sided tape.  These were a *huge* hit with the boys...in fact, they want to make another batch for a craft day later this summer!

We ended up with a morning party, so we had breakfast casseroles (golden eggs, anyone?), pancake-dipped apple slices, blackberries and raspberries, and blueberry butterscotch coffee"cup"cakes for dessert.  I made the toppers by printing out two sets of these, and hot-gluing them back-to-back with a toothpick in the middle.  Mild warning: these toppers aren't super high resolution and printed fairly blurry.  By this point in the party prep, though, I decided not to care... ;)  There are several different versions of toppers on Pinterest that you could investigate, though.

I still haven't found the magic camera settings to make indoor shots in our new house look good, so I don't have any pictures of the present-madness to share...but I did use this invitation template to make a gift certificate for Son #2 to go to soccer camp this summer.  The original has the red Angry Bird in flight, but I changed it to the soccer ball...'cause I'm theme-y like that!  That blog has a link to the Angry Birds typeface, or you can get to it from here.

Since this was just our family party, we didn't need games or favors...but we had a pretty great time, anyway!

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DIY Teacher Gifts, Part 4

Yesterday was the last day of school, and Son #1 brought his gift to his teacher.  She loves jewelry, especially chunky pieces...#1 observed both of these things about her, and immediately decided on this bracelet when browsing my DIY Pinterest board.

#1 further observed that her favorite color is purple, so we chose this violet, blue and pink batik.  The smallest length I could buy was 1/8 yard, so it cost something like fifty cents...and I only used a quarter of the piece before I decided the flower was big enough.  I used the same rolling-and-gluing technique the tutorial describes, and it's super easy.

To attach the bracelet (which I found for $2 at Meijer), I glued three beads to the underside of the flower.  Then I sewed some tiny stitches between the outside beads to secure really secure it.  It's hard to see clearly, but that's why I've so thoughtfully added the arrow to the picture... ;)

The finished product is pretty cute.  #1 clearly enjoys it (hahaha!), and he said his teacher was very happy with it.  She asked him how he knew that purple was her favorite, and he said, "I've seen you wear it more than once."

Some girl is gonna luck out with this one as a husband someday!

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Two *More* Men in the House

At least one is inanimate.  He's a ceramic frog.  That lives in a glass bowl with a free goldfish that Son #2 won at school yesterday.  And then spent $14 on supplies for.

I know they say that there's no such thing as a free cat.  Same apparently applies to goldfish.

But #2 is completely enamored with this whole set-up, because, finally, he has a pet all of his own.  And, as long as he flushes it himself when the time comes, I'm totally up for it!

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Frazier the fish...

...and Ali the bullfrog!

The boys decided to name the fish after Joe Frazier, the boxer, so we had to be all theme-y and name the frog after one, too!  Turns out to be a good match, because it seems that Ali has already lost an eye overnight...

These two are bound for greatness, I tell you!  At least for a month.  That's #2's goal for how long he can keep this fish alive...  I'll tell you how it goes.

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