Great Ideas for Unique and Meaningful Father's Day Gifts

Father's Day shouldn't be laden with stale ties, another golf club, or a shirt that your Dad secretly wishes to burn. This is the day to honor your Dad and all that he is, so take advantage of the opportunity! Put some time, love, and effort into preparing a Father's Day gift that your Dad is both thrilled, and touched, to receive. Make it a Father's Day gift to remember, one that he will cherish and keep always. If you need some inspiration, don't worry! Read the following list of ideas for original and unique Father's Day gifts and choose your favorite. Or, use one of the suggestions to branch off on a project of your own design!

Personalized video/DVD of children or Grandchildren- We made one of these for my husband's parents and they absolutely loved it. Although these are especially appreciated by Dads or Granddads who don't live close enough to the kids to see them all the time, a personalized compilation video or DVD of several years' worth of footage (or even a few months worth of footage for a new baby!) would be a much loved and welcome gift for any Dad or Grandpa.

Multi photo "Dad" frame - If you have several photographs of Dad's moments with his children, young or grown, consider purchasing one of the larger frames sold with matting meant to hold multiple photos, and making a "Dad" photo collage out of it. This is one of the best ideas around, as it is a gift that preserves memories, and one that is able to be enjoyed every day through the years.

Take a family portrait - No matter how young or grown his children are, any Dad will love having some special portraits of himself alongside his family. This can be done professionally, but need not be. Just stake out a time and place, ask everyone to dress in similar color and attire, set your camera on a tripod, set the timer, then jump into the photo yourself! Plan to take a roll or two, just to be sure you get one or two that you feel are good enough to enlarge and frame. The nice thing about this idea, is that it can also become a family tradition to take a family portrait each year around Father's Day!

Handprint T-shirt - We have made several of these for the Grandparents through the years, and they are always a favorite! Pick up a solid color T-shirt at a local craft or department store, grab some bottles of fabric paint while you're at it, then have the kids dip their hands in paint before you carefully help them to make prints on the shirt. When finished, hang the shirts to dry for 24 hours. You may want to add an extra touch by using "puff paint" or "3 dimensional paint" that comes in small bottles with very thin nozzles, making it easy to write names and ages under the handprints.

Scrapbook T-shirt - Another great shirt idea, is to utilize the printable iron-on sheets now available for purchase in most stores where printer paper, printable labels, and photo paper are sold (Office Max, Office Depot, etc.). Scan the photos you want to use, follow the directions on the package, print the iron-on transfers, and iron them onto the shirt. Keep in mind that this is a time consuming project, you will likely need at least 6 hours to sort and choose photos, scan, print, arrange, and iron. These shirts look especially nice when the shirt can be purchased in an earth tone, like light jade green or light mustard yellow, then adorned with iron-on photos that have been printed in black and white. These shirts are like a wearable scrapbook, and are sure to be a item of discussion everywhere they are worn.

Father's Day scrapbook - For those with any interest or skill in scrapbooking, a meaningful and unique gift would be a Father's Day scrapbook. This may consist of just a few pages, or as many pages as you have photos and memories to fill. This gift can even become a Father's Day tradition, with new pages being created and added each year.

Have fun with your Father's Day gift projects, and create keepsake gifts that Dad will cherish forever!