Creating the perfect gift can be hard and intimidating, especially when it comes to Father’s Day. As the years have passed, getting gifts for my dad has become easier — but now that my husband is a new father, I really wanted to put extra thought into a memorable gift. He has every gadget and tech toy you could imagine, so I know he’d prefer something meaningful. He also just moved into a new office and has been hinting that he needs to fill the walls. I decided to create a trio of shadowbox frames.
Friends have created similar gifts and used their dads’ professions or favorite sports teams as themes. Think about incorporating mementos, 3D cutouts, photos and even things that he can pull off and use. As for my husband, I know he loves me, his daughter, golf and beer, so I decided to concentrate on those three themes. Here’s a look at how I created each one.
Super dad and husband shadow box
Supplies:
- 8-by-8-inch shadowbox frame
- Card stock
- Decorative cutout (optional)
- Photos
- Scrabble pieces
- Hot-glue gun and glue
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Directions:
1. Glue the card stock and decorative cutout to the back of the box.
2. Place and glue photos.
3. Glue the Scrabble letters on the top and bottom of the box frame.
Beer guy shadowbox
Supplies:
- 8-by-8-inch shadowbox frame
- Silver bottle tops
- Metal-stamping tools
- Beer opener
- Card stock
- Beer can card
- Decorative coaster
- Photo
- Hot-glue gun and glue
- Scrabble pieces
Directions:
1. Use the metal-stamping tools to stamp a personalized message on the bottle opener.
2. Glue the photo to the inside of the card and write a message.
3. Glue the bottle caps to the back of the shadowbox.
4. Glue the coaster to the bottom left corner.
5. Clip the bottle opener and the colored cardstock to the built-in string.
6. Clip the card to the string.
7. Glue the Scrabble letters to the top of the frame.
Golf dude shadowbox
Supplies:
- 8-by-8-inch shadowbox frame
- 8-by-8-inch plaid fabric
- Leather pouch filled with golf tees
- Velcro
- Small square of faux grass
- Golf-themed buttons
- Scrabble letters
- Hot-glue gun and glue
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Directions:
1. Glue the fabric to the back of the shadowbox.
2. Add Velcro to the back of the leather pouch and the grass square. (Dad can remove the pouch to take along when he goes golfing.)
3. Velcro the pouch and grass patch together, and clip to the string.
4. Position and glue the Scrabble letters.
5. Glue additional golf buttons around the frame.
Whether you make and display all three shadowboxes or make one that fits your special guy, you can hang these on a wall or display them on a table.