3 homemade Father's Day gifts

Handmade cards and wonky clay models - all dads love their children's creations, so this Father's Day why not celebrate with a beautiful, homemade gift? You can make it personal by trying out one of these awesome crafts with your little ones, to give him a gift he will always treasure!

Handprint paper weight

There's no better memento of baby's early years than an ornament featuring their tiny handprint. You can easily make a handprint paper weight, or put in some holes for ribbons and make it a hanging decoration!

You will need

225g all-purpose flour
112g salt
100ml water (approx.)

Instructions

1. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Gradually add the water and mix it in, until you have a doughy mixture that is not soggy.

2. Using your hands, knead the dough until it is smooth. Roll it into a ball and flatten it to get the shape of ornament you want. You could cut around the edges to make a funky shape!

3. Get your child to press their hand into the shaped dough. Help them if they are too small to do this themselves.

4. Bake in the oven for 2-3 hours at a low heat, regularly checking how hard they are. Alternatively, try microwaving them for 3 minutes. 

5. Finish them off with colourful paint or varnish. Voilà!

Bottle top key ring

Give him a gift that he can take with him wherever he goes, by making a personalised fob for his keys! You could use a family portrait, or make one key ring for each child.

You will need

Flattened bottle caps (or regular bottle caps)
Blank keyring attachments (or paperclips)
Epoxy stickers (or a plastic bottle)
Family photos
Super glue
Small drill 

Instructions

1. You can buy pre-flattened bottle caps, or you can make your own. Remove the glue from inside a regular bottle cap, then place it flat side down and put a rubber mat over the top. Hammer around the edges to flatten.

2. Drill a small hole in the top of the cap for the keyring attachment. You could use a paperclip as a cheaper alternative.

3. Cut the photos you want to use to the right size and stick them inside the caps with glue.

4. Cover the photos with epoxy stickers, or cut out plastic from a bottle to the right size and slot that in instead.

Pasta photo frame

This is a real Father's Day classic: personalising a picture frame with dried pasta. Don't forget to put your favourite picture of the family inside once you're finished!

You will need

Picture frame
Dried pasta
Glue gun
Colourful spray paint 

Instructions

1. Find a picture frame with a wide border and remove the glass while you work.

2. Using a glue gun, stick your dried pasta shapes to the frame. Try to stick them in a consistent pattern and use smaller pieces for the corners. You could use several different types of pasta: a spaghetti background with pasta shells at the corners is particularly pretty.

3. Once the glue has set, spray paint the entire frame in Dad's favourite colour. Leave it to dry.

4. Pop in a family photo, put it on the mantelpiece and enjoy!

We hope you have a fantastically creative Father's Day and if you try out any of these crafts, do share them with us!

Image source 1: Vira Mylyan-Monastyrska
Image source 2: Odds and Bodkins 
Image source 3: Ekaterina Lin