Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Celebrate Dad’s special day with thoughtful gifts that show how well you know and love him. The Victorian Frame Company has on hand a number of quality picture frames and display cases that you can use to create personalize gifts. Give these gifts that your dad can proudly showcase in his office table or on the wall of his “man cave”.

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

Keepsake wall display. What are your dad’s passions, aside from your family? Dad will have some form of “me-time” such as golf, fishing or photography. You can use shadow box frames to highlight some keepsakes that celebrate his passion and achievements in his particular hobby. Shadow box frames have enough depth to hold three-dimensional items such as that fishing tackle that hooked his biggest catch, his prized coin collection or his favorite action figures from childhood.

Grandpa’s portrait. As you find your dad to be a precious gift, your dad may also have the same feelings for his own dad. Look for a well-loved portrait of your grandpa. Mount the picture on an antique oval picture frame. Choose a natural wood finish, as this is most ideal for this kind of project. Also, it may be best to go with a frame with simple lines, avoiding frame designs that feature more elaborate molding. Add convex glass to complete the vintage look.

Personalized chess board game. All you need is a square shadow box frame, some paint, some masking or painter’s tape and bottle caps. Carefully measure the dimensions of the backboard. Ideally, you will have at least one inch of space on the outer edges of the backboard, with the rest allotted for the 8 x 8 square grid that will be the chessboard. A shadow box frame measuring 12” x 12” is a good option. This means you have 1 inch of space allowance on all the sides, with each square on the 8 x 8 grid measuring 1.25” x 1.25”. To make the grid, cut off strips of tape that correspond to the measure of the squares. You will need 32 square shapes. Then, tape the strips alternately, so that you have a checker box design comprised of tape and the plain backboard. Then, paint over the square grid. Let dry. When you strip the tapes off the backboard, you will have an 8 x 8 grid. Now, you can cut out pictures of loved ones and friends. Mount these on the bottle caps. Have fun assigning who will play which chessboard piece. Of course, Dad gets to be the king! To make it easier, you can have printouts of the photos, along with labels as to which pieces each character plays. Also, you can use two bottle cap colors (one for the “white” set and the other for the “black” set.

DIY Sandbox. Another way to use the shadow box frame is to do away with the glazing. Then, you can add some sand and pebbles (which you can buy from the local gardening shop). Add some sand-working tools such as a mini-rake and… viola! Your dad can spend a few minutes making relaxing waves and Zen patterns on the sandbox.

Sentimental favorite. A simple gift that comes from the heart may be all it takes to bring out the sentimental in your dad. You can simply write or print out a message to your dad (e.g. “The Best Dad in the World”) or a quote about dads and place this on a well-selected frame. You can add some childhood photos of you and your siblings.