The Perfect DIY Gift for Father’s Day

This DIY coffee mug is the perfect Father’s Day gift for the Dad in your life. It’s easy to make and you can get the kids involved. It’s a little messy, but cleanup is easy. This gift is not only meaningful, but useful as well. What could be better than that? Here is how to make this easy Father’s Day Gift for your favorite coffee drinker. This post may include affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

Materials Needed

A white sheet of paper

1 to 2 small bottles of acrylic paint

Paint Brushes

Baby Wipes

Plastic Garbage Bag or Old Towel

Powerpoint Software (Keynote works too)

A Printer/Scanner

Your Favorite Digital Photograph of Dad

A Shutterfly Account

Step 1 

Purchase your supplies. You can choose any color paint for your child’s footprint. I recommend either letting your children pick the color or choose a color that the recipient likes.

Step 2

Set aside some time to get the footprints on the white paper. If the gift is for your spouse, make sure that he is not home. I suggest doing this in a bathroom or somewhere that you have access to a tub or sink where cleanup will be easy. Place the trash bag or old towel flat on the floor along with the wipes. Make sure your child is wearing old clothes or that their clothes are not near their feet.

To get started, carefully put some paint on the paint brush and cover your child’s foot with paint. Quickly press their foot onto the paper so that you get a clear foot print. If you have one child you can do both feet and if you have two children you can do one foot from each child. For families with more than 3 children you can choose the design. Immediately clean off your child’s foot with baby wipes.

Step 3

Once the footprints are dry you can have your child(ren) sign their name under their footprint. If they cannot write their own name, you can sign it or write it under the poem as shown in step 5.

Step 4

The next step is to scan the image of the footprint and save it as a JPEG file. Use your favorite photo editing program to crop the image down as close to the edges as possible.

Step 5

Open a Powerpoint document. Type the following poem in and format the font and color in a style that you like. It should compliment the footprint picture you made. You can also change the wording for uncles and grandpas.

Daddy,

We have made prints of our little feet

so you can remember when we were small and sweet.

We will grow as the years go past,

but our love for you will always last.

Love,

Chelsea and Jack

Step 6

Insert the JPEG picture of the footprints into the Powerpoint Document. Adjust the centering, the placement and the background until you are satisfied. The next step is to save your document as a Powerpoint File and as a JPEG file. You will need to upload JPEG in Step 7.

Here is how it will look.

 Step 7

Sign into Shutterfly or create an account if you don’t have one. Choose the gifts menu and choose photo mug. On the left hand side will be a menu that allows you to pick some mug options. Pick your size. I prefer the classic 15 inch mug in black so that the footprint picture shows up well. Click on the mug choice that says upload your own design. Click personalize. On the left where it gives you layout options choose 2 photos. Choose the style you like.  Now add the digital photo of dad that you choose as well as the JPEG you saved of the footprint slideshow. When you are done it will look like this.

Step 8

Add your item to the cart when it is finished and you are happy with it. Double and triple check for errors. Before you hit checkout you can choose to preview your item. If it is correct, enter any promo codes you have and proceed to the checkout where you can finish ordering. If you don’t have a promotion code you can check the website RetailMeNot.com or sign up for Shutterfly’s email list. I never pay full price on this website and you shouldn’t either!

There you have it. An easy Father’s Day gift that will be treasured for years. Even if it breaks, Shutterfly saves your design and you can always make another one! Cheers!

Do you struggle with finding the perfect gift for someone? Check out my post 9 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Gift

Are you sick of greeting cards? Read about our Fun Family Tradition That Will Save You Money on Greeting Cards