A Fun Idea for Father's Day.... or Any Day Really!

I've got a few more Father's Day posts coming your way this week and today's is one of my favorites because it's an easy - and free! - way to show your love for dad.

Have you heard of Wordle?  I just stumbled upon it and can't get enough!  It's a site that helps you create you own "word clouds" which is basically art made from text.  You either fill in the URL of a place you want to pull the words from (maybe a blog or post) or enter your own, like I did here:

Then you click "GO" and Wordle will randomize the words into a "cloud" for you like this:

From there, you can tweak the layout, the color scheme, the font, the background color, even the language until you find the perfect combination.  (BTW, the words the program detects most often show up larger so keep that in mind if you want the sizes of your words to vary like mine do.)

It's a lot of fun to play with and the results are great for those of us who aren't Photoshop savvy enough to make something like this on our own.

So what does all of this have to do with Father's Day, you ask?  Well, why not create a personalized "cloud" for dad like this one I made?

There are so many ways you can use the "cloud" once you finish it - as a card, framed as a piece of art, the sky's the limit.  And the best part about your Wordle work?  It comes from the heart.  And the fact that it's free to use doesn't hurt either!

Fun (and Almost Free!) Father's Day Gifts! {FREEBIES}

If you read AFOMFT regularly, you probably know I'm obsessed with free printables and with dad's day coming up, here are a few to help you celebrate the man in your life.

Put together a basket full of your guy's favorite goodies and use these Retro Labels from Martha Stewart to show just what you think of him.

Jordan from Oh Happy Day! designed an awesome package of printables for Alpha Mom, made for your personal super hero.

There are labels for you to use to fill a box with treats your man of steel will love.

And even his mortal alter go will approve of.

While we're talking super heroes, Delightful Designs has a Super Dad set that includes a printable banner, bi-fold card and iron on template.

This sweet Father's Day Subway Art print from Pink Ink Doodle would make a great card.

If your dude has a sweet tooth, making hamburgers and French Fries from brownies, cupcakes and cookies would make the perfect gift!  And Bakerella not only has the how to for the sweet treats, but also free printable french fry boxes, burger trays and Father's Day tissue paper to put them in.

And what better to go along with that fun fast food, than some Top Pop soda?  2Clever Blog has a printable for that too!

Last but not least, The Creative Homemaker made up this survey your kids can fill out (there's also one for Grandpa too!).  I think it would adorable to do one of these every year.

So many wonderful - and cheeky! - ways to show your hubbie how much you love him.  For more Father's Day ideas, be sure to check out THESE POSTS, and if you're got a Father's Day printable we didn't include, please post a link below so we can share it too.

Links I Loved This Week

Here are a few favorite links I found around the blogosphere this week: 

• A fun way to fancy up the light switches in your kid's room.

• The coolest little boy's room around!

• A great reminder that breaking the rules isn't always wrong.

• This is at the top of my must-have list for summer!

• Now that the weather is warming up, I can't wait to try this DIY art supply with my kids!

If you have a Link You Loved This Week - from your own blog or another - post a link here.  I love seeing what's catching people's attention!

My Five Favorite Pins This Week: Memorial Day Edition

It's that time again!  Here are my five favorite Pinterest pins this week (wondering what Pinterest is? Find out here!) and with Memorial Day right around the corner, I hope these picks inspire your holiday weekend entertaining.

#1: You'll probably be busting out the barbecue, so why not try a new twist on an old favorite with one-bite burgers? {Pin via Jamee via Katie Morris from Simple Creative Insanity}

#2: While we're talking hamburgers, bake up the cookie version - they're sure to steal the show! {My pin from Come Together Kids}

#3:  Print your own barbecue signs and you'll be able to use them all summer long. {My pin from Hostess With the Mostess}

#4:  You'll have no problem keeping the kids entertained with a DIY outdoor bowling alley....  {Pin via Sasha Wayas via Pixel Musings from Parents}

#5:  And the adults happy with Strawberry Peach Sangria!{Pin via Nanda Gatley via Sara Manoli from Making Macy}

So there you have my Five Favorite Pins for Memorial Day this week.  If you'd like to check out my boards on Pinterest, you can find them HERE.  If you're already on Pinterest, I'd love to follow you so post a comment here with a link to your boards so I can check them out.  And if you're not already a member and need an invite, post your e-mail address and I'll send you one.

Happy Pinning!

CRAFTASTIC: More Easy & Inexpensive Father's Day Gift Ideas

Ready for a few more fun and easy Father's Day Gift ideas?  Good, 'cause here are three you're sure to love!

How fun is this Scrabble-tiled photo project from Just Another Day in Paradise? 

Lovely Design has printable templates you can use to transform your child's abstract art into the perfect present for dad:

And grandpa:

You can find the how to for making a DAD photo collage over on Kodak.com.

And don't forget to check out my tutorial for Easy Father's Day Artwork and this post on how to make a Father's Day Fingerprint Key Chain.

We've got more ideas for dad coming your way next week so stay tuned.

Images: Just Another Day in Paradise, Lovely Design & Kodak

This Week's Party Peeks

 

Are you ready to get your party on?  Good, because it's time for AFOMFT'S PARTY PICKS OF THE WEEK!

1.  BUZZY'S RAWR BIRTHDAY PARTY

When I saw this fabulous birthday bash thrown by Debbie of Wants and Wishes over on Celebrations at Home, I was immediately struck by two things - the terrific (and easy to replicate) details and the sassy sense of humor, both of which I really appreciate in a kid's party.  Want to see what I mean about the sense of humor?  Just check out this definition of "Rawr"!

And look at the favor bag toppers - they crack me up!

As for the easy DIY details, Debbie added inexpensive toy dinosaurs to homemade cupcakes:

Gave the birthday hats a dino-spin:

And created a fun dinosaur egg hunt activity by painting mini watermelons (I kid you not):

But I think my favorite part of this party was the Molten Lava Volcano Cakes:

Which had yummy molten chocolate inside!

Find out more about Buzzy's party, and get lots of tutorials, over on Wants and Wishes.


2.  SOPHIA'S SWEET SHOPPE SOIREE

This party is almost a year old but it's one of my all-time favorites so I had to share it.  The Busy Budgeting Mama threw it for her daughter, and certainly lived up to her moniker because with all of the wonderful ideas she pulled together for almost nothing.

Case in point?  The Sweet Shoppe Village she built out of food and grocery boxes:

There was even a supermarket and a dentist's office!

The boutique (yes, there was a boutique!) featured these sweet lace aprons sewn up for the little guests that cost.... wait for it!.... 50 cents each!

She also whipped up all of the felt food in the bakery!

And this adorable felt circle garland?

Was made for $1.50.  Crazy, right?

See the rest of Sophia's super sweet party and how all of these projects were done for so little over on The Busy Budgeting Mama.


3.  JACK'S PAJAMA PIZZERIA PARTY

Here's what I love most about the birthday party that Rachel from Polkadots and Puppies threw for her son - it was completely designed around on what HE wanted.  When he told his mother "I want to wear pajamas to my party. Oh, and I want to eat pizza and cupcakes too!", she made it happen in the cutest way ever.

From the perfect invitation:

And the fab decor:

To the must-have cupcakes:

And sweet take on pizza:

Everything was perfect!  I adore how the guests decorated chef's hats and made their own pies!

And how fun was the packaging for the favors?

There's lots more of this awesome birthday bash over on Polkadots and Puppies.


3.  WYATT'S OUT OF THIS WORLD FOURTH

This is another oldie but goodie, planned by Kate from Beautiful Day Events for her son, and filled with DIY projects galore.  Paper lanterns were transformed into a solar system:

CRAFTASTIC: A Simple DIY Father's Day Gift

I've got Dad's Day on the brain this week as you may have noticed from yesterday's post on Easy Father's Day Artwork, and when I spotted this on Pinterest today (have I mentioned I'm totally addicted???), I knew I had to share it.

I know, I know, you're probably wondering what a necklace has to do with Father's Day.  Well, that's actually a DIY finger print pendant, and while a lot of dads probably wouldn't go for sporting it around their necks, it would make a fabulous keychain!   Am I right or am I right?

This is all you'll need to make your own:

Just roll out some oven bake clay and roll your child's finger in it to create the print:

Then bake it, paint it, seal it and attach it to a key ring.  Easy peasy!  

And if you've got more than one child (or want to make one from all of the grand kids for granddad) you could easily include a print from each one.

Talk about a simple, inexpensive and meaningful gift for any pop or grandpop! 

For the full how to, visit Sarah Ortega Photography, and thanks to Jennifer Post for pinning this tutorial.  You can follow me on Pinterest HERE.

Images: Sarah Ortega Photography