Handmade: Father's Day

It appears to me that males are generally harder to shop for. As Father's Day approaches, asking my father what he wants does not normally do much good. Most of the time I have to get creative. Last year I bought him a card with a CD in it that said "I burnt this one for you, Dad." I did not put any music on it because my father and I do not share the same taste in music, but I told him to tell me what he would like on it. I was also supposed to take him golfing, but I did not have the money, until I started working 60 hours a week, then I didn't have the time. I also once bought my father a nice digital camera. He wasn't really sure when he would ever use it. A bad gift.
So this year, my mother told me I needed to finally put some music on last year's CD card. But I had a better idea.
First, I took my father our for crabs at an old crab joint we used to go to with our extended family. He thought that was all he was going to get.
It seems it always starts with an idea, and is followed by staying up till 4:00 a.m. to see it come to completion.
It started by making this CD case for my father's CD. I used scrap booking paper and an old college brochure.





I was pretty proud of the case, but the inside gets even better. When he opened it up...



My siblings and I went in on an iPod for my father. I went to the library and got out 42 CDs- ones I knew he liked, and some I thought he would. So that list on the back meant the band's entire CD. I also added pictures- one of my father and mother, and one of our entire family from this past Christmas.



I had to use my wood carver to melt out a place for the iPod to rest.
Now, my brothers were skeptical.
"He doesn't even know how to work his cell phone, you think he can figure out an iPod?"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
And my father was so blessed, and so surprised! He put his headphones on immediately and took it to work the next day. It was a great Father's Day.
My brother, Tom, and I also made homemade cards for our father and grandfather.

I made mine out of scrapbook paper and markers. My brother used the computer program, Pages, for a more professional look.

I believe in homemade gifts.