I consider myself to be a decent gift giver. I enjoy searching out the perfect item for each person on my list, carefully selected based upon my insights into what I know about the recipient. As a self-confessed shopaholic, I don’t get stressed out at the holidays – I look forward to it.
But there is one holiday that I dread each year: Father’s Day.
#DoneWithFun Daddy is an incredible father and an even more amazing partner in parenting. He does so much for all of us on a daily basis … so when it’s time to celebrate his day in June, I freeze up. How do you encapsulate all your love and gratitude into one useful, thoughtful AND kid-approved gift?
The stakes are high, and my ideas generally low. We did a Swiss Army knife last year, engraved with “My Daddy Can Fix Anything.” That was a big hit. He’s not much of a drinker, so six-packs or craft alcohol is out. He doesn’t golf, doesn’t run, doesn’t fish unless Easton is with him. He loves being outside, gardening, and being with us, his family.
I’m traditional about Father’s Day and like to involve the boys in the gift in some sort of homemade effort. This year, I thought about what things Tim and the boys like to do together for my inspiration.
Two things came to mind instantly: LEGOs and Star Wars. Yes, we are 100% boy in this household and Saturdays usually start with a light saber battle and wind down with a LEGO build before afternoon naptime.
While Easton would be absolutely thrilled to give his dad a brand-new LEGO set (which would immediately be co-opted for his own), I think a little more grown-up gift is warranted. Something he can display on his dresser or bring to the office to decorate his desk. Let’s just say I used The Force to channel this year’s idea.
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LEGO Star Wars “You Are Our Father” Photo Frame
Supplies
- Frame with 4 x 4 photo insert and mat
- Free printable: “You Are Our Father” mat cover
- LEGO mini-figures (see note below)
- Photo of the kids
- T-shirts: Target
- Free printable: “The Force Is Strong” sign
- Light sabers (already owned)
- A lot of patience and bribes
The customization of this one is endless. I knew I wanted a Star Wars-inspired photo but wasn’t sure how far I wanted to take it. I thought about easy Star Wars masks for a photo booth-inspired look but then decided the chances of getting both the 5-year-old and the 2-year-old to hold their masks up just right in the SAME photo would be nothing short of a miracle.
I recalibrated and bought new Star Wars t-shirts, grabbed our trusty light sabers, and headed out to the garden armed with patience and lollipops.
What are the boys wearing? Shirts I bought at Target on about 20 minutes’ notice:
Stormtrooper Youth Boys’ T-Shirt | Darth Vader Toddler Boys’ T-Shirt
Any photo opportunity with kids is another situation where I used The Force – and every last bit of my patience – but I was pleasantly surprised with the outcomes. Note that to capture these four potential results, there were approximately 9,000 outtakes that got immediately deleted.
Because I’m indecisive, I actually printed out all four of these and tried each one to see which one was my favorite in the assembled frame. It was a tough choice between the first two.
Project Printables: “You Are Our Father” mat | “The Force Is Strong” sign (file includes 2 single and plural versions)
Project How-To
- Print “You Are Our Father” mat on cardstock paper.
- Use scissors, X-Acto knife and/or paper trimmer to cut out “You Are Our Father” mat.
- Glue or tape to the actual mat included with your frame.
- Add photo.
- Glue LEGO mini-figures to the outside of the frame or inside the shadowbox.
- Wrap gift, have kids decorate a card and call it a day.
A note about mini-figures: This project could work with just a Darth Vader mini-figure, or the combination of Vader and Luke as I opted for, or another Star Wars combination at your own discretion.
Getting the mini-figures can be a bit of a challenge though. While they are sold on Amazon, they are pricer than I wanted to spend. I went on eBay and spent a bit of time bidding to get exactly the figures I wanted at a slightly more reasonable price.
If eBay isn’t your thing and you’d rather just Prime it for a bit more money, here are the options I used:
This is the Luke Skywalker figure I went with because I thought he had the best hair and his stubble looks a little like #DoneWithFun Daddy’s, but the more traditional mini-figure is less expensive:
If you’re local to the western suburbs, a new store just opened in Wheaton that buys and sells LEGOs. I didn’t find this out until I had already spent too much time on eBay, but it would have been my first stop had I known because, duh, “mini-fig” is part of the store name! Check out Bricks and Minifigs on Geneva Road as another option for sourcing those perfect mini-figures.
Tips
- You can choose a standard frame like I did, and glue your mini-figures to the outside of the frame, or you can choose a shadowbox frame and place the mini-figures inside the frame behind glass. I chose the simplest, least expensive option, but here’s an affordable shadowbox option that will still work with the printable:
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The mat printable is designed to be printed on regular letter-size paper. I always recommend smooth cardstock because it’s durable and easy to work with. Here’s my favorite from Amazon (Prime):
Wausau 40508 Neenah Exact Index, 110 lb, 8.5 x 11 Inches, 250 Sheets, White, 94 Bright
- To make cutting easier, a paper trimmer and X-Acto knife are my go-to tools:
Fiskars 12 Inch SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer (152490-1004)
Marigold Scrapbooking Craft Stack Paper Trimmer , Blue , 12″ (GTC410)
X-ACTO Craft Tools 1 Knife With Safety Cap, Pink - If you haven’t gathered already, I was a scrapbooker in a past life (pre-kid, obviously), so I still use double-sided scrapbook squares to stick everything together. These make it very easy to add our decoration to the frame mat:
Scotch 859 Mounting Squares, Precut, Removable, 11/16-Inch x 11/16-Inch, Clear, 35 per Pack (MMM859)
Of course, a good old-fashioned tape “donut” will work just as well, and you’ll get pretty far with a glue stick too. - I used hot glue to attach my LEGO mini-figs to the frame. Hot glue isn’t the strongest bond, but it’s so easy to work with. I glued the mini-fig “feet” to the inside “shelf” of the wooden frame, where it meets the glass.
About 15 minutes of assembly and this project is finished:
We’re continuing the LEGO theme on Father’s Day with a family field trip to Brickworld Chicago. Brickworld is a giant LEGO® display and exposition at Renaissance Convention Center in Schaumburg on June 16-17, with 100,000 square feet of displays, interactive activities and vendors. Tickets are $12; children 3 and under are free. Special for NeverDoneWithFun readers! Buy your tickets to Brickworld Chicago online by June 10 and use discount code NDWF18 to take $2 off per ticket.
Maybe I’ll see you there? If not, share your LEGO Star Wars Father’s Day projects – and the dads’ reactions – with me with #NeverDoneWithFun. Here’s to building a Father’s Day to remember!
