planning way ahead for Father's Day

[mamato1]

Last year I did the Dady pics that I learned about from this board and they were a huge hit. I am looking to do something just as spectacular this year.

OK creative mamas help this very un-creative mama steal your great ideas!! What ya' got?

Chris

Mama to Brendan (aka Boomer) 01/04


http://b3.lilypie.com/FnI6m5/.png

[KAK22]

please tell about the daddy pics from last year!

[jenjenfirenjen]

One of my friends, her husband is a lawyer, so last year, his first Father's Day, she dressed DS up as a lawyer. Had him in a onesie, with a tie a nice watch on, posed him in her husband's briefcase and surrounded him with law books. It was too cute.

My husband is a scientist so I'm thinking of doing something along the same lines this year, though I'm not sure if I'll be up to it with the new baby. I was thinking of dressing DS in a lab coat and having him hold a beaker with water and dry ice to make it steam and then maybe pose him as if doing an experiment on the baby. I don't know...it may be too complicated for this year.

ETA: For PP, here is my DADDY pic from last year. You basically pose DC with D-A-D-D-Y letters and then put them in a 5-opening frame. If you do a search for DADDY picture you should find lots of past examples.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33171.jpg

[DebbieJ]

I'm going to leave the D the same and replace A-D-D-Y with current photos of ds holding the letters.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[mudder17]

Are you planning on keeping the D the same for the next few years? I told DH last year that I was going to do something similar every year so we could see a progression and he seemed to like that idea. :)

Here's mine:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33173.jpg

I already have a good picture of DH and Kaya for this year from Christmas, although I have a few others that might also work now. I used paper letters last year, but if I'm going to do this every year, I might invest in some real wood letters this year. Anyone know a good source for these letters?

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[almostamom]

I bought our letters at Michael's last year. I just saw some on sale. I think I was at Target. Since you only need to buy three letters, it's not too expensive.

~Linda~
DS 11/9/04

[mudder17]

Ah! I'm going to Target tomorrow so I'll take a look. Thanks!

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[kijip]

I got mine at Joanne's Fabric Store (i think!) last year---I am sure they were just a couple bucks each. I then spray painted them red since the plain wood would not show up well in the picture.

[maestramommy]

okay, Eileen, I'll be calling to ask how you put the pieces together. Hopefully Dora will actually be able to hold the letters.

[MommyAllison]

Ok, I LOVE the Daddy pics!! Thank you Jen and Eileen for posting pics!! I think DD will have the letters in her mouth just like your DS, Jen :) Woohoo, I am excited for Father's Day!!

Allison
http://b1.lilypie.com/XvRAm8/.png (http://lilypie.com)

[karolyp]

Yep I agree! I love them too!! Thanks Eileen and Jen for posting them, and thanks to Katie for painting tip. This is such a GREAT idea and I can't wait to make one for DH!!!

I'll have to start my search for the letters...

ed to add...I'm not sure if Joann's carries the letters or not, but I just found some Joann's printable coupons and have posted them in the bargains forum. I'm gonna check there on Friday!

[LD92599]

When you crop.....

Just a heads up when you're at the point of cropping the photos - be sure to change the resolution to 300 (default is 72!). I remember this as the one step that made a HUGE difference in the quality of the pics.

Laura
mom to William

LKibala @ optonline.net
[img]http://b4.lilypie.com/vEOmm4.png

Use a Mac? Interested in learning more about them? Join us!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BBB-MacUsers/

[mudder17]

Yes, changing the resolution to 300 makes all the difference. Also, if you want to do something like I did where you put the individual pictures into a collage, create a working space that is 300 pixels/inch and the size that you want the picture to print out (eg. 8.5"x11" or 16"x20" etc.) and copy and paste your correctly resized pictures into the working space. What I did was decide the actual size of the small pictures in the final product and resized copies of the original pictures to fit what I wanted. Then I copied and pasted (or you can insert) the pictures into the final working space. It worked quite well.


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[newnana]

Thank you so much, this is a fabulous idea that I will shamelessly borrow. I will say that Wal-Mart also has white letters in the craft area for about $2 each that I think are this size. I just have to work up the courage to go in there.

Thanks so much!
Michelle

[tarabenet]

This is the style I used for my brother's gift, too. I didn't decide to do the Daddy pic until last-minute, and using a 5-slot frame like this meant I didn't have to learn to do the photo-edit collage style, even though I love the way those looked too.

My bro is a Harley guy, so I dressed Aubrey in a tie-dyed orange shortall, used an orange beach towel as "flooring" or background in each shot, and painted the letters black. Inserted into a black-matted glass gallery-style frame, the whole thing looked really great.

The only problem was that I made it for his office, but SIL loved it so much she put it up in their home instead, so she could enjoy it too. I guess I'd better go get M, O, and Y and get busy putting one together for her for Mother's Day for this year! And here I was having trouble figuring out what to get her. D'oh!

[DebbieJ]

White letters are $1.87 each at WalMart in the Baby section. I found mine on the side of an endcap, so you may have to hunt.

I also saw "naked" wooden letters at Target recently. I can't remember exactly which section. I was at a different Target than I ususally go to and I was completely lost. :)

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[cdlamis]

>I'm going to leave the D the same and replace A-D-D-Y with
>current photos of ds holding the letters.

That is exactly what I am going to do- so that in 5 years each "letter" will be from a different year.

Daniella
Mom to Julia 6-13-02
and Isabella 12-18-04

[jamsmu]

Jen, your's turned out adorable!! I wish I had the pic here to post it (from 2 years ago) but its at DH's office.

Thanks for the reminder everyone--I'm going to make another with both boys!

[jamsmu]

BRU has them too

[calv]

I LOVE that frame, where did you get it? LOVE it!!!!!!

[niccig]

I love this. It's a brillant idea. DH will love it. Ok, off to get some letters.

[Zana]

Edited to delete pic.

I did this for last Father's day. DH is a cardiology fellow and I know the pic is really cheesy..but I couldn't resist!

[TraciG]

Your son is beautiful !

[aliceinwonderland]

That's absolutley awesome, and your son is breathtaking :)

[jenjenfirenjen]

That's adorable!

For PP, the frame I used is by Umbra and I got it at Linens n Things.

[mudder17]

Ah! That's pretty clever! I like that idea!


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[amazz]

Last year I didn't even want to attempt to take pics of my dd with wood letters, so I did these instead: http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=37&topic_id=211223&mesg_id=211223&listing_type=search

HTH!
Angela
mama to my raisin and furry mama to Chloe
~ A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

[jamsmu]

OMG Angela!! That's BEAUTIFUL--and so much work!! Can you share tips?? I'd love to do that with the word FAMILY for our basement.

[jeniferrlynne]

I LOVE THIS IDEA! I have already made a run to Wal-Mart and grabbed some of their wooden letters to paint. Thanks OP for the idea. Now to decide what color...

[Jen841]

I did DADDY pictures last year. We have a good frame, and I hope to update the pictures annually. So far that is all I have on my mind.

[Zana]

Awww, thank you guys! His coloring has gotten us (his brown eyes/hair/skin asian parents) a lot of comments...lets just say that its a relief that he's finally starting to look like DH :D

[brittone2]

What a heartbreaker your DS is! He is sooo handsome! :)

That is an absolutely adorable idea :) Way to go!

[squimp]

Angela, those are so CUTE! What a great idea.

[mamato1]

Oh, I have been so busy I have not had a chance to come back and see all of your responses. Looks like the DADDY pics are still the way to go. I guess we will do that again!
Chris

Mama to Brendan (aka Boomer) 01/04


http://b3.lilypie.com/FnI6m5/.png

[amazz]

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I usually only pop in over here once in awhile. Here are the instructions I typed up last year for the DADDY picture letter collage:

MATERIALS
*wood letters
*sand paper
*black craft paint
*2 sponge brushes
*pictures of your little one printed on matte photo paper(I used about 40, but had about 50 or so printed)
*scissors
*scotch tape (preferably the cheapy kind that doesn't work that well or you could use the glue sticks that are removable)
*pencil
*decoupage glue (I used gloss finish, but if I had to do it over again, I think I would try the matte finish)

PROCEDURE
Use the sand paper on the rough edges of the wood letters. Next paint the edges using the paint and one of the sponge brushes. I had trouble getting the hole in the "A" so after I had done all the edges I cut a corner off the sponge brush to get the inside.

The most time consuming part of this project was choosing the right size pictures. The letters I have are 5" tall so the pictures range in size from 2.5" to 1". You'll just have to play around until you find the right sizes for your pictures and letters. The easiest way I found to position the pictures is with the cheapy tape. It makes it easy to reposition them if you change your mind about the placement. Of course there will be some overlaps at first, but if you hold the letters up to the light you can see where the pic will be.

Next you turn the letter over and trace around the edges to give you a line to cut on. Take the pictures off, cut on the pencil lines, and repostion on the letters. Your pics will probably overlap so when you get ready to glue, find the ones that are on the bottom layer of the pictures. Use the 2nd sponge brush and follow the instructions on the decoupage glue. (BTW, this step is pretty messy so if you have a mani you probably want to wear latex gloves or something to protect your nails. The glue does wash off pretty easily, though.)

Angela
mama to my raisin and furry mama to Chloe
~ A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

[JacksMommy]

Love the Daddy pics, will be doing that myself. In the past, we've also done the good old mug with handprints, also a cutie. And Shutterfly (and other online photo places) have great things you can do with pictures, we've done a mousepad in the past, which was also a hit.

Laurel
WOHM to Jack, 6/4/02
Baby Madeline 12/14/04

[omgrown]

I love this idea, don't know how I missed the idea last year, but I'm definitely gonna try it. DH prefers to go by Papa though (I'm Mama) so I'm going to do PAPA, which I'm hoping will go well since DS is kind of a nightmare to take a decent picture of these days.
Thanks for the idea ladies!