Good things come to those who make. I love that statement, live by that statement, and teach my children that statement in everything that we do.

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking at Alt Summit (more on that in a later post) and what came with that honor was the chance to listen to and meet some of the most creative makers, bloggers, and voices working today. One of those was Rachel Ryle, an award-winning illustrator and animator who incorporates her art and animations into her Instagram posts. (Buzzfeed and MTV both named her the #1 Instagram account to follow. Um, yes.)

I’ll just say it right now…you’re welcome. In case you need a smile on your face, or something to post on social media today, here you have it.

(Plus she’s a super-nice person! Just sayin’.)

Did anyone happen to notice the lovely new interface of Instagram online?

It’s so clean and pretty and let’s your feed sing, as it should!

Ok. That’s all. As you were….

Ok, I’m not ruining a Father’s Day surprise here…I promise! You see, my husband’s birthday is June 15th, smack dab in the middle of Father’s Day season. So I’m lucky and cursed at the same time. If I do one gift, it has to be a biggie, and if I do two gifts, well, I have to actually think of two to make or buy!

But sometimes a moment strikes when you realize that spending money just isn’t necessary, and you can go right for the tear ducts with one fell swoop. Enter, the “Why We Love Daddy” photo collage.

This took all of 20 minutes to shoot and about another 10 to edit and collage using the amazing PicMonkey.com. I posted it on Instagram and Facebook, tagging him of course, and in the middle of his work day and all of the one-liner Facebook birthday wishes streaming in, this popped up and BAM! I knocked it out of the park.

I think I’m good through Father’s Day, don’t you?

Paper weights. Neckties. Coffee mugs. What do these things have in common? Yes, they are common DIY Father’s Day crafts that encourage Dad to think of work, stacks of bills, and the need to revive himself with cup o’ artificial energy.

I have an idea…let’s remind Dad that we love to play with him, craft with him, and adventure with him! Here are 4 DIY projects that will show Dad that there’s more to life than 9 to 5!

ORIGAMI NEWSPAPER PIRATE SHIP

What you’ll need:
Newspaper, Scissors, Clear contact paper, Hot-glue gun, 1 large wooden bead, 1 tongue depressor, 2 bamboo skewers, Tacky glue, 3 small wooden beads, 2 pieces of black-and-white, patterned paper, ⅛-inch hole punch, ½-inch-wide ribbon, String

1. Cut an 11 ½-by-15-inch piece of newspaper and cover one side with clear contact paper.

2. Fold it into an origami boat (see instructions below), being sure to make the first fold with the contact paper side in.

3. Hot-glue the large bead to the center of the tongue depressor and hot-glue a skewer into the middle of the bead.

4. Cut the tip off of the paper peak that pokes out of the center of the boat and insert the skewer through that hole. Glue the tongue depressor to the bottom edges of the boat.

5. Break or cut another skewer so that one side is about ½ inch shorter than the other, and glue the shorter piece into the front crease (the bow) and the longer one into the back crease (the stern). Glue a small wooden bead to the exposed end of each skewer.

6. Cut two rectangles from patterned paper, one 3 by 5 inches and one 2 ½ by 4 inches, and punch two holes centered about 1⁄8 inch from the top and bottom edges. Slip these patterned-paper sails over the center skewer, beginning with the larger one, and glue a bead on the top point.

7. Cut nine 1- to 2-inch pieces of ribbon and an 18-inch piece of string. Fold the ribbons over the string, evenly spaced, and glue them back-to-back. Trim them into triangular flag shapes.

8. Attach the string to the ends of all three skewers, tying it to the skewer on the back of the boat, then gluing it to the top of the sails, and finally tying to the skewer at the front of the boat. Secure at bow and stern with a dab of glue.

GOLF TEE TOP

Snag some of Dad’s tees to make him a classic toy, reminiscent of his childhood.

What you’ll need: Crayola Model Magic (available at Michaels Stores), Food coloring, 1 golf tee, Tacky glue, 1 wooden bead

1. Break off walnut-size chunks of Model Magic and add a drop of food coloring to each. Mix, adding more food coloring until you achieve your desired color. (Yes, prepare to have messy hands.)

2. Flatten the clay into disklike shapes, spheres, and pyramids. Stack on the golf tee, then remove, keeping the pieces together.

3. Let the pieces dry (per package instructions), still as one unit, and then slip them back onto the tee and secure at the top and bottom with a dab of glue.

4. Glue the bead to the top of the tee.

REVERSIBLE FELT CROWNS

Make Dad king-for-a-day with a reversible crown that can go from day to night in one flip!

What you’ll need: White wool felt (available from MagicCabin.com), Scissors, ½- to ¾-inch-wide metallic velvet ribbon, Tacky glue, Acrylic paint, 1 wine-bottle cork

1. Cut a strip of wool felt long enough to fit the circumference of your child’s head. The width of the piece should be between 4 and 6 inches. Cut crown points along one edge.

2. To create the crisscrossed side, glue ribbon from the top of the first point down to the bottom edge of the strip, in a straight line along the edge following the point. From the same point, glue ribbon down the adjacent slope to the bottom edge. Trim off the excess at the bottom. Repeat for each point on the strip to create a crisscross pattern.

3. While the glue is drying, flip the felt over and create a polka-dot pattern by dipping the cork into the paint and then stamping. Let the paint dry.

4. To complete the crown, glue the ends of the strip together. To wear the crown the other way, just turn it inside out.

BANGIN’ BONGO DRUMS

Dad’s dormant rock star is aching to coming out! These are small enough to stash in his desk drawer for a quick jam session at work.

What you’ll need: One 42-ounce oatmeal container, Scissors, White paint, 1-inch foam brush, Blue- and green-tinted clear plastic vinyl (available from TheFabricExchange.com), ⅛- or ¼-inch hole punch, 2 rubber bands, Green and orange stretchy lanyard (available at Michaels Stores), Tacky glue and 2 cups of dried orange lentils

Step 1: Cut the oatmeal container in half. This will make two drums. Paint the inside and outside of each drum. Let them dry.

Step 2: For each drum, cut two 7-inch circles from one color of the vinyl. Punch eight evenly spaced holes around each circle. Center one vinyl circle on top of the cylinder and secure with a rubber band. Flip the cylinder over and secure the second vinyl circle, making sure to stagger the holes with those of the first one.

Step 3: Cut a 4-foot-piece of lanyard and weave it in and out of the holes, from top to bottom. Pull taut and knot the two ends together. Remove the rubber bands.

Step 4: Squeeze glue into a triangle shape in between each lanyard line and cover with dried lentils.

EXCERPTED FROM PROJECT KID BY AMANDA KINGLOFF (ARTISAN BOOKS). COPYRIGHT © 2014. PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALEXANDRA GRABLEWSKI

I have a perpetual dream that I’m going to be called to a craft competition game show (who remembers Craft Corner Deathmatch?) where I’m given a selection of materials and challenged to make something awesome from them. In this fantasy there is a clock, a closet of basic ingredients, and some stiff competition. But it seems those producers aren’t (yet) calling, so I decided to make my own of sorts.

I just returned from Alt Summit, a conference for pioneering and rookie bloggers and creatives in the lifestyle genre. Business cards are a big deal at this 3-day event, and I wanted to make something that might stand out. So I challenged my fellow attendees to a little task…make a craft using three of the five materials enclosed in the bag, plus one additional material, and post it on Instagram. The winner, selected randomly, will win a $100 gift card from my friends at Michaels.

As the entrees start rolling in, I decided to take the challenge myself. So thus, this fluffy bunny was born (I added the yellow yarn which I crafted into a pom-pom). If you want to follow along in the challenge, you can check out the hashtag #ProjectKidAlt2015 on Instagram.