Father's Day Gift Ideas - Reuse Style

With Father’s Day right around the corner, you may be wondering what kind of creative gift you could give – I’ve suggested three of my favourites. These gifts are not only thoughtful, but also incorporate a reuse theme! Another added bonus, is that these gifts shouldn’t take too long to make.

Recycled Tie Photo Album

Does your Dad have a few ties hanging in the back of his closest that he no longer wears? This tie photo album is a great way to use them to create a meaningful gift. You can print out some photos of you and your Dad to put in the album as well – he will love it!

This idea does require you to purchase a 4” x 6” photo album, unless you have one at home already. Other supplies required include sew on snaps and fusible interfacing.

For the full tutorial, check out lilblueboo.com

 Dad’s Coupon Book

I love the simple yet thoughtful idea behind this gift. My dad is always telling me that all he wants is to spend time with me rather than material gifts. With the coupon book, you can suggest fun activities that the two of you can do together, or perhaps chores where you can offer to help.

The main item you will need for this gift is paper to use for the coupons. Old newspapers or pages from a book that’s no longer being used work great. Essentially, all you need to do is cut the paper into a number of small rectangles (using a ruler to measure them, so they’re the same size), choose one to be the cover, and add the activities/items you’d like to share with your father on each page. Feel free to personalize the pages and jazz them up a little! Then you can either staple the pages or punch holes in them and loop a piece of string/twine through so the book holds together. Check out Crafting a Green World for full details.

No-Sew Slipper Socks

These cozy socks are a perfect gift for anyone, really. My dad loves slippers, so naturally this is one of the first thoughts I had. This idea involves adding a sole to an old pair of socks to make them into slippers.

Items you will need include sueded fabric and fusible webbing (a material that bonds fabrics together).

Standing on a piece of cardboard in your chosen socks, trace and cut out an outline of your feet. After you cut out the cardboard template, trace the pattern onto the sueded fabric and fusible webbing with a sewing pencil; cut those out as well. Position the cardboard template inside the sock where you’d like the sole to go, place the fusible webbing over the sock, and then the sueded fabric at the top. Iron according to the instructions that come with the webbing, and then remove cardboard. Voila, you have a new pair of slippers!

Visit marthastewart.com for full instructions.

Happy Father's Day! 

- Tamara (Volunteer)