Father’s Day is around the corner and I decided to make a unique framed gift for all the special dads in our lives! I just got a Cricut Air Explore 2 as a Mother’s Day present so I have been itching to use it! This is a great beginner project.
I was so inspired by the shadow sign created by Crafty Gator. I knew that I had to give this a try and put my own spin on it!
Let me show you how I made my Father’s Day gift idea by using shadows!
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Supplies
- Cricut & light grip mat (I have the Cricut Air Explore 2. It comes with a light grip mat. There is now a newer model, Cricut Air Explore 3!)
- Construction paper (two pieces each)
- Scissors
- Scotch tape
- Cardboard scraps
Step 1
I designed the sign using the Cricut Design Space. The “WE LOVE OUR” and “EST 2016 & 2019” text is size 31.11 in the Cooper Black font. “Daddy”, “Grandpa”, and “Pop Pop” are all in the Berline Sans FB font. They are all different sizes. I added in four hearts using the shape tool.
Step 2
When making this I had to ensure that my design was going to be printed on one sheet and print exactly as I designed it.
I decided to stick two pieces of construction paper to the lightweight grip mat and cut off any paper going off the edge of the mat.
Step 3
Once printed, tape the two pieces of construction paper together. Take out all of the letters and numbers cut outs. I taped the center of the A’s, O’s, and so forth back in. You can see that I tried to use as little tape as possible because the tape was casting a shadow.
Step 4
I had to tape some more construction paper to the top and then I used a round container to trace a circle.
Step 5
I added some random strips of cardboard and some popsicle sticks to one side to add some stability to the paper. I tried it without earlier in the day and they were all too floppy for my daughter to hold straight. I know it looks insane, but this did help.
Step 6
Have your kid(s) hold the paper so the words are right side up for the photo. I made sure to include their feet in the photo too. It was a bit like herding cats since my kids are young, but we got it done! We tried to get the sign as close to the ground as we could while still standing up so it was less blurry. I would recommend making a larger sign if you can. I honestly think it still turned out really cute.
Step 7
I had my photos printed at our local Walgreens since it is affordable and they offer same day pickup. I had them printed as 5×7’s on glossy photo paper. I would have preferred matte but they only offer matte with home delivery.
Step 8
I framed each Father’s Day shadow photo gift in these pretty whitewashed wood frames from Target! My vision is that everyone will be able to put these on their desks. Please let me know what you think in the comments below! Thank you for visiting and Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!
