As I have mentioned before, Steve’s birthday and Father’s day are very close to each other, and most years, he gets a combined Happy-Father’s-Birthday-Day celebration. Last year, we went low-frills when I helped the kids make some creative cards for dad.

This year, we’re making some practical gifts with a personal touch – paint your own mugs and aprons. We did the mugs last weekend, while Steve was out for a long run, and they are cute!

Next up: aprons for our amateur Iron Chef.

To make the aprons, I used:

• Uchida Fabric Markers (I also used these for the kids to decorate their own quilt blocks)
• Plain aprons in Khaki, which I thought would hide stains better than white but still allow the colors to show up well.

I prewashed the aprons to shrink them and remove some of the sheen to help the colors stay. I then ironed them and pinned them on cardboard, to make it easier to draw. I made two templates: a “tie” apron and a “medal” apron, the latter because Steve ran the San Francisco Marathon on Father’s Day this year!

Then, we each added out own embellishments, and I love how unique the creations turned out to be.

Happy Father’s Day to a loving, patient, and inspiring guy!  We love you!

“Jewels”