12 DIY Father's Day Cards That Are Guaranteed to Make Him Smile

Father's Day Shirt Card

Whether your dad dons stripes, prefers plaid, or is known for his Hawaiian prints, choose a craft paper that coordinates with his style sense; then fold it into a perfectly tailored, shirt-shaped gift card holder.

Father's Day Tie Card

A tie is a traditional gift for Dad—a card to match is something new. Choose a patterned paper that suits the man of the hour, and fold it into a necktie (tuck a handwritten note in the back).

Message-in-a-Bottle Postcard

For a long distance greeting, send a whimsical message in a bottle with our printable clip-art. If you have an ink-jet color printer, you can pull off this project—and the kids can help.

Print the postcard design on card stock. Use a bone folder to score along the dotted line; fold. Apply glue to one half; press halves together; let dry. Cut out the image by snipping along the edges with small, sharp scissors. Slide these cards into envelopes, since the post office will process only cards with four corners. Ours are glassine and show off decorations such as the crab's net, the tiny shells, and the bass' glittered scales. Seal with tape, and add a label.

Father's Day Pocket Square Card

Create a specially designed card for Dad featuring a jacket lapel complete with a place for—what else?—a pocket square. Choose card stock in a color to coordinate with the accessory for an especially stylish finished product.

Cut a 1/8-inch-wide slit in the card stock for the pocket. Fold down the lapel; secure with double-sided tape. Draw "stitching" along the lapel edges and on pocket with a gel-ink pen. Write a message. Flip jacket over. Place double-sided tape along edges. Flip over again, and Tape the jacket to a piece of white card stock that has been folded in half widthwise. Insert a pocket square

Shirt-Cuff Card

Fashion a card to look like a dapper shirt cuff, and then use it to present a gift of cuff links (make a set out of shank buttons, or buy new or vintage links). Cut a 3 1/4-by-9-inch rectangle from construction paper; round two corners. Rubber-stamp a greeting on one side. Gently bend paper in half. Cut four slits for cuff links. To make cuff links, hook 24-gauge wire onto a button's shank; secure with needlenose pliers. Cut wire to 1/2 inch; loop through a second button's shank. Repeat.

Bow-Tie Card

Dapper dads will love this bow-tie card made especially for them. Cut a 5-inch square of patterned paper, score every 1/4 inch, and fold it accordion-style into the look of a bow tie. Top off the look with a 1-inch paper-punched circle, adhered with a dot of hot glue at the center.

Fin-Tastic Fishy Card

If he's a fisherman, he'll love this idea—hook, line, and sinker. Tell Dad that you're "hooked" on him this Father's Day with an easy-to-make fish-themed card.

To make a fish, start by using a jumbo circle punch to punch out one circle; then, take that circle and punch again to create an almond shape for the fish's body. For fins and a tail, punch two hearts with a heart punch; cut one heart down the center to make the two fins; score the other heart down the center to make the tail. Bend a small piece of wire like a jewelry wire or a paper clip to make the hook and attach some baker's twine for the line.

"Best Dad Ever" BBQ Card

Is Dad the king of the grill? This barbecue card is a cinch to make, and might even inspire him to whip up some burgers or steaks. For the grill, cut a 2 1/2-inch circle out of paper with a small circle cutter. Cut in half, with one side slightly larger than the other. Cut strips of paper for the stand and glue down using a glue pen, criss-crossing the strips. Use foam dots to attach pieces. Cut steam out of vellum, and sausage out of craft paper. Use alphabet punch to punch out letters, and glue down using the glue pen.

Confetti Card

Give Dad something that shakes things up this Father's Day. It's a confetti-filled card that includes his favorite things: neckties, golf balls, and teeny-tiny tees.

Spinning Card

Put a personal spin on a Father's Day card: Add a photo that twirls on a string. Kids can pick their favorite snapshots of themselves and glue them back to back, or use only one and cover the other side with colorful paper.

Use a ruler to divide a sheet of colorful paper into three equal parts, fold paper at those points, and unfold. Fold the left flap over middle (these panels will be card's front), then fold both in half (use a bone folder, if you like). Draw a half circle over the outer fold; cut out, cutting through all layers, just outside the line. Lay one on the photo; trace. Cut out photo; glue onto cutout. Glue string between the photo and the other cutout (or another photo). Place string in fold of middle flap, positioning photo in hole; glue the left flap to the middle, trapping string inside. Then, all that's left to do is write a special message to Dad.

Date With Dad Card

Kids love to be in charge, so let them take Dad on a Father's Day "date" of their choosing. Ask them to consider what Dad would like best: a movie, a museum, a hike, a baseball game? Kids can buy or draw the "tickets" and Mom can carve a pocket for them in the card.

Dad-Libs Card

Of course your kids love him thiiiiisss much! But with this clip-art fill-in-the-blanks Father's Day card, they can get specific in pinpointing Dad's traits, like his favorite foods and what makes him laugh (beyond their artistic interpretation of him drawn in the frame on the card's front, that is).