Father’s Day

Fore! Father’s Day 2013 is headed straight for us in just a few days, so now is the best time to look ahead and find the perfect gift for Dad. If playing a round at the local golf course is your pop’s idea of a day in paradise, then make his holiday extra-special with something that reminds him of his favorite sport. Need some inspiration? Tee off your Father’s Day festivities with these truly original golf gift ideas for Dad!

Father’s Day Gift Idea #1: Golf Gift Basket

Fuel your dad’s swing with some delicious bite-sized snacks! The Taste of the Tour Golf Gift Basket is filled with sweet and savory nibbles to satisfy any golf dad’s craving: peanut butter bars, caramel medallions, Tee Time kettle popcorn, 19^th Hole pub snack mix, Back Nine lemon cookies, and more. They’re even packed in a reusable golf bag cooler so Pops can carry his snacks with ease as he conquers all 18 holes. But that’s not all Dad gets: The bag also comes with three pro golf balls and a set of 15 golf tees. Just the right way to tell that special man in your life that he’s not only a great golf player, but the world’s best dad too!

Father’s Day Gift Idea #2: Mini Golf Cupcakes

After a great Father’s Day out on the golf course, nothing lets Dad savor his sweet victory quite like a freshly baked batch of golf-themed cupcakes. Follow these directions to really spoil his sweet tooth:

Supplies for Mini Father’s Day Golf Cupcakes

Box of cake mix
Vanilla frosting
Green food coloring
Green Sprinkles
Chocolate chips
Toothpicks
Cardstock or construction paper
Glue
Small, round white candy
Vanilla cookies

How to Make Father’s Day Golf Cupcakes

1. Bake a batch of Dad’s favorite mini cupcakes using boxed cupcake mix. In a bowl, mix vanilla frosting with green food coloring. The amount of food coloring you use depends on how dark you want the color to be. The more food coloring you use, the darker the frosting color will be.
2. To create the grass for your golf cupcakes, frost each cupcake with the green icing. To make the grass look even more lifelike, dip the top of the iced cupcakes into green sprinkles.
3. For half the cupcakes, stick a single chocolate chip point-down into the icing of each cupcake to make a putt. Then, cut a small flag out of cardstock and glue it to the top of a toothpick. Stick the bottom of the toothpick into the cupcake directly behind the putt, just like a real flag stick. Finish the cupcakes off by decorating each of them with a small white candy ball right near the flag.
4. For the other half of the cupcakes, crush a small bag of vanilla cookies in the blender. Spoon the cookie crumbs onto the top of each remaining cupcake to create a sand bunker.
5. Place one of each cupcake side by side and you’ve got an irresistibly scrumptious dessert fit for a golfing pro!

Father’s Day Gift Idea #3: DIY Golf Planter

A few vibrant green plants displayed in a fun golf ball-shaped flower pot lets Dad bring a piece of his favorite golf course into his office or man cave. Check out our Petal Talk blog post on how to make a Father’s Day planter to read the full step-by-step tutorial.

Father’s Day Gift Idea #4: DIY Golf Card

At the end of the day, it’s not the game that matters to Dad; feeling the love of his family is what he really wants on Father’s Day! Tell the special father in your life how much he’s appreciated with a beautiful handmade and heartfelt golf card, straight from you. (Bonus: This is a great Father’s Day kids craft too!) Here’s how to make one:

Continue Reading…

These hardworking superdads deliver smiles at work and at home! We’d like to introduce you to the 1800Flowers.com dads, whom we have the pleasure of working with every day. Here’s what they love best about being a father … and which truly original gifts would brighten their Father’s Day this year!

Meet Mark Grzeskowiak
Vice President of Technology for BloomNet, Napco and 1800Flowers.com Franchising

In addition to heading up the franchising of 1800Flowers.com and two of our sister brands for the past eight years, Mark is also the head of a beautiful family with four active and absolutely adorable children.

Why Being a Dad Makes Him Smile: “Plain and simply, the kids. Watching them grow and learn is an amazing experience.”

Best Dad Story: “With four young kids, each of their births is still fresh in my mind. You can’t surpass the joy of watching your children being born.”

Favorite Father’s Day Gift From 1800Flowers.com: Cheryl’s Cookies
“I’m a sweets junkie at heart!”

Meet Scott Archila
Vice President of Financial Reporting and Taxation

A mainstay in the 1800Flowers.com family for the past 18 years, Scott is also the dad of two girls and one boy—each smart, energetic and creative, yet truly original in their own way!

Why Being a Dad Makes Him Smile: “Being able to watch my children learn, grow and care for one another and providing them guidance throughout life’s challenges makes me smile.”

Best Dad Story: “[My daughter] Ashley is a fireball of energy—extremely creative and quite the talker. When she was 4, she invented her own ‘Blankie Buddies’ doll by using her baby blanket and dressing it up in American Girl Doll clothes. I should have patented this idea back then.”

Favorite Father’s Day Gift From 1800Flowers.com: Cheryl’s Father’s Day Assorted Cookie Gift Box
“The cookies from Cheryl’s are a favorite in my home. This gift is great because I can share it with my entire family (except the peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies—those are mine)!”

Meet Abe Adler
CRM and Business Analytics

A true numbers man, Abe uses reports and data to help 1800Flowers.com better deliver smiles to its customers. Abe is a fairly new member of our team: He’s only been with us for a year, but he’s been a father much longer. He has six children, all ranging in age from 21 to 8 … and they all inherited his great sense of humor!

Why Being a Dad Makes Him Smile: “Seeing my kids overcome their challenges and have pride in their work makes me smile.”

Best Dad Story: “My favorite dad story comes during a school production many years ago. My son was up on stage and I had a clear view of both my son and my father. During the production I was not only smiling at my son’s performance, but also at the smile that I saw on my father’s face as he watched my son. My father later told me that not only was he smiling at my son but also at my happiness. Like father, like son, I guess.”

Favorite Father’s Day Gift From 1800Flowers.com: Dwarf Jade Bonsai
“I like that it’s compact enough to sit on my desk yet big enough to make me smile.”

Meet Ted Nelson
Vice President of BloomNet

Always using his imagination to create new products for our BloomNet brand, Ted is also the proud father of two confident young boys, both of whom love playing lacrosse and other sports.

Why Being a Dad Makes Him Smile: “Watching my children grow up and seeing how truly unique and different they are from each other.”

Best Dad Story: “When my older son Teddy was born, I handed him to my father in the hospital. As we all share the same first name (my Father is Junior, I’m the III and my son is IV), it was one of the single most special times in our lives as the legacy lived on and was unbroken.”

Favorite Father’s Day Gift From 1800Flowers.com: The Happy Hour Collection
“It’s a truly unique product line and one that I was involved in from its origins. Watching this product line grow has been very rewarding and fun.”

Meet Joe Tura
Senior Copywriter in Creative Services

As the voice of 1800Flowers.com, Joe is responsible for conveying the brand’s personality through his writing. He also has a 10-year-old daughter, Cassie, who has a fun and vibrant personality of her own. While keeping on top of the latest TV shows, movies, comic books and technology, Cassie also trains in mixed martial arts, plays the clarinet, writes her own stories and jokes, and plays video games like a pro!

Why Being a Dad Makes Him Smile: “It’s the little things about being a Dad that touch me the most. Like how my daughter will always want to play ‘20 Questions About Marvel Comics’ on our drive to school, or hearing her scream louder than everyone in the section at a Yankees game, or sometimes simply holding her hand for safety in a parking lot.”

Best Dad Story: “My favorite story of being a Dad (so far) is probably the first time Cassie rode my favorite roller coaster—The Phoenix at Knoebels in Elysburg, P.A.—with my wife and I in the same car, and hearing her go on about how awesome a ride it was! It made me realize how my Dad must have felt on our fishing trips, how special it is to share something you’re passionate about with your child.”

Favorite Father’s Day Gift From 1800Flowers.com: Sports Hound™ a-DOG-able®
“I’m a huge sports fan and a lifelong dog lover. The Sports Hound™ a-DOG-able® arrangement is a fresh and fun way to root, root, root for your favorite team and dress up the home at the same time. Just don’t tell my cats!”