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June 9, 2005
Father's Day gift guide
Eleven great gifts from $10 to under $200
Dina Harvey fills a bright red toolbox with all the tools of the trade for backyard barbecue chefs; $95.
Every Father's Day for the past couple of decades, I've sent my dad a size medium short-sleeve shirt (usually plaid, sometimes stripes) along with a Hallmark card that has ducks or fishermen on it. When I visit, Dad pulls up to the airport wearing one of the shirts. Well, now he has plenty of shirts, so this year I looked for something different. I found things for active dads, hip dads, refined dads and golf dads. I don't know yet what I'll get him (Father's Day is June 19), but whatever it is, I'm sure he'll wear it or use it when I visit.
Dinabean toolboxes
What could be more convenient than having all your barbecue gear in one reusable bright red tool box? Local entrepreneur and former caterer Dina Harvey has assembled a four-piece stainless-steel triple chrome-plated barbecue tool set with a serrated edge barbecue turner, basting brush, long tongs and grill brush along with a grill mitt, gourmet burger rub, hot sauce, grill lighter and bottle-top basting brush. Order by June 16 for Father's Day; $95 at www.dinabean.com.
Fancy key chains
Key chains are can't-fail gifts, especially these whimsical creations by local jewelry designer Sally Brock. She makes molds from old-fashioned plastic toy soldiers, Indians, construction workers, firemen and astronauts and then casts them into sterling silver figures attached to steel rings. Prices range from $55 to $65. Brock also makes a simple nautical themed fob with an etched anchor ($75) and a sentimental photo key chain that can be customized with a picture of your progeny ($75). These key chains are available at Brock's little shop, Fancy.
Vintage ties screen printed with retro images of old typewriters, cameras, airplanes and bicycles; $10.
Ties with a twist
Forget the $75 silk tie with the latest paisley print. Joel Leshefka's recycled vintage ties have character. He revives ties from former decades with screen-printed retro images of old typewriters, cameras, airplanes and bicycles. And they're a steal for just $10 at his Ballard shop, Twenty Twenty.
Buzz Off Baja shirt
Not only will this shirt keep Dad from becoming bug food or sun-burned, you can dress him up in it and even take him out. The shirt's list of positive attributes is long: It's highly breathable, wrinkle free, odorless, quick drying, moisture wicking, repels biting bugs, provides UV protection from the sun and has an action vent in the back! The cost for all these high-tech qualities in a shirt? Just $84 in store at Ex Officio or on the Web site.
Buddha Balls by Irregular Cranial Activity are printed with meditative Zen koans for golfers; $15.
Buddha balls
Whether you're seeking spiritual enlightenment or just need new golf balls, these playful balls take Zen koans and give them an amusing twist. (Being painfully unenlightened, I checked the meaning of "koans." They are puzzling, often paradoxical statements or stories used as a meditation aid to gain spiritual awakening.) Designed by creative local group Irregular Cranial Activity, each ball features a jolly Buddha and wisdom suited for the green such as "The path is narrow. The tree is wide." and "Be mindless and hit. Others are waiting." Three golf balls to a package, fake grass included; available for around $15 at Fireworks and Elsewares.com.
Radl wallets
These sturdy unisex multi-compartment wallets are made with hard-wearing Cordura fabric in a variety of colors. Local designer Chika Eustace makes longer "triple wides" and more compact "square roots." Available for $24-$38 at Vain, Retail Therapy and Velouria.
Concrete cufflinks
What could be more masculine than concrete? That's why concrete is the perfect medium for Frances Smersh's line of jewelry which includes these nifty cufflink sets made with sterling silver and filled with colored concrete. The cufflinks come in a variety of geometric shapes and colors from lavender to lime to lapis lazuli. For more sophisticated, fashionably aware men, choose a set embellished with pearls. Available for $98-$148 at Frances Smersh's shop, Click! Design That Fits.
Handy and compact, this little grill goes anywhere; $169.95 at REI.
Coleman RoadTrip LXE Grill
This little propane grill is so cute I might get it for myself. Perfectly packable, it folds up, flattens out and converts to a meal maker on wheels that can easily be pulled to any picnic. It features interchangeable surfaces so you can grill, griddle or cook. It has tool holders, side tables, and my favorite, a "removable grease management tray." Available for $169.95 at REI and $188 at Coleman.com.
Merrell shoes
My husband gave a pair of Merrell shoes a workout in Egypt, trekking through the desert, King Tut's tomb and the banks of the Nile. The newly designed Chameleon II Stretch, a convenient slip-on model, is just as versatile whether you're walking to the corner coffee shop or taking a hike up Mount Si. They look high-tech (they should, with Injection Molded TPU Instep Stability Arm, blah, blah, blah) but are stylish at the same time. Available for $90 at Woolly Mammoth and Nordstrom.
Yee-haw! Pour a stiff one from this cowhide shaker ($74.95) or flask ($64.95).
Black cowhide barware
Is Dad bored with his barware? Give him something to yell yippie-ka-yay about. These classically shaped shakers and flasks in stainless steel are wrapped in genuine black and white cowhide. Patterns (depending on the part of the cow) are all unique. The shaker is $74.95; flask is $64.95. Available in store at Sur La Table
and on the Web site.
Clique bins
These plastic bins work for dads who are fanatically neat and dads who are unrepentant slobs because both can throw things in them. Made by local company Three by Three, the bins come in sets of three in varying sizes. They can attach to one another or any metal surface due to the amazingly powerful embedded magnets. Great for the desk or workshop. Available in red, mint and gray. Available for $19.95 at Portage Bay Goods and fredflare.com.
Kathy Schultz is a free-lance writer who lives in Seattle and loves to shop. If you have a shop, sale, event or great product tip you'd like to share, e-mail her.
Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company
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