My father’s birthday is coming up, and every year my family and I face the daunting dilemma of finding him birthday presents. The man is impossible to shop for–anything he wants, he just buys for himself. As a result, we have all turned to quirky unexpected gifts as a way to celebrate Dad’s birthday in style. Bookmark some of these fun gift ideas for the next time you’re stumped when shopping for the men in your life:

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BBQ Sauce of the Month Club

It seems to be in a man’s DNA to want to cook over an open flame, so encourage his passion for the grill with this sweet and tangy gift!. If barbecue isn’t his thing, AmazingClubs.com features 25 other gift-of-the-month clubs, including beer, ice cream, hot sauce, cheese and salsa!

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Party Chain

This nifty little gadget isn’t just a cool key chain–it functions as a bottle opener, LED light and TV remote control. I know my dad would get a kick out of covertly turning on a football game during family dinners or holiday parties!

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Stationery

Our sister site, Wedding Paper Divas, offers an exquisite collection of thank you cards that can be personalized to suit stylish dads of all ages.

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Puzzle Alarm Clock

Perfect for dads who just can seem to get out of bed, this alarm clock doesn’t have a snooze–in fact, it won’t stop going off until you put all of the puzzle pieces in correctly!

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The Stellarscope

This portable, hand-held planetarium will help him identify stars, planets and constellations, and it will chart the night sky any day of the year. It’s perfect for a pop who loves the outdoors or dabbles in science.

Teens are probably one of the hardest groups to shop for. Fads come and go, and it’s difficult to find out what’s the most popular “in” thing right now. Here’s a few great gifts that are sure to survive through the latest trends. It makes me dream of being a teen again…almost.

Orange Burst and Summer Garden Thank You cards from Tiny Prints can be personalized.

The Flip Video and wish bone necklace are from RedEnvelope.

Bright colors make any gift fun. And this hot pink cuff bracelet from Quirk Gallery and MP3 player recharging dock from Target are all about fun!

Surprise the kids and new moms in your life with unique gifts that are perfect for the summer season.

Cocoa Crayon has a variety of cool designers such as Bink Link, who created the Blueberry and Candy Necklace above, used to clip binky to baby. They also carry items from DwellStudio such as their transportation travel case and stroller blanket so you can travel with style. Dwell’s stylish Transportation design matches perfectly with their Beep Beep thank you cards sold at Tiny Prints.

The adorable Owl pouch and Paradise aluminum water bottle from Chloe in Style comes in handy for adventurous afternoons of shopping, playing and picnicking.

And Kate Quinn Organics Sun Hat and Random Nicole Elephant Organic Elephant Tank from Wild Dill are made of100% organic cotton, and will keep kids cool in the summer heat.

With a variety of options to chose from, you have no excuse to go sans gift this season!

There are so many cool things you can get for kids these days. One new idea I love is creating your own personalized children’s book. Your child can be a first mate on a ship or a sprite in a forest–either way they’ll be star characters in their own book. All you need to do is upload their photos. Check out flattenme.com for more information.

I See Me! is another company that does fun personalized gifts such as books, puzzles and plates. Kids love to feel extra special, and these unique gifts are sure to do the trick. They may even be perfect for the big kids in your life as well.

I was going through my old magazines the other day in the hopes of decluttering my place when I came across a page with an adorable charm necklace from a website called Cocoa Crayon. Created by Lisa Moss, it’s a New York company that advertises “great stuff for kids and really hip grown-ups.” The site has adorable things including a sweet necklace with charms like a rubber duck and pacifier you can add on. You can shop by brand, and the items are gift wrapped for free. Another exciting thing is that they offer products by Dwell–our fabulous new Tiny Prints designer! Check it out. I had such a great time checking out their site, I might just have to get a few gifts for my mom, my friend’s baby and maybe me.

Photo from Cocoa Crayon

I went to another baby shower this weekend which was unusual in that the mommy-to-be requested that guests purchase eco-friendly gifts. It was exciting to hear that new parents are starting to get involved in the green movement! Here are some ideas from her shower that may inspire you.

1) Ask for a diaper service. Today’s diaper service is not the service of yesteryears. Gone are those dangerous pins which have been replaced with velcro. Most importantly, think of all that disposable diaper waste! Check out the National Association of Diaper Services for more information.

2) Buy organic products. There are a lot of adorable and surprisingly affordable organic baby clothes and products such as blankets. I saw some at Target the other day.

3) Request that friends and family purchase new organic or used products. My friend received hundreds (literally) of clothes from her family who gave her a combination of new organic things and used baby clothes.

4) Wrap gifts in recyclable paper or out of old magazines and newspapers. What a great way to make use of those old magazine subscriptions collecting dust in your home!

The nice thing about doing this is that you can feel good about contributing to the planet as you bring your little one into this world.

With Father’s Day coming up, I thought I’d provide a little information about this special holiday devoted to all the dads out there. Father’s Day started in the earlier 20th Century actually following the birth of Mother’s Day in order to honor our fathers and forefathers. This special holiday is celebrated around the world on different days. In Thailand, Father’s Day is observed on December 5th and in Italy and Spain on March 19th. In the US, it is recognized on every 3rd Sunday in June which makes Father’s Day occurring on June 15th this year.

Are you ready for this upcoming holiday? Do you know what you’re getting your dad this year? While my presents for my father has ranged from a teddy bear which I gave him as a kid to a horseback riding trip as an adult, I try to have fun finding something different for him every year.

Although I feel that sending a card is the simplest and sometimes the most thoughtful gift, I did surf the web to find the most unique and unusual items out there. I was not disappointed by what I found. Here are the top 3 most interesting gifts that I found this year for Father’s Day!

1) Drivemocion-A round sign stuck to your rear window displays five messages such as a smiley face, a frown and thank you. This is to let drivers behind know how dad’s feeling about them. http://www.au-my.com/product.aspx?lang=English&product_id=1

2) Thumb Wrestling Ring-A toy wrestling ring to place over your fighting thumbs. http://www.wonderfullywacky.com/thumbwrestlingring.htm

3) For the golfer-Personalize cartoons lets dad be the main character and star in an adorable and funny cartoon. http://www.findgift.com/Holidays/Fathers-Day/Humorous/

I’ve been getting a lot of baby registry links these days which are really cool. In a previous entry, I explained that these types of registries are similar to wedding ones. The couple adds things they’ll need to prepare for their baby and friends and family can go directly to sites and stores to find exactly what they want. A few sites such as Myregistry.com and ThethingsIwant.com offer couples the option of choosing items from various companies and online stores at one place. Then of course there are more common online registries for Target and Babies “R” Us with contents specifically from their store.

Regardless of which registry you choose, I’ve heard that the process can be overwhelming. One friend told me how shocking it was to find out just how much stuff a little baby needs. For all of you new mommies and daddies in the same boat, check out this article on Pregnancy.com for advice on how to make shopping for your new baby fun and not overwhelming.

Taking its cue from the wedding industry, companies have created baby shower registries to help new parents pick out their much needed necessities. I found out about this great idea from a recent baby shower invitation I received recently. Having fun with my own wedding registry, I thought the fun stopped there, but I was wrong. There are a ton of cool sites you’ll find if you do a simple Google search for “baby shower registry.” But for you mommies and daddies-to-be out there, you can also look into creating a registry at your favorite stores. This will help you and your shower guests figure out just what you need.