DIY Rock Trivet - A Father's Day Gift

I love it when the summer months roll around because that means less time in the kitchen for me. Don't get me wrong. . .I do enjoy cooking and baking but a little relief at any time is always welcome. When the weather starts warming up, our family is all about grilling and, for me, clean up is SUPER EASY!

Josh (my hubby), AKA The Grill Master, also looks forward to this time of year because it's an opportunity for him to show off one of his many talents. The others, we'll maybe talk about at a later time (those that are appropriate). ANYWAY, last year we had somewhat of a dilemma when it came to bringing the hot food into the house. We never had enough potholders to throw onto our kitchen island to protect it from the hot foil food packets, etc. So, this year the kids and I came up with a fun gift to surprise him with on Father's Day. . .a rock trivet!

Here's what you'll need:

• Hot glue gun with glue sticks
• Smooth river rocks (some larger, some smaller)
• A round cork plant coaster (Mine was 10 inches in diameter and I found it in the greenhouse at Walmart)
• Clear Elmer's glue (not pictured)
• Free printable (link provided below)

Start by laying out some of the larger rocks around the perimeter of the coaster. I thought laying them out first was a smart plan before I started gluing, just to make sure everything fit. Look at me, always thinking (no need to confirm that with the rest of my family). Once you have your plan, begin gluing the rocks in place with your hot glue gun.

Here's where I switched things up a bit. I started gluing down the smaller rocks for the center of the trivet with my glue gun, but it was taking forever. I don't have a ton of patience for these sorts of things, so I decided to grab Elmer's Clear Glue to finish the job. Let me clarify a bit. . .since having my children, I've learned to have more patience at home, but there's a reason I'm in Sales and Marketing in my professional career. I like quick, simple, effective and precise. It's always a winning combination!

Alright, back to our regularly scheduled program. You need to ensure that none of the smaller rocks are stacked on top of one another. Use your hand to smooth out the rocks so each one has their resting place in the glue.

I'm not gonna lie, the drying process takes at least a day since you basically dumped a puddle of glue into the center of the trivet. Again, a test of my patience, but if I made it through, so will you.

Looks pretty awesome, doesn't it? Here's where I really started getting excited! I created this colorful printable to go along with the gift. I think any Dad will appreciate the special touch - especially the part about his wife thinking he's hot. 😉

Download the printable here, save it to your computer, then insert the image into a program like Word or Publisher. Print it out, cut around the edges and TAH DAH - you're done. You could even have the kids draw a special picture on the back if you'd like.

This is how our final gift turned out. You can even add a bow or put it in a special container if you'd like. Better yet, buy Dad a new pan for one of the side burners on his grill and place it on top of the trivet with the message inside! Regardless of how you package it up, he's sure to love it!