If you don’t live in Portland, you may not see the appeal of a t-shirt emblazoned with a steel suspension bridge, but if you do live here, you’ll know exactly why a Portland papa may love it. The St. Johns bridge, in lovely St. Johns, Oregon, is iconic. Built over a two year period from 1929-31, this gothic looking bridge was (at the time) the longest suspension bridge built west of Detroit. It’s huge and pretty amazing to both drive across and stand under. We recently bought this tee for a friend and he won’t take it off. Another reason why we thought dear old dad may think it’s pretty nifty. Printed from an original illustration by Colosso on an American Apparel t-shirt. Hand screen printed on order. Lots of colors to choose from. Just a note, AA tees are a bit snug. $23.00, here.

Oh, how we love the Tenenbaums, actually any film directed by Wes Anderson, but the Tenenbaums kind of took the cake. We saw this film long ago with the men who our kiddos now call papa, and we were obsessed with this wacky family for awhile. We love these prints by Etsy artist Retro Whale of the Tenenbaums. They would make the perfect Father’s Day gift for any Dad who holds a soft spot in his heart for Gene Hackman and Bill Murray. Set of 4 hand drawn and then digitally colored art Prints. Measure 5″x 5” each with a border for framing. Printed on Epson archival matte fine art paper with pigment inks. Prints are signed and shipped in a bend proof mailer. $48, here.

We can’t think of a sweeter gift for papa. “Daddy Cuddles” authored by Anne Gutman and illustrated by Gorg Halle is one book that our tots love to read with their dads over and over again. We love the cute illustrations, are particularly smitten with the daddy monkies and our kiddos have learned the names of baby animals from this book, too. A great way to express love between babes and their papas, a great book to give any newbie papa, or really any papa for that matter. Board book, perfect for toddlers and younger. $5.95, here.

We’re not terribly attracted to cologne, but a fresh smelling papa is pretty great. We love Burt’s Bees products for men and so do the papas we know. BB’s soaps are not too manly, natural, but still do the job of lathering and cleaning, and we find ourselves using them when we have them in the house. In particular their bar soap. It smells so good. Contains vegetable soap base, kaolin, citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) fruit oil, citrus medica limonum (lemon) peel oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, pogostemon cablin (patchouli) oil, citrus reticulata (tangerine/petitgrain) leaf oil, abies sibirica (fir needle) oil, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil. No junk, hooray. Perfect small gift for papa. 4 oz. bar, $4.00, here.

The cleeo & bea papas love a good guide book and ones that feature camping and hiking are at the top of their lists. One of the cleeo & bea families are about to embark on a road trip to California and we’ve been perusing this book for the last month, but you could insert your own title, based on where you live or  where you want to go. We really like the Moon travel guides because they’re pretty thorough, down to amenities and ratings, tent camping and other tips about camping amidst bear. This guide in particular covers 1,400 camping spots, family destinations (thank you) and scenic ratings. Love that.  Great for any adventuring papa at the beginning of the summer. $23.95, here.

It’s all about celebrating mamas this week, so we’ve compiled a few items that have been on our wish lists for when we’re feeling plush and not so guilty about splurging on ourselves. We’ve been drooling over this silkscreen print, by artist Wayne Pate of Good Shape Design, for about a year. We found it at one of our favorite online shops, Three Potato Four and  think it’s high time we treat ourselves to it, since it’s Mama’s Day in a few days. The orange+red print appropriately titled “Flock” reminds us of vintage 60s art and the pyramid of birds is quite sweet. And though we want this piece for ourselves, we’re pretty sure the kiddos will love it, too. Print measures 18″ x 24″ and ships rolled in a sturdy mailing tube. Print is listed as out of stock, but can be ordered, may take a little bit longer. $35.00, here.

Our wee ones are just about through the taste testing phase, so we’ve just started to wear a little more jewelry again and always welcome a beautiful bauble or two around Mama’s day. One of our favorite  local jewelry makers is Minoux. Their pieces are simple, beautiful and inspired by things found in nature. We’ve owned a few pairs of Minoux earrings and feel super fab everytime we put them on. Constructed from sterling silver, 14kt gold fill and various other gems. We also just found out that they can replace a lost earring, quite perfect for mamas like us who always seem to lose things. This pair measures 2¼” long, beautiful. $59.00, here.

When we think of upcycling, we can’t say skateboard decks are the first resource to pop into our heads, but then again, why not? We love these tiny top spinners by Portland’s Board Games. They’re the perfect toy for kids of all ages and are repurposed from the coolest of materials. Constructed by stacking the layers of three old decks, each spinner is unique and (in their words) “spins like your grandma’s dreidel”. Can’t beat that. Pictured spinner measures 1 ¾” x 2″. One, two and three deck spinners. Dirt cheap and awesome. $10.00 each, here.

Did you know that by planting a tree, you’re not only protecting the environment by creating an oxygen filter and storm water tun-off interceptor but, you could be providing shelter and food for humans and other animals? You’re also positively influencing climate and restoring a depleted natural resource. We think planting a tree on Earth Day is a great activity for the whole family. The kiddos will love it, so if you have the green space and can accommodate another tree, we say, go for it. If you don’t have enough room and would like to get involved in tree planting in your community, look for tree planting organizations in your area. In Portland, Friends Of Trees are working on green space initiatives and neighborhood tree planting and are always looking for volunteers. We rate this experience at the top of our rating scale.