DIY Personalized Shirts Tutorial

Make your own boutique style

t-shirts.

Materials:

Fabric paint pens (Michael's)

T-shirt (I got mine from Target)

Old t-shirt to practice on

Cardboard

Design

Steps:

1. Wash and iron shirt. This is crucial because the paint won't adhere to the sizing on the fabric.

2. Design your pattern. I did mine on MS Word and printed it out on regular paper.

3. Tape your design to a piece of cardboard that will fit inside the practice t-shirt. This will prevent bleeding onto the back of the shirt and give you a flat surface to work on

4. Practice with the paint pen. Hold the shirt tight, but don't overstretch or it will distort your design. My first design was a cupcake and it looked too amateur. The dotted circle looked much better. It will also help you figure out the best technique. I found that almost dotting the fabric gave the best results.

5. Now tackle the actual t-shirt!

6. Hang the t-shirt to dry for 24 hours.

7. Turn t-shirt inside out and iron the back of the design to set the paint.

8. Voila! You have a cute t-shirt!

Matching shorts really make the outfit look like a set. I already had both pairs. They were from Once Upon a Child.

Party Cupcakes Tutorial

Step 1: Make cucpcakes. I use cake mix. It's foolproof. Let cool.

Step 2: Make butter cream frosting. I've used several different recipes online, including this and this. They all taste the same to me so now I just throw it all together. Here's my recipe:

1 stick softened butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

splash of milk (You can add more if needed. If you add too much, just add more sugar)

Mix butter until creamy. Add other ingredients. Mix until fluffy and desired consistency. This will make enough frosting for 24 cupcakes. However, if you are going to use a piping tool, double the recipe.




I topped with blue and green pearl sprinkles from Michael's.


Step 3: Make Cupcake Toppers


Materials:
1 sheet scrapbook paper
Sticker letters
Tooth picks
Glue gun


I cut out circles from the scrapbook paper. A circle punch would have been faster, but I'm cheap. Then I stuck on the stickers. The monkey was a clip-art I printed and cut out. Glue circles onto toothpicks and stick in cupcakes.


You could also use a paint pen to draw the letters. This method was used by my sister who helped me with this birthday bunting. Thank goodness she's talented. I was running out of time!

I bought the cupcake stand last year from Michael's.

The Boys' Birthday Parties

5.29.11


What a day it was! I took the plunge and had a family birthday party yesterday for the boys. They are two years and a day apart. Yesterday was Bub's birthday and today is Boop's. Yes, I know. Odd nicknames. Let me digress..


When Bub was little, Nick called him Bubba. Then he started calling himself Bubba. Luckily, that stopped. We are proudly southern, not redneck. Then Nick gave him his old super hero action figures (circa 1987), which began the all-out obsession with all things Marvel and DC. After two plus years, I don't see this phase ending anytime soon. This is where Wolverine comes into the picture. You see, he calls bad guys "Bub." "Back off, Bub! Grrr!" You may not have known this. I do. I know ALL about super heroes now. And voila, the nickname Bub.

Then there's Boopy. Or Boop. Sometimes Shingy, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms. I am the proud creator of Boopy. I don't know, it was baby talk or something. But I called our family dog growing up Poopy, and sometimes I called my sister Booby Brothers. I can't explain it, but you may see a trend. Well, it stuck. Bub introduces strangers to Boop frequently. Except it sounds more like Boob. I either try to explain or hope they didn't hear.


But anyway back to the party! My babies are 2 and 4 now. It's bittersweet! They are so big! Last weekend we had a party for their preschool friends at Monkey Joe's. Total stress-free party! I made cupcakes and goody bags. The wonderful staff did the rest. Bliss!

 So much jumping makes a thirsty boy.

 Notice the band-aid? Bub fell off the TOP of his Little Tykes coupe the day before. It's already healed.

 My mom usually doesn't dress up so much for a kids' party. They had a wedding right after.

Most pictures on the jump castles were blurry or major action shots!

Finally, the family party:

I probably overdid it. But if I'm going to have a party, might as well have a good one!

For a tutorial on cupcakes and toppers click here.

 The birthday boys with their cousin Miss K

 Tissue paper pomanders courtesy of Martha. I used paper from Dollar Tree, pipe cleaners that I had, and fishing line from a pole in the garage. I made the smaller ones by cutting the paper down to 10" by 15." Oh, and I didn't make sure the folds were measured right. I just folded.

 The boys with my dad

Here is one of the birthday t-shirts I made. These are easy! 

For the tutorial click here.

First Post Ever

So I've been stalking blogs for over a year now. I've seen some amazing women do some amazing things in the thrifty world of DIY decor. I've pored over them. I've checked them daily. I've liked some on Facebook so I don't miss anything. I've driven to their houses and peeked in their windows. Okay, that was a joke. 


Here's my chance to show off some of the hacks I've used to create some beauty in my own home. I will do my best to link up to all blogs I've gotten ideas and inspiration from. If I miss ANYTHING please let me know in a comment! I want to give everyone their due credit. Stay tuned for some posts about pre-blog and future projects.