Lunch, Please
5 days ago
15 January 2011
I feel like I should write a whole series of posts about what we do while we're waiting for dinner to arrive. (Or more specifically, what we do when we've exhausted our ideas in the playroom and there's still another 30 minutes left before Daddy's done working for the day.)
Yesterday around 4:30 the natives really started getting restless and while I had some things I wanted/needed to get done in my sewing room, I knew that trying to do so would only frustrate all of us.
So, I dug out one of the blank t-shirts I'd picked up on our last visit to H&M (they have great fitting kids blanks for $3-5 in good colors!) and asked Oliver what kind of a shirt he wanted it to be.
The problem here is that I'm admittedly (and sort of ashamedly) a bit of a control freak when it comes to doing projects with my kids. I'm working on it, but letting him go buck wild with a t-shirt and fabric paint just isn't in my blood. I might stop breathing.
I remembered a technique I learned on the Made blog that involves using freezer paper as a stencil for painting fabric. (So glad she created the tutorial already, because that means I just get to link to it!) Thanks, Dana!
I had seen a cute kids shirt on Etsy a couple of weeks ago with a mustache appliqued on the sleeve of a shirt. I thought it was absolutely adorable, so I decided to do a version of that myself based on an old t-shirt my Dad had in college.
Oliver and I worked together to type the words on the computer (he is getting SO into making words out of letters!) and to find just the right mustache in our Google image search (I just searched "mustache stencil" and liked this one:)
We cut a piece of freezer paper to 8.5"x11" and sent it through the printer. Then, he and Hazel entertained themselves with a pile of scrap fabric while I x-actoed the letters and image out. Oliver helped me line them up on the shirt and I ironed them in place.
Then, wildly relaxed not-at-all-type-A Mama that I am, I let him sponge the paint on the stencil. I know, I'm so cool and laid back like that.
Anyway, we let it dry, set the paint with the iron and turned out a pretty cute shirt which he is proudly sporting at Monkey Joes today.
It was so fun and easy! And a great, quick way to spend that last looong thirty minutes of the day. (Plus, it makes me think of waaay back when Oliver had his first mustache.)
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13 comments:
sooo adorable. If I had a son I would so make that shirt!
Very cute idea! Do you have to be careful with how you wash it??
And I totally get the issue with not wanting your kids to go wild with artistic (read: MESSY. And also: COLOR IN THE LINES, PLEASE) stuff. I hyperventilate and such. Glad to know I'm not the only one. I mean, come on, I want it to be right, and also, I have carpet in the dining room. Uh-duh.
Tell The Scout that my special word is "scoat"--so close!
love this! will steal as soon as judahs old enough to pull off the 'stache gimmick. adorable. i wonder if its just mental, but whatever time jesse is due to be home, those last 30 minutes are KILLER!
Oh this is too dear! I must try! And Oliver can't get any cuter!
I am the same way when we do projects! That shirt turned out so cute! I will have to give it a try!
That is ADORABLE! And I'm the exact same way about art projects. It's so hard to just let go and let the mess happen. I think cooking with them is even harder sometimes. Oh well, we can keep trying to be cool and calm ;)
such a clever little shirt! i love it!! (and solidarity over here with the type-A mamaness...i'm inching along toward normalcy, but it'll be a couple lifetimes before i arrive.)
I can't handle mixing of the playdough. I just.can't.stand.it. So, generally, I just don't watch. lol. I'm impressed you let him do it! It looks fabulous!
He is indeed a master of disguise.
This is WAY too cute!!
This is just too, too cute! What an adorable idea! Hope all is well!
keepcalmandcarryonblog.blogspot.com
Oh my goodness I LOVE it!!
wow how cute! sounds pretty easy!
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