embellishing

There's something about the beginning of the school year and temperatures dropping a little outside that just seem to create crafting's version of a perfect storm for me.  (I don't think I'm the only one.)  I have more energy today, right now, to make things than I've had all summer.   While I don't necessarily enjoy sewing clothes for my kids, I have to admit I do love to embellish a t-shirt for them...often...its fun for me.  I don't have to make the shirt, I just have to pretty it up.  Right?  So, I bought up all the decent ones I saw while thrifting the other day and have started jazzin them up with the freezer paper stencils.  I know we've all seen the freezer paper stencil mania, but I these are still such a fun, easy thing to do.  I did four the other morning, I figured it was best just to get out what I needed, do them all, then put it all away (trying very hard to get better at doing that).  It started when I had that cuckoo clock artwork in my hand.  I was looking for anything, anything to put it on (cause it was too good to not put on something, don't you think)  Emma indulged me by letting me put it on her lavendar T (she's still liking the lavendar).  I really like it with brown.

Ian's chose orange for a cute little pedal car from the Ottobre website for his navy/white striped T, which is currently drying above).  You can see it if you look closely.  I used the Tulip Matte "So Soft" fabric paints from Joanns, worked just fine.

This really is the best kind of deal for kids clothes in my opinion.  This outfit was cheap, all thrifted, ($2 shirt, $4 printed corduroy pants) and then cute'ed up at home by us, with not a bit of worry if these get all dirty and messy.  T-shirts and pants are the uniforms both my kids prefer, so I love finding ways to make them unique without succumbing to all the crazy graphics I see at retail.  Emma does like dresses at times, but I have to admit that considering how much time she spends on public playgrounds, swinging from bars, I feel better knowing she's in pants.  Cute pants....but pants.  Plus, don't they say you subconsciously dress your kids the way you dress?  Well...guess what I wear everyday?

Three felt birds flew into the shop yesterday, not quite enough to call it a full-on shop update (I didn't notify the email list because I was hoping to have more), but it feels promising.  More to come...