Category Archives: T-Shirts

Everything about t-shirts. How t-shirts are made, history of t-shirts and t-shirt printing methods.

How to Put Your Child’s Artwork on a T-Shirt

Children are a blessing for certain. But raising them is undoubtedly one of the hardest things that you will ever do. It is easy to become completely overwhelmed with the demands of school let alone after school activities and weekend plans. The notebooks, book bags, papers, homework and artwork pile up and at the end of the day you are left wondering which way is up. The demands of your own life often take a back-seat to the needs and desires of your children and the push and pull of parenthood begins to consume your life.

While these are surely crazy times, they are also some of the most exciting and full years of your life and you must always be thinking of ways to preserve them for the future. Photographs are an easy option. By taking lots of pictures of school events, friends and family, you are ensuring that you and your children alike with remember these years down the road. But with all this worry about school, homework, and books, it is easy to loose sight of the smaller things that come home in the children’s backpacks.

A child’s artwork often takes a backseat to photographs when thinking of preserving family memories. This is quite understandable as the materials children for art projects are often not the sturdiest and keeping a set of paper mache planets is not always possible. So why not transform some of their precious artwork into a functional piece of clothing!

Artwork of any kind, including your little one’s drawings, paintings and scribbles, can easily be transferred onto t-shirts, canvas bags and other articles of clothing. There are many methods of transferring.  Any flat work of art can be scanned into a computer using a personal or business scanner. If you do not have a scanner at home, many copy centers, and office supply stores have scanners that can be used in-store for a small fee. Once your image has been scanned into the computer, you attach it to your t-shirt with special iron-on transfer paper that can be purchased at craft stores or office supply stores. Be sure to read the directions on the package as iron-on transfer require specific heat setting on your iron.  Or, to get a really good print that will last much longer than an iron-on you can upload your design online and have someone else print the artwork on the t-shirt.

Customizing a t-shirt with your child’s artwork is an amazing way to preserve the memory of these very special, if hectic, years. Parents can wear them proudly and show off their little ones’ budding talents at the store, on the street, or in the office. Customized t-shirts also make incredible gifts. What grandparent wouldn’t beam at the idea of wearing their grandchild’s special artwork around town.

Pink T-Shirts

Wear Pink T-Shirts to Raise Awareness of Bullies

Two students at a Nova Scotia high school organized a pink shirt campaign to support those who have been bullied. Pink shirts were chosen because a 9th grade student was bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt at school. Over 50 pink t-shirts were passed out at the school.

Pink T-Shirts

The pink shirt bully campaign spread throughout Canada, the U.S. and Japan and as a result Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald declared the second Thursday of each school year in his province as Stand Up Against Bullying Day. The result of the campaign was that some bullies left the school and others were expelled for incidents that occurred following the start of the campaign. One bully defecated on a students car, left a dead mouse being stuffed into the vent of a car, and threats of physical violence.

The students hope their pink t-shirt and actions will result in less bullying. One student said “We know we can’t demolish bullying, but we can teach kids to stand up and not accept situations.” Read more about it in the Sudbury Star.

Anyone who witnesses bullying can report bullying online at www.bullyhelp.org, which allows people to report incidents and then the web site staff will contact school staff. Also check out Christy Clark’s Wear Pink bullying site.

An Example of T-Shirt Fundraising – Selling T-Shirts to Help a High School Leukemia Patient

We like to highlight inspiring stories of individuals who use t-shirts to raise money for causes that are important to them. The owner of Sardo’s Pizza in Largo, Florida started selling pink t-shirts with his late sister and 18 year old Emily Lester who suffered a relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in January. Lester is currently receiving extensive chemotherapy treatment for the disease while awaiting a second bone marrow transplant at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis. Sardo is trying to help Lester with the large hospital bills. To help out or buy a t-shirt to support Lester contact Sardo. You can also check out tbnweekly for more information on this story.

T-Shirt Ideas for Cycling Enthusiasts

Custom cycling t-shirts are perfect for a number of different occasions. Whether you are a cyclist, an event organizer or even a friend or family member of a cyclist, there is a t-shirt that is just perfect for you. It may take time to find this shirt but once you do, you will have a way to show your love for the sport or your support for your favorite cyclist.

Wearing your heart on your sleeve is one way to show the world how much you love cycling. Unless you have a group of friends who also enjoy the sport, finding people to talk to about the sport can be difficult. Friends and family members who don’t understand your love of riding a bike may zone out when you talk about your latest ride. This can be frustrating but you can let a message t-shirt do the talking for you. This way, you aren’t boring your loved ones with non-stop chatter about your sport of choice but they will get the message.

Event organizers might want to consider a number of different t-shirt options when they organize a race. Whether it is a full or a half century race, a multi-day staged race or a short road race, t-shirts can be used for a number of different purposes. T-shirts can be given out during packet pick-up of a cycling race to provide racers with a memento of the occasion. Racers can opt to wear the t-shirt during the race or can save it for a later occasion.

Event organizers may also want to make t-shirts a mandatory part of the race. Requiring racers to wear the t-shirts can help in a number of ways. One way to do this is to create custom shirts for each age group. The t-shirts can have different colors for different age groups. Or they can have the age group emblazoned on the back of the shirt. This makes the competition more exciting. Racers can easily determine whether riders ahead of them are in their age group. Seeing a direct competitor just a few yards ahead can really motivate a cyclist. Also spectators can easily see when the first finisher in each age group is approaching the finish line.

Still another way for event organizers to use custom t-shirts is to create shirts for finishers and for winners. Many racing events give all racers a commemorative t-shirt when they check in for the race but most racers have a greater appreciation for finisher’s t-shirts and winner’s t-shirts. Customizing these t-shirt with text that shows the event details is an excellent idea.

Even if you don’t own a bike but want to show your support for the cyclist in your life, there is custom t-shirt that is perfect for you. These t-shirts are a great idea if you are planning to cheer a friend or family member on at a race. One great idea for this type of shirt is to design a t-shirt with your loved one’s name and a few words of encouragement. Another option is to create a t-shirt with the silhouette of him on his bike.

Obama Kim

Another Celebrity Spotted Wearing a Barack Obama T-Shirt

Another celebrity was recently spotted wearing an Obama T-Shirt. Well actually, I am not sure if this person really qualifies as a celebrity but…Kim Kardashian was seen wearing a t-shirt with the phrase “Obama is my Homeboy” walking around LAX.

Kim is a American socialite, television personality who is also known for a leaked “home video”. While I don’t think that Kim is giving Obama the extra edge from her support anytime a celebrity or person of interest wears such a shirt it does bring extra attention.

Obama Kim

This is not the first time Kim has been seen wearing an Obama t-shirt. Back in June 2007 Kim was photographed wearing an Obama for Change t-shirt.

Obama Kim 2

Cycling Tees are for Everyone

Ok, admit it, you’ve secretly had dreams of being on the Tour de France. You can see yourself, racing through the French countryside, wind at your back, cheering fans lining the track, and you in a yellow jersey.

Look a little closer at this fantasy; look at the cheering fans…they’re all wearing cycling t-shirts! And, what’s more, they all match! Unbelievable. How to explain such an enigma? They must have gotten together and ordered some custom-designed t-shirts -ones that show their love and support for the sport of cycling.

Truly, we can’t all race in the Tour de France, but we can dream, right? And, we can show our passion for the race with some custom tees that will show anyone who cares to look that we love cycling!

Think about it, your cycling group–mostly buddies from work with a few family members thrown in–gets together each Saturday morning, early, to go riding. You may take a tour through downtown, or you may meet at the lake and cruise along country roads. You may start in one town and end in another for breakfast, and then head back the way you came. You may go a different route each time, reveling in the newness of the open road. Why not take the next step and unite your group with cycling tees?

Great for a holiday gift or in preparation for a race or just because, matching cycling tees will really bring your group a sense of unity and team spirit. Wearing the shirts can also bring an added element of safety to your rides. Think about it; how many times have you been honked at by irritated drivers who didn’t see you guys until the last minute? Well, wearing matching t-shirts will help your group stand out and be more visible to passing motorists. As a non-cycler (a.k.a. driver), while I am willing to share the road, I’d like to do so with a bit more warning on your part; therefore, wearing eye-catching tees would be a good idea for you and your cycling buddies.

Another interesting use for cycling t-shirts would be for a family who loves to ride bikes. Perhaps you take your bikes on all your vacations and ride everywhere that you can; having matching t-shirts is fun and a great way to show off your family’s favorite activity. While the teens in your family (if you’re so blessed to have any right now) may not be thrilled with the idea of everyone wearing matching tees, getting them in on the design phase is a great way to rev up their enthusiasm for the project. Since you can get just about anything printed on a t-shirt, customizing a set of 6 or so with matching designs or a funky slogan is sure to interest even the most apathetic teen.

So, no matter what your cycling habits, wearing custom-designed cycling t-shirts is a good idea. You can easily identify other fellow cyclists, you can show your passion for the sport, and you can foster a sense of unity and team spirit among those in your riding club. You can also bring your family members closer together–the family that rides together stays together!

Knife

Is this the World’s Safest T-Shirt?

A company in Chuo Ward Japan has announced they will soon be selling a T-shirt that offers protection against knives. The slash resistant t-shirt is more than three times as strong as cotton because it is made out of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fibers. The fibers are thick enough to help protect you but not too heavy to appear that you are wearing protective clothing. The material is actually equal to aramid fiber which is used in body armor but it is lightweight and machine washable.

Knife

These t-shirts were created in response to an increased number of knife crimes that impacted children and late night convenience shop clerks. The t-shirts protect you best from slashings as opposed to stabbings but aren’t a bad idea if you are in a job that puts you frequently in harms way. The knife resistant t-shirts come in short and long sleeves and are prices start between $190-$523. These t-shirts will be for sale in June 2008. Source: Yomiuri

Recent T-Shirt Technology Means No More Minimum Orders

Up until recently, custom t-shirt printing companies required all orders to have a certain minimum number of t-shirts. You couldn’t order, say, just one t-shirt for yourself saying, “Today’s My Birthday.” You would have to order ten t-shirts, or maybe twelve. This would severely cut down on the number of occasions for which you could design your own t-shirt in a cost effective way, without wasting. For instance, you would have to have a group of ten people who wanted t-shirts to even consider making an order.

This minimum order rule was necessary for t-shirt printing companies because of the way they made custom t-shirts. The method is called “screen printing,” and involves something like a better version of the iron-on printing you can do at home. The design is actually attached to the shirt. Because screen printing requires an expensive setup before the printing even begins, the t-shirt companies have to charge high setup fees in addition to whatever they charge for the actual t-shirts and the service.

So, it is impossible for the t-shirt printing companies to make a profit if they went through the expensive setup for just one t-shirt. It is also a much too expensive proposition for the client, to pay a large setup fee for one t-shirt. It makes much more sense to order fifteen t-shirts with one design, so that the one setup fee will be divided amongst all fifteen of the shirts. Then, if you have people contributing to shirts, they will each pay a small portion of the setup fee instead of you paying the entire thing just for your one “Today’s My Birthday” t-shirt.

Now, however, new technology allows t-shirt companies to inexpensively print one design on just one t-shirt. Thus we have the new “No Minimum Order” promise from companies. The new technology is digital printing. It prints the design directly onto the garment, which is why it is sometimes called “Direct To Garment” printing. This type of printing requires no setup, and is very high quality. The design is directly on the fabric, so it feels very soft—not rigid or shiny like the old iron-on type of transfer.

In addition to the new digital technology, many t-shirt printing companies still offer screen printing and embroidery—they just require a minimum order for those types of printing. So you can still do bulk ordering and get the discounts that many companies offer with large quantities—but you also have the option of ordering just one t-shirt with one design.

So, think of all the possibilities there are for single t-shirt designs! You can get personalized t-shirts for each person in your club, or for yourself or your loved ones. You could ask someone out on a t-shirt, or propose marriage, or say congratulations. You could also make custom t-shirts for special occasions like weddings or birthdays with different messages on each one. Personalize your t-shirts by putting different people’s pictures on the front, or different names on the back, or messages to each other on the front or back. Use your imagination!

The Underwater World and Oceanography T-Shirts

Oceanography is probably the least understood of all the scientific disciplines. Other disciplines, like biology, chemistry, anatomy, and physics are commonly studied at various levels in the educational system. Then there are others, like environmental science, geology, and astronomy that are known because of television shows and documentaries. The most that the average person knows about oceanography is that it has something to do with studying the ocean. Very few people actually get to see the world that exists under the sea. But YOU do. As a person who studies and/or loves oceanography, you know the world down there is so different than what is on dry ground. You know that there’s nothing like it above the water. As a matter of fact, you know that people who get exposed to it find it to be a fascinating place.

So how do you expose people to a world that is completely hidden from them? How do you show them what you see all the time? What can you do to help them discover the underwater world without forcing them into SCUBA gear or deep sea diving? How about exposing them to the world down under with some subtle things? The most subtle thing you could do is show them the world just by walking down the street, even if you’re not interacting personally. How? Through your clothing, like your t-shirts.

Let’s say you take a t-shirt and put pictures of oceanic life on those t-shirts, particularly some really cool things that don’t look like anything that appears above ground. For example, you could put pictures of underwater wildlife on a t-shirt, like sea anemone, starfish, jellyfish, coral, octopi, sponges, or schools of fish (sharks, dolphins, or even some rare fish that most people don’t know about). With these pictures, you could have a description of what’s on the picture, or some other vital statistical information. You could also put humor with some of these pictures, if you can think of some cool and humorous captions to go along with each picture.

One example might be a picture of jellyfish with a caption that mentions something humorous about a jellyfish’s sting. Another example would be a picture of starfish with something that humorous about seeing stars.

Other ideas for cool oceanic pictures that you could put on a t-shirt include the pictures of the ocean floor or the tectonics of the layers of the earth under the ocean.

If you would rather say something about oceanography specifically, you could come up with slogans and sayings that put a positive spin on oceanography or express your love for oceanography. For example, you could say some simple things like, “I love oceanography,” “My heart lives underwater. I’m an oceanographer,” “I heart oceanography,” or “oceanography is cool.” If you wanted to be a little more creative with the subject of oceanography, you could come with some creative slogans like: “When I look down I see stars. I’m an oceanographer.” “Oceanographers know how to make waves.”

Sparkle and Shine with Your Rhinestone T-Shirt

Whether you are adorning your t-shirt with rhinestones or creating a customized rhinestone t-shirt through an online site, adding these gems to your t-shirt adds sparkle to your wardrobe.

You can create many different looks and styles with rhinestones. From your name or nickname spelled out in the pretty stones on the front of the shirt to rhinestones lining the sleeves or neckline of the t-shirt, you can go super-flashy or understated with your rhinestone t-shirt.

A rhinestone t-shirt designed by you makes a great gift for friends and family. They will be thrilled to receive the special gift. Go the message t-shirt route: write your friend’s nickname on the t-shirt or the pet-name you have for your girlfriend in rhinestones and watch her face light-up when she opens the gift.

What about other messages on the t-shirt spelled in rhinestones like “Daddy’s Girl” for a child…or even a teenager! You could also include the name of your horoscope sign or a favorite hobby, such as “Aries” or “Scrapbooker.” Other fun message ideas include:

· “Flower Girl” or “Bride”
· “World’s Best Mommy!”
· “I Love Sparkle!”
· “Bling. Bling.”
· “Shine Like the Stars”
· “Superstar!”
· “Big Sister” and “Little Sister”
· “Baby on Board”

You can use rhinestones to highlight certain words or to spell out the entire message. Utilizing the gems in this way will make for a very eye-catching t-shirt. People may stop to read the message, because it is gleaming at them!

Words aren’t the only thing you can embellish with rhinestones. You can also create a rhinestone heart, peace sign, smiley face or a cross. Let your imagination decide.

Rhinestone t-shirts are great gifts for a bride to give to her bridesmaids. Include “Maid of Honor” or “Bridesmaid” on the front and add the date of the wedding in rhinestones. It makes a unique keepsake gift to commemorate their involvement in the special day.

Trying to come up with the perfect baby gift for your niece, granddaughter or little friend? Create a rhinestone onesie t-shirt for that new baby girl with her name and date of birth. Or make a “Baby’s First Christmas” t-shirt. Other ideas for the youngest t-shirt wearer are “cute,” “baby,” and “night owl.”

If you are not interested in learning to create the rhinestone t-shirts yourself, consider finding a website to do the work for you. By utilizing their online services, you will be able to choose from different colors and styles of t-shirts and browse their unique rhinestone designs. Many sites will provide customizing services, so you can give them the special design you want, and they will make it happen for you.

So if you are looking for something unique for a gift or just to enhance your wardrobe, rhinestone t-shirts give you a fun and stylish option. Rhinestones bring class to a basic t-shirt and make it possible to throw on a t-shirt and still look like a million bucks.

Build School Pride with Great Tees

Elementary schools are the first real school that most children attend. Students learn many basic and advanced skills through the dedication of the school’s teachers and staff. Schools are also expected to help the kids build character and pride in their accomplishments. One of the ways schools can help kids show their pride is through custom t-shirts.

T-shirts are a common type of clothing that most kids wear to school. Creating a shirt for the school is actually a great idea since most kids wear t-shirts often anyway that it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect the students to wear it. The entire school can have the same design on their shirts. The shirt can be one of the school’s colors and the printing can be another. Having the name of the school, the year, a motto and the mascot are all things that can be put onto the shirt to create a school wide t-shirt.

Individual grades can also have t-shirts. The oldest grade can have a shirt that says, “Big kids on campus” and the year. They can also have “breaking out in 2008” if they are headed to another campus the next school year. The students can also create a slogan for their grade that they would love to have on a shirt. Adding a graphic of either the school mascot or other school related item like a pencil adds color to the shirt.

Teachers can have their own shirts to show others their passion for teaching. “You can’t scare me I’m a teacher” would be cute or you can personalize it even more and add the grade level or the number of students you have. “3 reasons I like teaching, June, July, August” would be funny. Or you’re shirt can make a statement about the difficult job teachers have. “Teachers can open the door, but it’s your choice whether you walk through it or not” is a very real truth. Another cute shirt is, “I’m a teacher, I get paid to tell you what to do.”

A cute shirt for kids is “homework is evil, it must be stopped.” A picture of a bus with, “Check out my ride” would be really cute on a kids t-shirt. Other cute kids shirts can be simple with “I’m in fifth grade” or whatever grade the child is actually in or “Recess is my favorite subject”. Using the child’s favorite class to create a shirt is a great way to make a personalized t-shirt. Whether you use reading, math, science or even music the shirt should reflect the child’s personality.

Designing a t-shirt is a great way to show your love of a school, a student, or a teacher. The shirt doesn’t have to be fancy, just a simple saying might be enough. If you want to make it more personal, you can add graphics to add uniqueness and dates that can remembered years later. Elementary custom t-shirts are fun to design and fun to wear, so enjoy it.

Top 10 Bridesmaid T-Shirt Ideas for your Wedding

So you are a bridesmaid in your friend or family members wedding and you want to show your support of the Bride-to-be. What better way to show your support of the bride than with a t-shirt. You can design your own bridesmaid t-shirt for the bachelorette party, rehersal dinner or any other wedding event. To help you with planning we have compiled a list of bridesmaid t-shirt ideas. Here the the top 10

Top 10 Bridesmaid T-shirt Ideas

1. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride (this can be funny for some folks, you know who you are!)
2. Bridesmaid (simple and to the point)
3. Girls night out (great for a bachelorette party)
4. “Bride’s Name” Entourage (show you are part of the entourage for the bachelorette party)
5. Bachelorette Support Crew (That is what you are right?)
6. Team “bridesname” (show your team support of the bride as a bridesmaid)
7. Bridesmaid Seeking Single Groomsman (funny line if you are still single)
8. “Your name” bridesmaid (Good for rehersal so family and people know who you are and your name)
9. Bridesmaid “9/4/08” (mark the occassion with a date)
10. Bridesmaid “with graphic” (Use the text bridesmaid and then use clipart of a flower or something pretty)

If you have any other bridesmaid t-shirt ideas please let us know by posting a comment on this post.

What to Wear on April Fools Day

April Fools Day, also known as All Fool’s Day in some countries, isn’t exactly a holiday, but it is celebrated every year all over the world. In the U.S. April 1st is prime time for practical jokes and hoaxes. Our friends, family members, and co-workers usually bear the brunt of our “celebrations,” but with the advent of the internet, virtual strangers can put one over on millions of people before they realize they’ve been had.

People have pulled thousands of pranks over the years, but only the most astounding usually land a spot on the “best of” lists. The internet is full of hoaxes and practical jokes that have stood the test of time for 50 years or more.

A good way to memorialize the best of these is to create a custom T-shirt. It’s a great conversation starter, and at least you’ll have something new to wear this April 1. Here are some great hoaxes to commemorate with a custom T-shirt:

* Spaghetti trees: In 1957 a BBC show famously claimed that Swiss scientists had successfully eradicated the “spaghetti weevil.” As a result, spaghetti trees were flourishing across the land. The BBC fielded hundreds of phone calls from viewers who wanted to obtain their own spaghetti trees.

* Left-handed Whoppers: In 1998 Burger King ran an ad in USA Today announcing a new Whopper for left-handed people. The difference? The toppings were engineered to drip out of the right side. Thousands of people ordered the new burgers, or requested the “old,” right-handed version.

* Smell-O-Vision: In 1965, the BBC announced it was going to try out a new technology that transmitted odor over the airwaves to its viewers. Thousands called in to say the study was a success. The BBC.com conducted an online version of the hoax in 2007–again duping thousands of people.

* The Great Iceberg: In 1978 an Australian adventurer and businessman promised to tow an iceberg from Antarctica to Sydney Harbor. He said he planned to carve the block of ice into small cubes and sell them to the public for 10 cents each. The barge pulled into the harbor, pulling the iceberg. However, once it started to rain, the prank was revealed–it was just a mountain of firefighting foam and shaving cream.

Creating a custom T-shirt remembering these well-known hoaxes takes only your creativity and your wallet. It’s easy enough to design your own “spaghetti tree” or “spaghetti weevil”–easier still to hire a designer to do it for you. Same goes for the “left-handed Whopper.”

Just the words “Smell-O-Vision” on your T-shirt is sure to generate a comment or two, while “The Great Iceberg” hoax will probably result in more shrugs than anything. However, that will be the most unique, eclectic shirt in your closet–no one will have anything that remotely resembles it.

Although April Fool’s Day is one of the few holidays that isn’t celebrated with gatherings, food, and dancing, it’s still an opportunity to show your creativity and passion for pranks.

Battle of the Sexes on a T-Shirt – Girl Power!

“Men are from Mars, women are from Venus”
“Girls rule, boys drool.”
“Girls go to college to get more knowledge, boys go to Jupiter to get more stupid-er.”

Yes ladies, when it comes to the no-holds-barred battle of the sexes, there’s no end to the inventiveness we gals will employ to let those boys know just where they stand! Sometimes you just need to shout out, “I am woman! Hear me roar!” It’s important for women and girls to acknowledge the strength and power that comes along with their femininity. Wearing empowering T-shirts can be a great way to remind yourself, as well as the rest of the world, that just because you’re looking great in your adorable new pink tee, doesn’t mean you can’t kick butt too!

There is an endless variety of female-empowering T-shirts that can be made, expressing just about any sentiment or message you can think of. T-shirts are a great way to bring uniformity and a shared sense of girl-power to any gal group, be it in school, sports, friends, or family.

Hey sorority sisters, why not show off your pride with matching house tees? Greek letters, or an empowering motto on the front will show those fraternities who’s boss! A cute design, graduation years, even silly nicknames can be printed on the back, giving everyone an opportunity to share in the fun. You can wear your shirts to sports games, fundraising events, and even class! Wherever you go, your shirt will let everyone know who you are and what you stand for.

Other girl-powered groups can deck themselves out in their favorite colors while sending their message of pride, strength, and determination to the world! Female sports teams would do well to highlight their strengths on the clothes they wear! What better way to tell the town that the varsity softball team is fearless. A well designed and empowering t-shirt will promote a team while inspiring its wearer!

Don’t belong to a sorority or team? No problem! You don’t have to be in a sorority to have powerful sisters! Why not get your friends or family members together to design an inspiring shirt you would all be proud to wear. Perhaps you will choose a famous quote or image, or maybe you will design something completely unique.

You could even use your t-shirts to poke fun at sibling rivalry. On one mom’s birthday, her adult daughters sported custom tees that gave everyone a chuckle. Mom wore one that said, “I’m their mom.” Each daughter wore a shirt with the same message, “Don’t tell my sisters – I’m mom’s favorite.”

It’s not just about what the shirt says, but also how it is worn. Remember to wear your design with confidence, knowing you and you alone created it. We must not only tell the world who we are with what we wear, we must also show them who we are by how we act. Sorority sisters, be kind to one another, athletes, be good sports and friends, always be true. Us girls have to stick together and what better way than by believing in ourselves, supporting one another and being proud of who we are!

Are Iron-On T-Shirt Transfers Trying to Make a Comeback in Fashion?

Apparently iron-on t-shirt transfers are not just a thing of the past. There is a growing demand for old school iron-on t-shirt transfers. While I have no idea why, people would want the old Mork and Mindy iron-on t-shirt transfer peeling off at the corner or a My Little Pony picture-T crinkled and cracking from the dryer but they do.

In years past, countless youngsters have come home with an iron-on decals or stickers and begged their mothers to help them transfer the image to one of their t-shirts. Such t-shirt transfers were readily available and could be purchased in a variety of locations.

The iron-on t-shirt transfers gave people the opportunity to customize their t-shirts with characters and logos. One advantage to these iron-on t-shirt transfers was they were fairly easy to apply and were often much less expensive than purchasing a t-shirt with the design already in place on the t-shirt. However, although simple, the application process was not completely foolproof. There were many possible mistakes to be made, and there was a significant possibility that the t-shirt would end up ruined by the peeling, wrinkling or poor placement of the transfer.

I have been wondering recently if people want t-shirt transfers because they are just unaware how far we have come in Direct-to-garment printing technology. It used to be that T-shirt transfers were the only way to create your own t-shirt but now you can use a variety of tools to design your own shirt. If it is the peeling, wrinkling and misplacement of your graphic then you might want to stick with the iron-on transfers but if its just the ability to create your own custom t-shirt there are much easier ways and we can help.

Equestrians Are Born to Ride! (and wear t-shirts)

I’ve never been very good on a horse. I love them, don’t get me wrong. “Pony” was definitely on my Christmas list for several years when I was growing up. A “townie”, I didn’t have many opportunities to go horseback riding, although a few friends had horses.

I can remember one such visit where I got to ride my friend’s sweet pony. She saddled him for me, and, mounting up on her daddy’s horse, we headed off into the woods. Sometime later, the horse started to canter. My pony wanted to keep up, so he started off. That’s when we discovered that my friend hadn’t tightened the saddle quite enough; suddenly I was riding sideways; parallel to the dirt road racing by way too close to my face. Somehow, I managed NOT to fall off, and we adjusted the saddle and rode on. Soon, we stopped at a nearby pond to water the horses, only to discover that 10 year olds with weak hands should NOT be relied upon to adequately tighten saddles. Let’s just say that I slid right down that pony’s neck into the water.

While I can’t really recall any close encounters with a horse going terribly well, I do still have a fondness for the beasts, and greatly admire anyone who can successfully ride. For those of us who choose not to indulge in this extremely popular pastime, we can still be involved in the lifestyle. Whether by attending horse shows, rodeos, exhibitions, or just helping out at a friend’s stable, we can share our love.

There’s another way we can share our feelings, and that’s by wearing equestrian tees! You can get any number of designs printed on your t-shirt; from art to comedy, there’s something out there for everyone.

Perhaps you most admire the beauty of a horse’s physique. Who would blame you? They’re muscular, powerful, beautiful and serene. A healthy horse is indeed a work of art in and of himself. Why not have a beautiful portrait of a horse on your tee? It shows everyone how much you love these graceful animals and is also a good conversation starter, say at a company picnic or your spouse’s family reunion.

Maybe you’re more into to funny side of life. There are any number of amusing sayings, cartoons and so on that you can have put on your shirt to proclaim to the world your passion for all things equestrian.

If attending horse events such as rodeos or shows is more your style, you can go with event tees; these babies have the event time, date, location, etc.¦ printed right on them, usually with the slogan of the event. “Rodeo 2008” and “Lafayette Invitational Ride” are some examples. Maybe you follow certain barrel-racing stars, wear a tee with your favorite rider or favorite horse on it and you’ll be sure to let everyone know what matters most to you.

If you belong to an equestrian club that participates in community functions such as parades, ordering some custom-designed equestrian tees for your group is an easy and inexpensive way to identify yourselves. You can go as simple or as elaborate as you wish–the only limit is your own imagination.

Raise Awareness of Autism with an Autism Support T-Shirt

Designing your own t-shirt is a fun and creative way to express yourself. The whole process—from coming up with the ideas, to ordering the t-shirt, to receiving it in the mail, to wearing it proudly the next day—is a great way to have fun.

But custom t-shirts can be more than just a way to have fun. They are also a good way to express a strong belief or to raise awareness of issues that you care about. If you have information about your issue, or even just an intriguing phrase or image on your t-shirt, then perhaps people will stop and ask you about the issue. You can send that person away with just a little bit more knowledge about a topic that is important to you.

One example of an important issue that you might want to bring up is autism. Autism is a lifelong neurobiological disorder. It is relatively common: 1 in 150 people have it. There are many levels of severity to the disorder. Autism impairs a person’s ability to communicate with others. It sometimes leads to compulsive behavior, like extreme need for strict routine and repetitive habits. In most cases it makes it harder for the person to relate to those around him or her. Autism is more common in boys than girls, but it doesn’t discriminate racially or socially.

It is important for people to be aware of autism because it more than likely is touching their lives in some way, even if they don’t know it. They may have classmates, coworkers, or relatives who are autistic and maybe struggling to function in the fast-paced world that doesn’t understand or know about their disorder.

If you have a loved one who has been diagnosed with autism, you are in a great position to raise awareness in the general public about the disorder. In many cases, it is easy for people to misunderstand autism and label people that have it as less intelligent or even rude. It would be a lot easier on everyone if teachers, classmates, and friends could understand autism as a disorder that can be dealt with. For example, teachers have to deal with multiple types of personalities every day. If they were educated about autism, teachers could better adjust their teaching and communication techniques to suit their autistic students and even help integrate them into the class as a whole.

So, if autism is an important issue to you, you should speak up about it. You could have a strong phrase about autism on the front of your shirt, maybe with a statistic. This could serve as a teaser, making whoever is walking by a reason to ask you about autism. Then, on the back, you could have some more detailed information, including a website and maybe some more important and surprising facts about autism. Try to make it so that whoever walks by you will not be able to pass you without learning something new about autism. If you can change one person’s view, or make one person more curious, then your t-shirt has done its job.

Protest

An Example of Usings T-Shirts to Protest – Stop University Program Cuts

Students at Canterbury University in New Zealand are using t-shirts to protest budget cuts at the College of Arts. In a recent proposal the University suggested cutting the American studies, theater and film programs. This would not only impact students but also thirteen full time professors and eight staff members who would be out of work.

Protest

To protest the proposed cuts students attended a university forum wearing t-shirts with images of burning artwork and the phrase “Mummy, what were the arts?”. Students sold over 120 t-shirts to raise awareness and protest the proposed program cuts. The University has not yet made a final decision but it will be hard for the decision makers to overlook 100+ students who protested the cuts and wore t-shirts to get their message across.

Read more about the story at Stuff.co.nz

Red Cross Cayman Islands

An Example of Raising Awareness of HIV with T-Shirts – Red Cross Cayman Islands

The Red Cross in the Cayman Islands is spreading HIV awareness with t-shirts. According to the Red Cross the t-shirts have been very effective because they have “HIV” in bold letters on the front and the back of the shirt says “until proven negative. Get tested”.

The t-shirt phrase was created to challenge people’s assumptions about their HIV status. Anyone can have or get HIV no matter what your appearance, profession, economic or social status.

Over 100 t-shirts are being worn around the Cayman Islands and because the area is small and the topic of HIV is not discussed much it has received a positive response. This type of program probably wouldn’t be as effective in areas like London or San Francisco.

The Cayman Islands Red Cross started their HIV awareness program in 2003. Raising awareness by t-shirts was started because it is believed that the problem of HIV in the Cayman Islands is far greater than what has been recorded so far.

Red Cross Cayman Islands

For more information visit Together We Can, the British Red Cross Overseas, and Reuters.

Ideas for Family Vacation T-Shirts – Create your own

You might not be “there” yet, but you can travel in style with custom family vacation t-shirts! Get ready for your vacation with shirts for your whole group. They are great for families and friends. Name your theme: Spring Break, Red Hatters, the boys annual hunting trip, the beach and ski trips. Whatever your vacation there’s a shirt.

It’s easy to craft a custom shirt with just a few mouse clicks. Try some of these ideas.

“Branson Or Bust. The Baker Brothers Family Trip. 2007” The brothers, who are all over 60, used a childhood picture of the four of them!

The front: “The Housers’ World Tour. 2006” On the back, the family listed all their destinations on their European summer trip just like a concert t-shirt.

If you need inspiration check out online libraries for phrases, artwork and ideas. Or use your own designs. Customize the shirts with your group’s destination and names. Pick colors and styles and you’re traveling in style!

Think family friendly with, “Are we there yet? Smith family road trip 2007.” “My other car is a monorail” complete with Mickey Mouse ears. “Brandon Family Beach Bums. Avalon, NJ. Summer 2007.”

Or, get silly with these. “I’m what happened in Vegas. Red Hatters 2007.” “What time is the 3 o’clock parade? Smiths do Disney 2008.” “My other car is a dune buggy. Spring Break 2008.”

Capitalize on the Griswold’s Classic European vacation. “Hey kids, Look there’s Big Ben, and there’s Parliament. There’s Big Ben, and there’s Parliament. The Riders’ European Tour 2008.”

And, for those family members not so into the t-shirt idea how about “I’m with them. Vale 2006.”

You can individualize each shirt with family members’ names and nicknames. Put them across the back shoulders like a team jersey or have names embroidered at the front pocket area.

Customized tees are more than just for laughs and memories. They are great for finding the whole gang on the boardwalk, an amusement park, and the airport. The Conicks choose a bright color every year with traveling in mind.

Make it fun to create the shirts! Have a contest or gather ideas from the whole family. When everyone’s sporting their matching shirts, it makes for memorable pictures.When the Taylors plan their trip they set up a website to organize ideas, directions and itineraries. While at the beach, they take a family photo in their t-shirts every year. At the end of summer, everyone posts their pictures on the website. Last year, they even put the site address on their shirts!

T-shirts make good souvenirs to remember your trip. When Zane Colley was just five years old, he started asking people to sign his shirt with a Sharpie pen. Now, at 18, he’s kept up the tradition. He’s got notes from everyone from his great uncle Alex to the cutie he met on the boardwalk.

Don’t wait to order! Design your custom t-shirts when you’re planning your vacation. It’s easy to design and order online. Expect it to talk only a few days for your shirts to arrive.

Make a memory everyone will enjoy!