Personalized Gift - Part 2 of Personalize Your T-Shirts

Facebook Advertisements are extremely intelligent.  I will never know how, but the advertising software correctly determined that I was a narcissist and suggested gifts for me to buy on my birthday - T-Shirts printed with words that might have been invented for me : "Aged To Perfection".  However, I took one look at the price tag and it immediately processed that I was a miser, again correctly, and completely stopped making any more suggestions for my birthday gifts from the very next day.

Nevertheless, the idea stuck in my mind and I had decided then and there that I was going to make a personalized t-shirt for my husband for his birthday.  His preference is Whiskey.  Johnnie Walker to be precise.  But their labels did not hold much appeal for a t-shirt design.  So I turned to Jack Daniels.  I had to look no further than the very first image that Google fetched : https://www.etsy.com/listing/200354291/51st-birthday-shirt-for-men-and-women?ref=market.  I copied the design and added my own words.

I take credit for the bottom line - "Lives Responsibly" - inspired by the words "Drink Responsibly" on the Blue Label box that was staring at me.  Johnnie Walker did add the final touch, after all.

I used white Crayola Fabric Marker, but once it dried, I found that it was so light that nothing showed two feet away.  So I traced the entire thing with Tulip Matte Dimensional Fabric Paint.  In a way it was an advantage.  Since I had made it by free hand drawing, after the second run, I noticed that the fabric paint stood out in stark relief on the black background that the mistakes I had made with the marker disappeared in contrast.

The paint came in an easy flow bottle, so it was just like piping.  I thought I might run out while using the 1.25 fl oz white from the 6-pack, but there was still a lot left when I finished.

Personalize Your T-Shirts

I wished to paint like her... Preethi in my 8th standard class.  I still remember watching her paint flowers on fabric - red on the bottom, yellow on top and blended into orange, in the middle, with a fresh brush.  This technique of double-coloring, as we called it then, fascinated me.  This inspiration withstood time and procrastination, and then another inspiration joined in.

I was researching Mickey Mouse themed birthday parties for my son and came across this gem of an idea : http://www.mamaslikeme.com/2013/06/diy-mickey-mouse-shirts.html.  Though I was quick about getting some basic supplies to start off with, another year had passed before I told my son that I was going to paint t-shirts for him with his favorite characters.  Again, I was quick about making a trip to the store; we got a pack of Hanes t-shirts that could be worn as undershirts, so they would not go wasted should my attempt turn out to be a disaster.

Thankfully, since my son knew of the plan, there was no putting it off beyond a day full of expectant and excited "WHEN?!!"s, and one final, despairing "when, amma?".  We sat down and made 3 in succession in no time.  It made my son's day and mine.

We drew on construction paper and cut them out.  Then transferred them to the t-shirts, padded underneath with paper, by tracing the outline with fabric pens.  Fabric pens worked out great for me as a first timer - I found it less daunting than painting with a brush.

It was mostly free hand drawing of images copied from books and online.  Ruler and compass are a great help, and stencils, if you have any.  To halve your work, fold the paper in half and draw one side of the desired image, cut it out and unfold to get a symmetrical whole.

Whenever I draw, I marvel at how complex a thing I am trying to copy on paper is.  But unless you pay close attention, you don't realize that cartoons are formed with amazingly simple lines and strokes that come together to create complex, distinct characteristics and details.  Ingenious.

On-the-fly Mint Chocolate Icing

Short on time and long on laziness - nothing like this combination to whip up a quick fix.  Today, the call was for icing - the cupcakes were all ready and waiting.  My son is big on mint chocolate; since that and butter was right at hand, the course seemed obvious.

Took 6 pieces of mint chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.  Heated it for 30 seconds.

Stirred the melted chocolate until smooth and added 1 1/2 tbsp of butter at room temperature.

Stirred to blend it in.

All done!

Just a glaze should do - the flavor is strong.  This was enough to frost 6 cupcakes.

Or you could scoop some into a food bag, snip a corner and let your little one pipe his own decoration.

It may serve well to pipe letters too.

Chocolate cake to die for (in my opinion) :  http://foodess.com/1982-moist-chocolate-cake.html.