Whoops!

This is what happens when you and your mom shop at the same stores! 

Yep, she showed up at my house so we could do some Christmas shopping wearing MY shirt (she still claims it's HER shirt, but...)

:-)

Scenic B&W - iheartfaces

I decided to post a B&W Scenic shot for iheartfaces this week.  This is at our ranch in NW Arkansas.  What a pretty place - in any season!

For more Scenic B&W Photos, please click to iheartfaces

Freezer Paper Tee Tutorial

Did you know that freezer paper will stick to material and make a perfect temporary template???  Yeah, me either!

Inspired by the "I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar" blog. I have had a blast making t-shirts for Charger using freezer paper templates.  The possibilities are endless...

(This is a pretty long post, so grab some coffee and/or chocolate, sit back and....)
Here's what you're gonna need.



T-Shirt

Any design you want to transfer

Freezer Paper

Fabric Paint - I used Tulip Matte paint that I found at Hobby Lobby

Exacto Knife

Paint Brushes

Tape
Iron

Here's my design.  I had a hard time finding a Christmas-themed design for a 10 year old boy, so I just made one.  It's printed out on regular paper, and I just cut the paper to make it easier to manage.

Tape this down to your cutting board or self-healing mat.

Place a piece of freezer paper (shiny side down) on top of your design, and tape it down to your mat as well.

Carefully, cut around your design with an exacto knife.  Be careful not to make any extra cuts in your freezer paper.  This will help you not have any of your paint seeping underneath later.

Here's my stencil all cut out.  Notice the small circles up above?  Make sure to keep those "holes", so that you can place them back in your "o" when you iron your freezer paper onto your shirt.

(Pretend you see a picture of me ironing the freezer paper to the shirt now.)

Go ahead and iron your t-shirt and decide where you want to place your stencil.  I decided to place it vertically up the side of Charger's shirt.

Then, place your freezer paper SHINEY SIDE DOWN onto your shirt and iron over it.  Make sure you really go over the small pieces of your template to make sure they are stuck down really well to avoid the paint seeping underneath.

Here, I have started to paint my stencil. Can you see the freezer paper ironed onto the white t-shirt up above?  When you're painting, try to go FROM the freezer paper onto the t-shirt.  Avoiding that paint seeping once again...

Here, I have painted my entire stencil area twice to make sure the paint is really dark.  My boy sure doesn't want a pink and white shirt!

Next, you just need to carefully pull the freezer paper off of your tee.  See those "holes" in my "o's"?  Just get your exacto knife and a pair of tweezers, peel it up...and...

VOILA!

Here's my tee basically finished.  Now, I just need to let this dry according to the fabric paint directions (mine said 4 hours).

After looking at it for a while, I added some shadow to it in black to try to make it a bit more masculine.

After all the paint had dried, I placed a dry washcloth over the design and ironed over it once last time.  This heat set the paint, and now it can safely be washed over and over again.  I think I'll turn it inside out each time, but I'm not sure you really have to do that.

Here's the finished product.

I also made a Star Wars themed shirt for Charger since that's his favorite.

If you have any questions, leave me a comment...actually leave me a comment anyway - just to show you're out there!

:-)

Viper

My newest favorite photo of my boy...

It makes me smile...

:-)

I Love Target!

I almost peed my pants! Now, that would have been "stinky"!

Rumtummytummy....
:-)

BACON!!!

Ok, who doesn't love BACON????  No, it's not good for you.  No, I don't know what part of the pig it comes from.  And no, I don't eat turkey bacon! (And yes, I just ended that last sentence with a preposition - sorry...)

BUT...but...but...but!
I HATE the mess stovetop bacon prep creates.  So, I have come up with a solution.  This is a totally new-to-me solution (please don't tell me you've been doing this your whole life...).  :-)



Take your trusty cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper (aluminum foil will work, but you will need to overlap it and the grease tends to leak to the sheet).  Make sure your parchment paper is a bit longer than your sheet so it will contain the nastiness. 

PLOP your not so healthy, non-turkey (or turkey if you must) bacon onto the parchment paper and pop it into a 375 degree oven for...... a while....Honestly, I don't even know how long I cook it.  I just go about my business, and when I start smelling that fabulous (not so healthy, non-turkey) bacon-ey smell - VOILA!

Your bacon's ready, the house smells yummy and the grease is all contained on top of the parchment paper.  I just let that nasty grease congeal (eewww) and throw the paper away.  No messy clean up! My kind of cookin'!

Tell me what you think.

:-)

Happy Turkey Day!

Off to Grandma's we go....


(source)

:-)