Another Pinterest Project! This time, a bleach pen designed t-shirt.

So.  It's time to splash about photos again here on The Blog.

One day, I was spending quality hours searching Pinterest for DIY ideas and came across this awesome one:  Bleach Pen T-shirts!

So I thunk, I can do this!  And so I did.

First, gather your materials.

As you can see, I have a shirt that is 100% cotton (very very important!!) that I found at a thrift store for $1.50, a piece of wax paper, something solid to use as a drawing surface and a Clorox Bleach Pen for Whites (also important!!).

First, some good tips:

1.  In order to do this project, you'll definitely need a shirt or fabric that is natural such as cotton.  It cannot be a 50/50 blend of cotton/whatever.  I'm told it just won't accept the bleach.

2.  Use a fresh Clorox Bleach Pen, and make sure it's for whites.  Importanty.  Also, shake that pen up.  Shake it.  Shake it.  Are you shaking it?

3.  This is bleach, people.  Use ventilation and don't get into your eyeballs and other logicky stuff.

4.  This project takes time.  From start to finish, it was a good 2.5 hours.  So, clearly you can't just rush this thing.  Or, if you do, you'll be shaking your fist at the universe.

Moving on.

So, you've got your stuff all laid out, right?  Like so:

What your eyes don't see, unless you've got X-ray vision, is that I've inserted the mat in betwixt the front of the shirt and the back of the shirt (basically I just slipped it inside on the side I wanted my design) and then laid the sheet of wax paper on top of the mat.  You could probably use a book or whatever.  I just grabbed the first thing I saw.  Also, I'm told you can use Freezer Paper and iron it to the inside of the shirt.  Whatev.  I just used my wax paper because it was handy.  The point is, you don't want the bleach to bleed through to the back of your shirt.

Let us begin.

Actually, wait.  I forgot a key ingredient to this!  You need a design.  So, I trolled the Googles and found a dandelion image that looked quasi-easy to recreate using a messy bleach pen.

And thus, I began.

And there is my design.  This is in the early stages, very wet and very smelly.  I'll tell you that drawing with a bleach pen isn't all that easy.  I noticed that some people used chalk first to make their design and then used the bleach pen over it.  I like to live on the edge like a rock star, so I just went with it.  Some of it looks uber goopy and lumpy, but I figured it would only enhance my design.  I let it sit like this for at least 20 minutes, just to make sure that the bleach would do its job.  I watched an episode of Monk whilst waiting.  You may choose to do something else.

After a chunk of time floated by, I was ready to rinse off the bleach.  I just carefully carried my shirt with the wax paper still inside to my kitchen sink and ran cold water over the design.  Now, here is where I'll tell you that I experienced that the bleach was hard to rinse off so I used a paper towel to help the process.  I tried to work fast so that no residual bleach would land anywhere else.  It wasn't too difficult.

Here is the shirt with the bleach rinsed off.

As you can see, it worked!  I immediately chucked the shirt into a cold wash cycle and then dried it like normal.  I even was bold and daring and just added this shirt to a load that was needing laundering.  Needing laundering.  Those words sound weird together.  Needing laundering.  Needing laundering.  Weird.

Anyways.  Here is the finished product.

BOOM.  Also, I know you're thinking the shirt color looks all weird compared to the other pictures- it only looks that way because I took the first set of pictures at night and the last picture was taken during the day.  Natural lighting.  Way different than light from a lamp.

And there you have it.  My bleach pen shirt with dandelions!

DIY Onesies, or, the first time I used an iron in like, three years.

So.  I said that I would splash about pictures of crafts that I've done that I found on Pinterest.  Well, HERE I GO...SPLASHING ABOUT!!

My sister is about to have a baby.  Like, literally, she's about to have him any minute now.  A boy.  A wee babe with testosterone.  Thus, I decided to make customized onesies with wittyish sayings.  Because that's how I roll here at Chez Murphy.  With the wit and the saying of the wit.

Prepare for photo splashing.

What you'll need for this project:

1.  Ideas.  Or, you can just steal ideas from other people.  Dude.  It's not like we own the sayings.  Steal!  Steal away!  Also, don't tell anyone I told you to steal.

2.  Fabric Transfer Paper.  Idk why I capitalized all that.  I found my FTP at the Walmarts.

3.  Onesies.  Also found at the Walmarts.  With a coupon.  Word.

4.  Scissors.  For you shall cut and trim and cut some more.  And trim.

5.  An iron.  Which I had to hunt for because I don't do any ironing around these here parts.  That's what the dryer is for.  Also, I just revealed how great of a housewife I am.

Ok, now to get started on Fabulous Onesies With Wittyish Sayings.

First, go on your compy and create the designs you want to use.  Or, get your husband to do it like mine did, because My Hubs is the bestest.  Once you've gotten your designs/sayings/pictures/whathaveyou all ready, print them out on your Fabric Transfer Paper.  HOWEVER, DON'T FORGET TO DO IT AS A REVERSE IMAGE.  OR MIRROR IMAGE.  OR WHATEVER OPTION MAKES IT LOOK ALL BACKWARDSY.  I forgot to do this the first time around and thus cussed in my mind and sat frantically at the computer until My Hubs took over and figured out what to do.  So.  Lesson learned - read the instructions in the FTP which clearly state to make your images reversed.  Moving on.

So once you have your images printed out and they are backwardsy, cut them out leaving a very small margin.  Also, I should mention that I chose the LIGHT Fabric Transfer Paper.  Because I was using white onesies.  And thus, you shall have a pile of cut out images, like so:

The backwardsy look is confusing, I know.  Now you need to get your iron ready.  Make sure there is no water in your iron and the steam option is turned off.  Now heat up your iron for five minutes on the highest cotton setting.  Prepare your surface.  For me, that meant sponging off all the crumbs and whatnot stuck to my table.  Then I laid a towel on the table as my ironing surface.  The instructions say not to use an ironing board.  Idk why.  It's a mystery.

Now is a good time to get a helper.  This is mine.

She got bored pretty quick, though.  Not helpful at.all.

Now that your iron is all hotty hot hot, iron your towel.  To rid the towel of creases.  Now, iron your onesie or tshirt or whathaveyou.  Now your surface is ready for Witty Saying Or Image Placement.  Like so:

You place your image where it is on the fabric and where it's not showing all backwardsy anymore.  Get it?  Once all centered and such, iron that bad boy.

Have I told you how difficult it is to iron and take a photo all at the same time?  Nay?  Well.  Take my word for it.  Word.

Iron iron iron.  The instructions tell you how long.  I did it for around 45 seconds.  In smooth movements, emphasizing the corners.  OOH- I forgot to mention, when you cut out your images, make the edges rounded.  This prevents the edges not adhering and whathaveyouandthings.  So.  Now that your image is all ironed on your fabric, let that cool off for a couple of minutes.  While one was cooling, I was repeating all these steps with the next onesie.  I am practically as organized as Martha Stewart, I tell you.

Once your fabric is all cooly cooled, you are ready to begin peeling.  I just began slowly peeling away one corner of the ironed on image.  It's not rocket science.

Slow slow slooooowwww.  It's not a race.  Also, that scratch on my hand?  From a tree at work.  Christmas is dangerous, I tell you.

Now, your transfer paper backing is peeled off.  Voila.

Boom.  You're done.

Here are all my finished onesies.

And there you have it.  DIY Customized Baby Onesies With Awesome Wittyish Sayings.  Also, can you tell my family is heavily influenced by Apple?

Welp, it's time for another update from yours truly.

You know, let me aside for a moment before I jump into this long overdue post.  "Yours truly".  Just what exactly does that mean?  What if I'm not being true?  "Yours white lyingly"  "Yours just kidding"  "Yours had you going there".

Also, I talk like I'm cranky because I am cranky.  Just call me Cranky McCrankerson.  It's because I've not had a Twizzler in (carries the two, divides by soup cans, multiplies by no cable television) A WHOLE MONTH.

Also, I'm so over all this dumb chemo biz.

So, it's with joy that I announce my last chemo will be this next Tuesday.  Although, it's hard to look forward to Tuesday knowing how lousy I shall feel once Tuesday comes.

I'm over it all.

I'm over heating pad burns on my arms that take weeks to heal.

I'm over having no hair.

I'm over two week long periods because my girly organs are freaking out.

I'm over runny noses, and mouth sores, and feeling like my stomach hates my guts (get it?  hates my guts?).

Let me take a quick break so I can change my lousy attitude.

brb

Ok.  Just took some happy pills.  Aka, Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies.  Little discs of chocolately pleasure.  I was going to save them for my husband, but, clearly I needed them more than he did.

Where were we?  Oh yes, all that poison and vitriol spewing from my fingertips.

Tell you what.  Why don't I highlight the good?  Yes?  Ok.

1.  I'm back at work.  This is nice.  My employers work with my crazy, bizarre, erratic chemo schedule.  They're way supportive and encouraging.  And I get paid.  So.  It's awesome.

2.  I had my last expander fill.  I no longer have problems sleeping on my stomach.  It's a wee bit weird when I bend over and the liquid sloshes around, but, whatever.  This is temporary.

3.  I'll have my "exchange" surgery sometime in November.  Switching the expanders for silicone implants.

4.  Pinterest.  The most addictive website ever.  Are you on it?  Are you a Pinterest Addict?

5.  Glee is back on.

6.  I'm sewing again.  Sewing stuff That's Sew Rad.  <--- my future etsy.com shop name is hidden in that sentence.  Betcha can't figure out what it is.  Also, I bet someone steals my uber cool shop name.  Alas.

7.  I'm in love with this song:



Such a nice message this song has.  Seriously.  Yet I lurrrrrve it.

8.  NaNoWriMo is just a couple of months away.  My wee novel is demanding attention.  Remember the excerpt I posted?  Well, I got lots mores to writes, yo.  <--- an excellent example of grammar and elocution.  Is it any wonder I tries to be a writer, yo?

9.  I still have eyebrows.  *High fives*

10.  I've been organizing Chez Murphy.  *Low fives*  Also, ask me how The Hubs feels about me organizing Chez Murphy?  Soon I shall highlight all my mad skillz of organization.  Also, I stole some ideas from Pinterest.  That's the way I roll.

Peace out, people of the innernets.