Super Fun Halloween Shirts

I CAN TOTALLY MAKE THAT! and you can too ;)

I want to highlight one of my favorite tools for crafting...my Cricut Maker . Just some basics: the Cricut Maker does a WHOLE bunch of things, many of which I haven't even tested out yet. This machine cuts glitter paper, cork, and fabric. It gives you the ability to cut, write, draw, emboss, engrave, and more! Some reasons I love this machine so much, is that it makes it easy for last minute gifts, labeling my kiddos items (waterbottles, backpacks, you name it!), and all the creative possibilities!!!

I think that my BIGGEST obsession with this tool is creating t-shirts! I love a t-shirt, I love putting my kiddos in quirky tees, and I love gifting them to friends! A fun spin on the regular t-shirt is to bleach them first before laying down the image. Below are some shirts that I created using a bleach solution. I think that they came out so cute!!!

To make the bleach pattern, I simply used Gildan cotton t-shirts from Michaels (you can also pick them up at Jo Ann Fabrics). I simply put 1/2 water and 1/2 bleach into a squirt bottle. Then, I cut some cardboard, and stuck it in the shirt, so the bleach would not run through to the back. Then I just squirted the solution onto the shirt where I wanted to lay the design. This made a solid bleach pattern. It was fun just sprinkling the solution around, to make a more splatter pattern. Once you have finished with the bleach, you just need to leave it in the sun for about an hour. I just watched them and pulled them once I felt they had processed enough. I have read that some people used hydrogen peroxide to stop the bleach from disintegrating the shirt, but I just threw them in the washing machine immediately

Once your shirt has been dried, you are ready to apply your image (s)! I do recommend taking a lint roller to roll over the shirt after cleaning. I just feel like it helps the adhesive to the vinyl. I also like to iron both on top of the image as directed, but then turn the shirt inside out to the heat the glue from the other side. We throw these in the washer and dryer, and have not had issues. It does say that you should use care and tumble dry low (not heat).

For more crafting inspiration, you can follow me on Pinterest, Etsy, and Facebook :)