Bloggy Giveaway - Custom Shirt!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. Thanks to all who participated!

Thanks to my friend Danielle, I am trying a Bloggy Giveaway for the first time. Please be gentle with me!

First, let me reveal what everyone wants to know: the prize! I am giving away a custom shirt or onesie of your choice, made by me of course. I'll contact the winner of my giveaway and you can tell me which design you would like, who it's for, which birthday it's for (if it is for a birthday), what size, color, etc.

Please leave a comment in this post, and here's what I would like from you:
1) Please look at all the entries on my Katie Kay Tees blog and tell me which design you like the best. This doesn't have to be the one you'd pick if you win the giveaway, since maybe your kids are already too old for a onesie or maybe you have all boys but you love the girly stuff.
2) Please also give me any other feedback you can think of, like ways to make my blog or shirts more appealing, or maybe tell me a cute onesie or t-shirt saying that you've seen. I'd especially love to hear cute phrases to celebrate a birthday. (What rhymes with four? I've thought about dino-four. What about six, or any other b'days?)

I'll keep the contest open until noon CST on Friday, August 1.

Please also stop by my original blog, Six Golden Coins. I'm doing another giveaway there for a lovely custom photo bracelet.

Thanks for the feedback, and good luck. Wish me luck too in my first Bloggy Giveaway! (I'm sure hoping I did all this right!)

Customized Shirts & Onesies

I made my first customized onesie when my daughter was about 6 months old. I saw some cute iron-on flowers on clearance at Wal-Mart, and decided to use them to decorate some plain white onesies. The idea was that iron-ons would dress up the white onesies, but I would still be able to bleach them when the inevitable drool or food stained them.

Then I started making customized shirts. It started as something fun that I could do for my daughter. Soon after, I decided to make one for her friend as a birthday gift. I think that was borne out of desperation to find something unique as a birthday gift, and something that would celebrate the birthday girl's sense of style as well as her new Big Girl status of being a whopping three year old. Plus, it was very inexpensive for me because I already had the fabric paint on hand. All I had to do was buy the shirt in the correct size, and I was on my way!

Now I love making shirts for my kids, plus our friends. I've even made one for myself that says "Boy's Mama." It matches my son's shirt that says, "Mama's Boy."
Since those first iron-on onesies, I think I've gotten better at making the shirts fit a child's personality and, at the same time, I've gotten the hang of using puffy paint. I've learned how to sort of grind the paint into the fabric while I'm writing, so the paint won't peel off after the first washing.

Lately, I've had friends start asking me how much I'll charge to make a shirt for them, so I decided to start this blog and see if anyone else might be interested in buying a customized shirt or onesie. If you're interested, let me know by leaving me a comment with your email address. I'll contact you as soon as I can. Thanks for checking out my blog!

One

I got the ONEderful idea for a baby's first birthday when I made this shirt for our friend Jacob's first birthday. (He just turned three and his most recent shirt was the one with all the zoo animals on it here.)

The next one I made was for Cooper, whose daddy LOVES baseball. So it had to have a baseball theme, and most of the ones I've made since then do too. I've also made some girly ones, but I don't have photos to share with you.

EDIT: I got a photo of a girly ONEderful shirt that I made, modeled by our beautiful neighbor! I made the shirt for her first birthday, and was happy to see her wearing it.

Two

I made this shirt for our friend Cooper Doo's second birthday. His mom tells me she gets lots of compliments on it, and people always ask her where she got the shirt. (She's the motivating force behind this blog!) I love the way this shirt turned out. The little boy face actually looks like Cooper Doo in his baseball cap.

This tank top was made for Cooper Doo's sister, Delaney - back when she was turning two. (I can't believe it's been so long ago!)

And this monkey shirt was made for our Cousin Adam when he turned two this year too. (Two too!)

Three

This "Three" shirt was the second shirt I ever made, after the Dude shirt (not including those original iron-on onesies). I made it for Katie's friend Anna, when Katie was about two and a half years old. I made it one night before Katie went to bed, using an iron-on transfer in the center and puffy paint words around it. I put it on a countertop to dry. The next thing I know, I looked over and saw (in slow motion), Katie's hand smashing down into the wet paint. I screamed to stop her, but it was too late. The shirt seemed unsalvageable to me, so I made Anna another one. I kept the ruined one for a while, until I decided to doctor it a bit and I made it wearable for Katie. This photo shows her wearing it. Needless to say, now I make sure the shirts are out of harm's way when I make them!

Since then, I've made the Three shirts with stamps instead of using an iron-on. The iron-ons don't seem very durable.

Four

My favorite Four shirt is the one that says "I'm four and ready to roar" and has a stamped lion on the front. The others are cute too, but I really like the lion.

The monkey one was made for my daughter, who runs and jumps around the house like a monkey. So I tried to make it girly, but also monkey-ish too! She wanted to stamp the smiley face by herself.

Five

I made various "Five" birthday shirts for neighbors and friends, and my own daughter. The blue and orange ones were supposed to be complimentary because they were made for twins on our street.

Six

The Six Snake is one of the more recent shirts I've made. I was nervous about whether it truly looks like a snake (or even a six), because I am my own worst critic. But friends and family (and ever-honest six year olds) assured me it truly does look like a six AND a snake!

Ten

I made this shirt for a neighbor girl who is so sweet and helpful with my kids. She liked the shirts that she saw them wearing, so I made a "Perfect Ten" shirt for her as a surprise. She really liked it!

Big Sister, Little Brother

Of course I had to make Big Sister and Little Brother shirts for my kids when the baby arrived. What else would they wear in the hospital to claim each other as their own? I've also made "Biggest Sister" and variations on the theme.

Dude: The One That Started Them All!

When my daughter was about two, she learned the word "dude." She loved saying it, so I decided to make her a shirt with DUDE on it. My first attempt was with iron-on letters, which didn't last the first washing. I decided to try puffy paints instead, on a lime green tank top. It worked like a charm! She loved that tank top, and still squeezes in to it once in a while. I've made lots of DUDE shirts now, including one with metal studs. It's kind of my "signature" item that I make for her! Here's a photo of the first lime green tank top, plus the one with studs.

Nicknames

I made matching shirts for my two kids, with their nicknames stamped across the front. I like for them to wear the shirts when we are out together as a family.

EDIT: I took some photos yesterday (9/3/08) of the kids in their shirts. It's the last time Katie will be wearing hers because she cut a hole in it at school. I don't think it was intentional, but that's the last of that shirt!

Onesies

I love making onesies for babies. There are soooo many cute sayings to use! Here are some of my favorites.

Bibs & Burp Cloths

I made this bib and burp cloth for an old high school friend. It was made on short notice, with very little embellishment.

Twins

My neighbor asked me to make two shirts for a coworker who is pregnant with twin boys. She requested the sayings on the shirts. I tried to make them as identical and plain as possible, so the babies would match each other.

Starting Another Blog

I already have a blog called Six Golden Coins. It's all about me and my family and things going on in my life. I want to start a little side business, so I decided to open a new blog.

This Katie Kay Tees blog will be where you can find my craft projects: for sale and not for sale. If you're interested in anything, let me know!