Maternity Countdown Shirt {& fabric paint tutorial!}

**BUY A MATERNITY COUNTDOWN SHIRT HERE!**

http://putabirdonitshop.storenvy.com

Being pregnant is an AMAZING experience.  One I never want to forget.  Thankfully, my sister has been willing to take fun mini photo sessions to document my pregnancy.  One of my faves was at 18 weeks.  I made a Maternity Countdown Shirt to show which week of pregnancy I was at.  This was a FUN project to make, but I was nervous.  This was my first time making my own fabric paint.  Turns out, it's a lot cheaper than buying premade fabric paint.  And, it's really easy!!

***Not up for making your own shirt? You can visit my online shop and BUY a countdown maternity shirt! Click the link below:

http://putabirdonitshop.storenvy.com/

What You'll Need:

• Tintable Fabric Medium {I love Martha Stewart products}
• Acrylic Paint in color(s) of your choice
• Empty bottle {Perfect for mixing and saving fabric paint}
• Foam brush x2
• Vinyl stencil for numbers
• Shirt {get one that fits now but has some stretch to fit the full 40 weeks}

First, you'll want to mix your fabric paint.  It's 1 part fabric medium to 2 parts paint.  This is where the mini bottle comes in handy.  I found mine near the foam brushes at Michaels.  I filled the empty bottle 1/3 full with fabric medium, then filled it the rest of the way with craft paint.  You can do more or less, depending on how much you want.  Just add the fabric medium, then draw a line on the bottle where you stopped, and add twice the paint.  Easy, right?  Shake it up to mix them together.  That's it!  I label mine Fabric Paint, so I know for the future.  I've used this gray fabric paint for other projects, too, which is why I love mixing mine in a bottle, to save for future use!  You'll need to do this step twice -- once for your numbers color and again for the paint color you want to "cross off" the numbers.

Now, place your stencil on your shirt.  I used my Silhouette SD to cut out the stencil using Silhouette premium vinyl.  It is SO easy, and I'm guaranteed straight lines...I wouldn't trust myself otherwise.  I had to cut 2 stencils, 1-20 on one and 21-40 on the other.  Remember to leave enough empty space around the cut out on the stencil to allow you to paint and not get paint on the shirt!  I recommend putting something inside your shirt, to protect the paint from leaking onto the back of the shirt.  I've used an old piece of cardboard or a couple layers of newspaper ads works great, too.

Once you have the stencil in place, simply paint over the stencil, using a foam brush, with your fabric paint.  I painted over the whole thing once, then went back and put a second coat {lighter} just to make sure it was all covered.  This needs to dry for a while.  I usually do mine in the evening and let it dry overnight. Tip: After several minutes of drying time, put your hand under the stencil and 'lift' up a little to make sure the paint isn't adhering to the cardboard/ads you put underneath.

 
Once it is dry, peel away the stencil, and CONGRATS!  You've made a shirt covered in numbers!  Now, to give it meaning, use the 2nd color of fabric paint to CROSS OFF the weeks.  You could cut out more stencils, if you want a perfect line.  I just grabbed a foam brush and applied the paint without a stencil.  Let this dry again.  This part doesn't take as long to dry.  Once it's dry, you are FINISHED!  Hold on to that fabric paint, since you'll need to cross off more weeks as your pregnancy goes on.  Super fun way to document your growing belly, huh?!

Got a maternity countdown shirt or a fabric paint project you love?  Share the link in the comments.  I'd love to see it!!

***Not up for making your own shirt? You can visit my online shop and BUY a countdown maternity shirt! Click the link below:

http://putabirdonitshop.storenvy.com/

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Here are updated pictures of this fantastic maternity shirt!  It is SO easy to dab a little more fabric paint to cross off one more week in the countdown.  Love it!!

***Not up for making your own shirt? You can visit my online shop and BUY a countdown maternity shirt! Click the link below:

http://putabirdonitshop.storenvy.com/

Be sure to click "Join this Site" on the right side toolbar to stay up to date on all things Put A Bird On It. That way, you'll be notified the next time I give away a maternity countdown shirt! Which I've been known to do. :)

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I Love You Because

My sister has been seeing all those cute I Love You message boards all over and was about to buy one online, but instead asked me to make one for her. I was just flattered she thought of me and trusted her marital love expression in my piano-playing-turned-craft-making hands. I was EXCITED to tackle a crafty request - especially for my sister, but I was NERVOUS at the same time. It's easy enough to make something for yourself...if it looks bad, I can deal. But making something for someone ELSE makes me second guess every step! Hopefully we can still have our Thursday night Friends-watching-pizza-eating parties even if she doesn't like it.

Her only request was that it be big enough to write decent sized messages on and that it uses the colors BLUE & ORANGE (she's been straying from the normal 'black & red' fave...that color combo is out!). One stop at Michaels...a crafting Skype call with the BFF...and a whole lot of LOVE later...here is the final result:

Baby Announcement Idea

I made this onesie to give to my dad for Fathers Day to announce we are having a baby. All it took was some heat transfer material. It was the perfect way to tell him our fun news!

**BUY A MATERNITY COUNTDOWN SHIRT HERE!**

http://putabirdonitshop.storenvy.com

Here are some more festive delights from me!

Halloween Maternity Skeleton Shirt

Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe

Candy Corn Cocoa {Halloween gift idea!}

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Burlap and polka dots...and some inspiring words

My friend and I have this thing we do where we set goals together. Different for each of us, but we share them and talk about them. As of yesterday, we are on goal 106 {ok, slight exaggeration}.  Some are big {I will practice the piano every week}, some are small {I will have water with my lunch instead of that delicious dr pepper}, but they are meaningful to us. Some of my goals make me emotional...some come from regret...but they are there to keep me going, to keep me improving myself, and to remind me of the full potential within me. I found this quote by c.s.lewis, one of my favorite authors, and immediately fell in love with it. It is now proudly displayed in my kitchen, where I can see it every day and be reminded of the goals I've set and encourage me to keep trying {and it helps to have my latest loves burlap and polka dots, too!}.

DIY Message Board

My good friend got married almost one year ago, so I thought it's a good time to post the message board I gave her for a wedding present!  I had to go out and buy my first hot glue gun!!  It was also my first time attempting rolled fabric flowers.  Kind of gutsy to have all these FIRSTS be for a project I was giving to someone else, but hey, we're still friends, so it must not have been too awful.  All I needed was fabric scraps, glue gun, empty frame, cute piece of paper, vinyl letters, dry erase marker and velcro squares.

I asked my friend what her wedding song was, and it contained the line "You are my Shining Star."  I thought this was PERFECT for the beginning of an "I love you" message board, so every day they could share a reason why the other was their Shining Star.  I'm in love with the paper I put in the frame, as a background -- it had bubble flowers on it!  You can't see on the backside, but I purchased a small dry erase marker, attached one part of a velcro square to the marker cap, and attached the other half of the velcro square to the back of the frame.  That way, the marker is nearby and you're not going to lose it!

There are SO many message boards, dinner menus, calendars, etc. you can make with an inexpensive frame and a dry erase marker!

Etched Baking Dish

Our very good friends built a new home in Logan!  We were able to have a get together at their AMAZING new house.  We loved everything they chose and were so happy to see their little family get a place of their very own.  I decided to get them a housewarming gift to celebrate (since I'm trying to be a better person/wife/friend/crafter/girl).  I've heard tall tales of a product called "etching creme" and always thought it would be fun to test out.  I decided to attempt an etched baking dish.  I read a few different blogs, and they all seemed to the say the same thing.  It seemed pretty easy.  And guess what??  It was!  All I needed was the etching creme, foam brush, baking dish, and a stencil cut from my fabulous Silhouette.

 The baking dish had the annoying STICKER on it.  Thank goodness for the magic of nail polish remover for helping me get it off with ease.

Stencils!  I decided to do their last name and a "flourish" on the other side.  I used stencil vinyl, but you can use any vinyl, really, to create a stencil.  Just peel the letters out to leave the negative space.

I think I have a black card I bought specifically for transferring the vinyl to transfer paper, but I couldn't find it.  Glad to know my Kohls card is good for something these days...!

This is the etching creme.  It comes in this teeny bottle with a not so teeny price tag.  It does go a long way, though.  I put on a LOT.  It says on the bottle to be careful you don't get any on your hands.  Apparently it can etch (aka BURN) your fingers off!  That's how it works it's magic on the glass.  I was sure not to test this burning theory out...I'll just assume they are right.

I used a small foam brush and left it on for a couple minutes.  The instructions say leave on for 60 seconds, but I think it depends on how "dark" you want the etching to be.  After, just rinse it off with water.  Again, super easy!

It really helps if you have a talented, cute boy to serenade you during those 60 seconds

(boy & guitar not included!)

The finished product!

It turned out pretty good, I think.

Hannah really liked it, and sent me a picture the other day of her using it for the first time.



I think I might have to make one for myself now!

A few different ideas to use etching creme for:



Cute-imize a trifle dish

Monogram coasters

Polka dots!!

I have a friend that got a baking dish set with her wedding date & name etched on it.  She still uses it, and it was one of her favorite gifts.

So excited about etching creme, my new crafting friend.

How to Antique Paper and make something special with it

Do you have a dad?

I have a dad.

And boy, is he the HARDEST person in the WORLD to shop for.  Birthdays, Christmas, Father's Day -- it's SO hard to come up with something unique to give him.  I usually end up getting the latest MoTab CD or a framed picture of him and me.  But there is only so much room for photos!  So I decided to get a little creative and make him something special.

Music is such a huge, important, special part of my life.  Not only is a part of my life, but it's a part of my dad and me's life.  Countless nights growing up I would play the piano and he would fall asleep in my grandma's rocking chair next to the piano (or was it me keeping him up with late night piano songs?? I forget!).  One of our favorite Hymns is I Believe in Christ.  I wanted to somehow frame this song and give it to him as his gift.  I found a way to "antique" paper and, using some vinyl and an inexpensive Walmart frame, made this:

This now lives on top of my dad's piano!  I love seeing it there...even when I'm not playing it...to remind me of the special moments we've shared together through music.

Want to antique your own paper?  It is super easy!  Here's how:

Materials

Paper you want to antique

1/3 cup of hot, black coffee
(I'm not a coffee drinker, so I don't have this on hand.  I suggest just buying one cup of to go coffee -- voila!)

One cookie sheet

Basting brush (easy to use on hand in the kitchen, or a sponge brush will work, too)

Paper Towels

Oven

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Crumple up the piece of paper into a ball.  Semi-smooth it out and place on cookie sheet.

Pour coffee over paper. Use brush to cover evenly. Leave some heavier spots for a more unique look.

Let sit for a few minutes. Then, use paper towels to blot up all excess liquid.

"Bake" paper in oven for about 5 minutes. Be sure to keep a close eye on it, so you don't start the paper on fire!

Remove from oven and VOILA! Paper that looks like Ben Franklin himself wrote it.

Have fun aging!

 

Making Shirts with my favorite accessory

Apple may say, "If you don't have an iPhone, you don't have an iPhone."

But I like to say, "If you don't have a Silhouette, you don't have a Silhouette!!"

This little baby is my BFF.  It cuts just about anything this little girl would need to cut. 

CONFESSION!

Part of the goal of this blog is to prove to the husband that I use my Silhouette SD enough to get THIS little thang:

*sigh* the Silhouette Cameo.  Every crafting girl's dream come true.  12" of glorious cutting and sketching wonder.  One day, my friend, you will be mine.

So what can this little baby do?

I'll tell you.

Right now.

Make really awesome shirts!

I just so happen to be a giant nerd and love all things Harry Potter and the Hunger Games.  So DUH of course when the movies premiere, I have to make a wicked awesome shirt to wear.  Thanks to Silhouette's heat transfer material, I've been able to come up with some that (if I may say so) are pretty sweet.

I made these before Silhouette added Harry Potter shapes to their online store.  Now, there are SO many awesome shapes to choose from.  Too bad all the movies are out!!!  I'm pretty determined to have a HP party of some sort soon, though.

Before the Hunger Games movie came out and it was all the rage, the husband and I dressed up as Katniss and Peeta for Halloween!  I used the heat transfer material (again!) to make the apron Conrad wore, to clue in anyone who couldn't guess our costumes otherwise.

Since I felt slightly concerned showing up to the Hunger Games movie premiere with a hungarian bow and 4-foot solid wood walking stick, I decided to make a shirt TWO shirts.

I used two different colors of heat transfer for the back.

I then used stencil vinyl to make a stencil for the mockingjay logo on the front, and white fabric paint to fill it in.

Seriously, it doesn't get much easier than this, and I loved the results!

Here are a couple sites you can download the mockingjay logo:

MOCKINGJAY LOGO SITE 1

MOCKINGJAY LOGO SITE 2