"I'm with the muggle" HP shirt tutorial

Have you seen the newest Harry Potter movie? I'm sure all of you probably have, most of my cash goes to my kids so movies are hard to come by these days unless they come from Redbox. I will unfortunately have to wait until the movie comes out on DVD to watch it (or maybe go the old fashioned route and read the book - I've read all but the last one!) I do, however, have a friend who is a giant Harry Potter fan and who has gone to every midnight showing of the Harry Potter series so far.

I think the midnight showings would be fun to go to just to people watch. You know the people who go that late/early are undying Harry Potter fans. For some reason, I imagine a theater full of costumed people yelling spells at each other from across the theater, popcorn flying everywhere. I kinda wish I had gone to the midnight showing just to people watch.

Being the last movie in the HP series, I just had to make my friend a Harry Potter shirt, so we decided to go the freezer paper route and whip one up. I wanted to do a play on the "I'm with stupid" shirt but with a Harry Potter theme, so I made a "I'm with the muggle" shirt.

Here's a quick refresher on how to make a shirt using freezer paper stenciling (which is one of the easiest ways to make a great looking shirt with minimal work - woo hoo!)

Supplies:

• T-shirt
• Fabric paint
• Freezer paper (found at the grocery store or Wal-Mart in the same aisle as the foil, baggies, etc.)
• Paint brush
• Iron
• X-Acto knife and mat

Step 1: Trace and cut out your letters.

First, go HERE to download the free Harry P. font. If you're using a craft cutter, type up your wording with an arrow underneath in the size you would like, then cut out your wording on the sticky carrier mat using freezer paper.

If you don't have a craft cutter, simply type up your wording (and add an arrow underneath) in a word document in the size you would like, then print out and place under your freezer paper. Trace the wording, then use an X-Acto knife to carefully cut out each letter on a cutting surface.

Make sure to remove the little paper bits you won't need, but hold onto the inside scraps in the e and letter g's (use tweezers if needed.) Using a hot iron on the "cotton" setting with no steam, Iron your freezer paper wording to the front of your shirt with the shiny side down.

 

Step 2: Apply your paint.

We had to represent for Gryffindor, so we mixed up some red and blue fabric paint to make maroon.

Before painting, make sure you insert some cardboard inside of your shirt so the paint won't leak through to the other side. Carefully paint your fabric paint onto your shirt, painting from the outside in so you don't jam paint outside of the stencil area.

Let dry for the amount of time stated on the bottle. You can heat set it with an iron if you want, I never do but better safe than sorry!

 Step 3: Peel off freezer paper and wear.

After you let your shirt dry for the allotted time, carefully peel off your freezer paper and wear! You can wash and wear as usual.

I totally screwed up and touched the wet paint and got a dot of fabric paint on my shirt....which is why I added a lightning bolt and the HP over the smudge. I kinda like it though.

PS, Rachel over at Maybe Matilda made a great Harry Potter-themed shirt too (check hers out HERE.) Nerds unite!

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Mailbox from a cardboard box tutorial

You can make a lot of cool things from trash. And who doesn't have a lot of junk sitting around?

My husband always gives me weird looks when I confiscate boxes and used babyfood jars, but I always see the potential for what they could be. I'm not a hoarder, I swear!

Well...not yet anyway.

Half the clothes I make for my daughter are made out of an old shirt that my husband grew out of or a hand-me-down from a friend or family member (see my Button Down Rehab series for proof). I get such a feeling of accomplishment from making something new out of something old (and it doesn't hurt that the projects are practically free either).

So when I saw this old garbage bag box, I didn't see trash. I saw a new toy for my daughter. 

Supplies to make a play mailbox and play mail:

• Box (preferably a large, sturdy one with flap in the front like the one above)
• Can of blue spray paint
• Contact paper or vinyl
• Assorted felt
• Fabric paint
• Sewing machine and thread
• Scissors
• Pinking shears
• Glue gun
• X-Acto knife and cutting mat (if you're cutting out the wording by hand)

To Make Your Mailbox

1. Find a box.

Preferably a larger one with thicker cardboard and a flap already cut in it, like the bulk-size trashbag box I used below (I got it from Sam's Club). Regular cereal boxes and the like won't work as well because they're too flimsy, that's why I like using the bulk cardboard boxes for projects like these.

I was also lucky that my box already had the front flap cut out of it. If your box doesn't have this flap, grap a box cutter or X-Acto knife and (carefully!) cut a flap in the front to look like a mailbox.

2. Coat your box with spray paint.

All I did was plop my box down outside on some cardboard and coat it generously with blue spray paint (the cheap-o kind) until the entire box was covered. Be careful you don't spray the box too close or the paint will drip.

3. Trace and cut out your letters.

I used the words "U.S. Mail" on the sides of my box and "Letters" on the front. If you have a craft cutter, you can always cut out your wording using adhesive vinyl or contact paper (which is what I used) and then stick on your box. If you don't, just type up your wording, print out, then trace your wording onto the back of your contact paper and cut out carefully with an X-Acto knife.

After your letters are cut out, peel off the backing and stick them to your box.

To Make the Play Mail

Step 1: Trace your mail shape.

Gather several assorted colors of felt for your mail. You'll need 2 pieces of felt in each color (one for the top and one for the bottom.)

You can either find an object to trace for your play mail or make a template yourself out of cardboard. Trace 1 shape each on 1 of each color of felt (you'll be placing one piece of felt on top of the other in a minute, so you only need your shape on one).

(Those are my daughter's little fingers helping me trace. It's nice when she can help with the projects that aren't dangerous :)

Step 2: Sew your 2 sides together and cut out.

 

Using a straight stitch and coordinating thread, place the one piece of felt you drew your mail shape on on top of the other piece of felt and pin if you want. Stitch around the perimeter of your shape, backstitching at the end.

Carefully cut out your mail about 1/4 inch outside of your stitched lines.

Step 3: Add address lines.

 

Using your fabric paint, squeeze several lines on your mail roughly where your name and address lines would be. Let dry according to the bottle's instructions.

Step 4: Make your stamps.

Using pinking shears, cut out 1-inch squares from white felt.

Use fabric paint to decorate your stamps to make them a little more fun :)

Using a glue gun, attach your stamps to your pieces of mail.

And you're done!

My daughter loves getting the mail with Daddy, so now she has her own little mailbox that's just her size.

Linking up!

Show and Tell Wednesday at Blue Cricket Design