Cute-ify your T ~ I {heart} my State

Freezer paper stenciling is probably one of the easiest ways to make a shirt your own, and customize it to your liking.  Really, the sky is the limit with what you can create.

I really love the heart embellishment too.  It's representation is two-fold; not only your love for your state, but where your love is...in the city with your family and friends!

We live right in the {heart} of California, which I love! 

Within a few hours we can travel to San Francisco, Los Angeles,

or the gorgeous Pacific Ocean

Where do you live?  Let's get started so you can make your own...

Materials

A prewashed T shirt
Freezer Paper
Sharpie
Exacto knife
Fabric Paint & Paint brush
Adhesive backed crystals and heat setting tool (click here for more heart options)

Instructions

1.  Begin by googling "silhouette of {your state}"  Mine of course is California and the best one I could find was here. Print out the picture, making sure the scale is good for your shirt size

UPDATE: Shannon gave me this link for the states, or any country for that matter.... 

WAY COOL!

2.  Place your freezer paper shiny side down over the image and trace the outer edges.  Using your exacto knife, carefully cut out the image. 

3.  Place the freezer paper {shiny side down} centered on the shirt.  Press.  Do not iron!  Press and hold the iron down for about 5 seconds in each spot until all the edges are adhered.   

4.  Place a piece of cardboard or another piece of freezer paper between the two shirt layers so the paint does not bleed thru.  Take your fabric paint and paint the edges keeping the brush strokes towards the center of the shirt.  In other words, be careful on the edges so the paper does not lift.  Once dry, paint another layer.

5.  Let dry for at least 4 hours.  Remove paper by just peeling it off to reveal your favorite state!  Heat set the paint by placing a tea towel or other scrap fabric over the painted area and press.

6. Find your approximate location on the state.  Take your crystals and heat set tool and arrange your heart by eye.  OPTION:  Instead of using the crystals you can use the state shape that you cut out. Cut out a heart on the state shape, then iron it back onto the shirt and just paint in the heart with a different color fabric paint.  Easy!  Click HERE for more heart options

And oh, so cute.  You will get lot's of

"Oohh, I want one... where did you get that?"  with these shirts

Have fun!  And post to flickr when you make one  :)

You can see a similar version from

Emily at The Boy Trifecta .  She made this cute Ohio one for her little munchkin

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