Repurpose

One of my New Year's resolutions was to become more Green Aware, green conscious. More concerned for the environment. I'm being selfish here it's really all for my kids' environment. When it was about my environment, it was already fine. When I thought about all resources and pollutants and stuff and my kids, something needed to be done. I really see recycling and such being mandatory and in accordance to law in a few decades with them if not sooner versus the optional mentality I was brought up in.

So when I think of a better way of doing things now instead of going 'oh yea that would be good to do' I actually do it now (well sometimes, but it's a process and I'm proud of some changes I've started to make. Haven't given up paper towels or gone for cloth diapers or anything but baby steps). I like starting these precedents in the boys' life now, so they'll know no other way, it's what they'll do -care for the Earth around them in some ways and I feel better for that.



To satisfy my itch to create something (I'm done having kids) coupled with a repurposing gig and the fact that I have come across this neato idea numerous times in Internet/blog world. I tried my hand at freezer stenciling last week or so. When I first heard of this I was like "What?" and "freezer?" "how does that come into play?" "too difficult forget it". I never knew what freezer paper was, that there was such a thing nor that it was sold at a semi local food store (semi because my most local one is just horrid and with every mention of it I must mention that fact that it is such).

The hardest part, I had was making a stencil. Not so much the actual tracing and cutting but figuring what I'd, we'd want on a shirt, finding a good picture, one appropriate to only cut an outline of and still be identifiable and then proceeding. So there was some trial and error there especially when I took comments from the peanut gallery on what they may want on their shirts and my wanting to please them possibly. I also learned after this that as with a lot of things your supplies, paint mainly make a big difference. Some, all my colors except one didn't give the best coverage.

So you simply iron on (tacky side down) the stencil you cut from the freezer paper (sold with the parchment ;), wax, aluminum paper and such) with a piece (tacky side up) inside the shirt as well, apply paint, let dry and set in a dryer after peeling off the stencil.

It's really easy for me to find shirts for a project like this. We thankfully have so many handmedowns and not all of them get used with the same vigor. Aiden certainly has his own likes (comfort, cool stuff) and dislikes (stripes) and rarely does he wear a solid tee. Some of Colin's clothes have seen better days being a 3rd child and already handed down to Aiden, plus some honestly look better with something on them than started out brand new/as is.

I really liked how Col's, my first one came out.

There's the busted lip I mentioned a bit back. Two face boo boos since and I almost forgot about how this one happened. Brady. Pavement. Acting silly. Colin on his face.



Here's B's and A's Saturn. After peeling these stencils I must not have ironed A's well enough. Me not iron well, no? Couldn't be. I should have known to stop before I started when it involved an iron.

I'll see how well these two like theirs if I ever get to setting them in the dryer.



This is a project I got into to purposely put off using my new sewing machine by the way.