How To Make a Cool Inside Joke T-Shirt Online

Everybody knows I start my Holiday gift shopping early!  My goal is to be mostly done by the end of October so that I can enjoy the Holiday season.  I have to coordinate gifts for everybody, including the gifts from our children to each other.  This year, I had the idea that our 8-1/2 year old son might want to gift a custom t-shirt to his little brother.  They are always talking in code, saying random words that I don't understand, and have favorite catch phrases that they share.  When I presented this idea to my son, he thought it was a great idea!

After thinking for a few minutes, our son knew exactly what he wanted the shirt to say . . . "MEEP!!", which is a sound I have heard him make repeatedly for at least a year.  I believe it is something one of the characters say on an animated show all three children like to watch.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

From there, I only had to open up my Gimp graphics software, which is free to download.  Our son wanted something in black all-caps text with two exclamation points.  It took me two minutes to make a 300dpi graphic that was about 2400 pixels wide.  I asked our son if he liked the font.  He did, so I added a drop shadow and saved the image as a .png with a clear background.

Next, I logged into Zazzle.com and asked our son which style shirt he would like for his brother.  He chose the ringer tee in grey with black trim.  I uploaded my image to the product page and then sized and positioned it to my liking.

Then I had the idea that it might look cool to have the image in reverse on the back of the t-shirt.  Our son also loved this idea, so back I went to my saved image on Gimp.  To make the reversed image, I simply removed the drop shadow, flipped the image from left to right, and then added the drop shadow back in.  Just as before, I uploaded the image onto the product page on Zazzle.  After previewing the shirt front and back, I added it to my cart and checked out.

I have to say that both my son and I were pleased with how the shirt came out.  The drop shadow looks great!  The only part we are disappointed about is that the image on the front is cut off on the right.  About 1/4 of the exclamation point and the drop shadow is missing.  Luckily, his 5-1/2 year old brother will not likely notice and will still love the shirt.

You can customize everything from t-shirts to phone cases to dart boards with Zazzle.  The customization is not limited to text.  You can upload your own artwork or photos just as easily as I uploaded my text design. Through 9/26/12, you can receive 15% off all Zazzle orders when you checkout with Code:  10FALLINSALE or, through 9/30/12, you can receive Free Shipping on orders over $50 when you use Code: FREESHIPFORU.

What would your inside joke t-shirt say?


Thank you to Zazzle for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Review: Dapper Snappers Toddler Belt

Dapper Snappers are ideal for infants and toddlers from ages 9mos to 5 or 6 yrs old who are built like my children . . . a little on the skinny side with no butt. The boys in our family are particularly prone to this, therefore their pants are always too short by the time they grow into the waist. I think they inherited this from their Dad. I wonder if they make Dapper Snappers for men?

What I thought about Dapper Snappers as a parent:

1) It is unfortunate that not all brands of children's clothing offer pants with adjustable waists and the ones that do often do not offer them for sizes smaller than 24mos or 2T. Dapper Snappers are a simple solution to this common problem. This is a much preferred alternative to folding down the elastic waste on a pair of pants.

2) My 2.5yr old son is at the age when he is starting to potty training. I like that Dapper Snappers allow you to hold up your child's bottoms without hindering their independence when it comes to removing their pants like many other toddler belts do.

3) I like that there is not a strangulation hazard with Dapper Snappers.

4) I do think that with thick stiff denim bottoms, the fabric can get a little bulky. Even though I thought it may cause discomfort for my son, it actually did not seem to bother him at all. For naps, I would take his pants off altogether if we are using one of these belts.

5) The elastics are thick and strong. I have no worries about Dapper Snappers losing its elasticity or fraying.


Overall, I am extremely pleased with this product. If you have both a boy and a girl like me, I suggest buying gender-neutral colors so that they can be worn by both. You can find Dapper Snappers online at ToddlerTechUSA.com or at these local Dapper Snappers retailers.

To mark their one year anniversary, Dapper Snappers will be offering a Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotion starting on June 28th through July 4th. Also 20% of the sales from that week will go to the charitable organization Reece's Rainbow.


Thank you to Toddler Tech USA for providing us with a review product free of charge.