Star Wars, Buffy, and Other Pop Culture T-Shirts Designed by Independent Artists on Red Bubble!

This post has been written in partnership with the Red Bubble Affiliate Program.  Thank you to Red Bubble for providing a gift code for us to shop for t-shirts designed by independent artists and for providing an additional gift code for our giveaway prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

You know how the story goes . . . boy geek meets girl geek . . . they get married and start their own geeky family.  It's the classic love story, right?  Even though he was a Star Wars fan and she was a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, they were determined to make it work.  She went to midnight showings of Star Wars Episode 1 through Episode 3 with him and he admitted that "Hush" was the best Buffy episode ever.

Despite their differences, they were in love.  I know you must have heard this saying a million times, but it is worth repeating:  "True love means walking proudly down the street with a man dressed like a wookie."

Do you and your significant other each have your own pop culture favorites?  Have you learned to co-exist peacefully in spite of your differences?  Well, my husband and I have!  In fact, we actually helped each other pick out Star Wars and Buffy t-shirts from Red Bubble.

Checkout my tutorial for making your own high-low hem t-shirt here.

Red Bubble offers pop culture t-shirts, hoodies, tech cases, art prints, and more cool items printed with designs created by independent artists.  These artists are so talented and full of so much creativity!  My husband's "Co-Pilot Uniform" Star Wars T-Shirt and my Buffy "Magic Box Advertisment" T-Shirt came with these tags clipped onto them that not only provide the care instructions, but also the name of the design and the link to these particular artists' designs.  My husband and I were extremely pleased with both the artwork and the quality of the shirts.  We will definitely be supporting these artists on Red Bubble again!

To see all that Red Bubble has to offer, visit RedBubble.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway ends on April 28th, 2014 and is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

How to Make Your Own No-Sew High-Low Hem Shirt from a Men's or Unisex T-Shirt

This post has been written in partnership with the Red Bubble Affiliate Program.  Thank you to Red Bubble for providing the Buffy t-shirt, created by an independent artist, for our DIY fashion project.  All opinions expressed are my own.

There are certain silhouettes in tops that I find to be particularly flattering on most body shapes.  The boxy high-low t-shirt is one of them.  It hides any flaws you may have around the middle and still provides coverage in the back for those of us who want to be more modest when wearing leggings or skinny jeans.  Even though the high-low hemline is something that is extremely popular at the moment, it seems to be difficult to find them in casual t-shirts.  I also have trouble finding women's t-shirts with a boxy hip-length cut.  There are so many cute t-shirts out there, but the girly fit is too form-fitting for my taste and the unisex t-shirts are too long.  I often forgo buying printed t-shirts I like because there does not seem to be a shirt style that's a good fit for me. That's why I decided to try making my own hip-length high-low t-shirt out of a unisex t-shirt.  Two birds . . . one stone!

Today's Project:  No-Sew High-Low Hem T-Shirt

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Men's or Unisex T-Shirt (2 sizes up from your normal size)

scissors (sharp enough to cut through fabric easily)

pen, pencil, or chalk
tape measure or a hip-length shirt you already own

Before you begin, be sure to wash your t-shirt to get any shrinking out of the way.  My Red Bubble t-shirt does not recommend machine drying, but I needed to shrink mine, so I put it in the dryer inside out.  I am about 5'5" and purchased a unisex XXL.  The shirt hem hit just above my knees.  After machine washing in cold and tumble drying it, the t-shirt length was 3" to 4" shorter, which was perfect for this project.

Step 1.  With your shirt laying perfectly flat (front facing up), use scissors to make two tiny cuts on either side of the trim around the neckline.  Then insert your scissors into the opening you've made and cut around the neckline of the front of your t-shirt only as close to the trim as possible.

Step 2.  Flip your t-shirt over and lay it perfectly flat on your work space.  Then continue to cut around the band along the neckline on the back of the t-shirt until the entire band has been removed.

Step 3.  Make a tiny cut at the bottom seam of the left sleeve as close to the band as possible.  Then insert your scissors in the opening and remove the band starting at the front by cutting as close to the band as possible.  Then flip the shirt over to continue cutting to remove the entire band.  Then repeat this with the right sleeve.

Step 4.  Repeat Step 3 with the hem of the t-shirt.

Step 5.  With the front of the t-shirt facing out, fold your t-shirt in half vertically.  Be very careful to match up the shoulder seams, underarm seams, and hemline.

Step 6.  Fold a hip-length t-shirt that you already have in half vertically with the front facing out.  Then lay it on top of your project t-shirt and make a small mark on the bottom shirt to note the length of the shirt on top.  You can do this using a pen, pencil, or a thin piece of chalk.  If you don't own a hip-length t-shirt, then you can use a measuring tape to approximate and mark off how high up hip-length would be from the bottom hem.

Step 7.  Lay your project shirt flat with the design facing up.  Then draw a curved line connecting the mark you just made at the middle of the shirt to the bottom right corner of the shirt.  Do the same thing, connecting the center mark with the bottom left corner of the shirt, mirroring the first curved line you drew.

Step 8.  Using scissors, carefully cut along the arc you drew to create a curved hemline on the front of your shirt.

Step 9.  Lay your shirt so that the right side seam is flat on your work space.  Then carefully remove the sharp angle at the bottom of the seam so that the front hem transitions smoothly to the back hem.  Repeat this with the bottom of the left side seam.

Step 10.  Give all your raw edges (neckline, sleeves, and shirt hem) a few good stretches to create a more natural slightly rolled edge.

Now you're all done and should have a comfy and stylish new high-low hem t-shirt!  This was my first time doing this project, but I am pleased with how it turned out.  I will definitely be doing this again and am thrilled that, going forward, I can buy the printed t-shirts that I love without hesitation due to the shirt style.  If you give this easy DIY fashion project a try, let me know how it turns out!


You can find this Magic Box Advertisement t-shirt by independent artist, UtherPendragon, and other Buffy t-shirts at RedBubble.com.

This Mom is Going Back-to-School with Fashions by Gaiam, J.Jill, Steve Madden, and Big Buddha!

Thank you to Gaiam for providing a complimentary product sample to facilitate this fashion article.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Back-to-school time is not just a time for children to start off new.  Moms and dads will likely be meeting teachers and other parents they have never met before.  First impressions are important.  Whatever you need to do to feel confident enough to put your best foot forward, whether it's to make those few gray hairs disappear or to add some new pieces to your fall wardrobe, I highly recommend it.

My own biggest insecurities would be my grays and my less-than-flat mid-section.  Because of the latter, I have found it so easy to fall into wearing the standard mom uniform where I come from, a hoodie and yoga pants, nearly every day.  Although I refuse to sacrifice comfort for fashion, as I did in my younger days, I have made up my mind to add some more style back into my daily life.

This easy-to-wear outfit includes the Wool Blend Draped Sweater by Gaiam, the Pure Jill Short-Sleeve Elliptical Pima Tee from J.Jill, the Side Seam Button Leggings by Steve Madden, the Jbowery Tote by Big Buddha, and lace-up boots by Shoes of Soul.

I have always found it difficult to layer clothing that was loose-fitting enough to hide my belly without looking frumpy, but I think I have discovered the secret.  For the bottom layer, the Elliptical Pima Tee starts off with a tailored neckline and shoulders, but continues to gradually get looser as we approach the hips. I love this tee (and now own it in 3 different colors) because I do not need to purchase two sizes up in order to camouflage my mid-section.

For the top layer, a drape cardigan is the way to go.  There are a variety of such cardigans available, but some look more tailored and elegant than others.  The Gaiam Wool Blend Draped Sweater will take you from day to night.  This merino wool blend jersey cardigan is lightweight, but surprisingly warm.  I had quite a difficult time choosing between the Purple and the Charcoal.

Both these pieces offer such freedom of movement, without the worry of anything hanging the wrong way or becoming untucked.  I love it!!!

I want to also say that this mom could never "go back to school" without a roomy handbag.  I not only love Big Buddha handbags because they usually have a little edge, I also love them because they are almost always faux leather.  This is perfect for fall and winter in New England because I do not have to worry about ruining the leather while carrying this bag in the rain and snow.  It is also big enough to house my winter gloves, as well as the hats and gloves of up to 3 children.

What do you do to prepare yourself for back-to-school as a parent?