Free T-shirts with a Promise & Committment to be Safe & Sober

Best news ever:  One of my daily seminary early morning Bible School students reported seeing someone wearing a Defiance t-shirt at his school, two days after our presentation there!  I asked my student if he talked to him, said anything, or if he would recognize the student again to talk to him about sobriety, and explain he has a matching shirt....?

As part of my grocery budget $ I buy 100% cotton dark t-shirts to bleach through my stencil.  Thanks to my sister Laurajane for cool idea!  Below is a t-shirt gift she made.

Laurajane used nametag sticky rectangles to cut out letters and bleached around.

After spraying bleach--which will continue to bleach and eat away at the fibers, immediately put shirt in sink or bowl with water and a cup of vinegar or lemon juice to stop the bleach chemical reaction.  It will make the t-shirt last longer.  Then wash normally to take away vinegar smell.

When we give the Don't Do Drugs presentation at schools, we have been giving away Defiance t-shirts, either giving them to PTA organizers for door prizes, or my favorite--throwing them out into audience after we speak.

The best source of the t-shirts:  thrift stores.  Goodwill has 1/2 off sales last Saturday of the month, so 6 shirts for $5.00.  My favorite thrift store in Edgewood has 1/2 off certain color tags every day, and I look for solid dark shirts there.  A nice cashier asked what I was doing, so I explained my spiel about Drugs & Defying them, and by the 2nd shopping trip he asked for a finished one and said he would wear it once a week at work to help get the message out, explaining every time someone comments on his shirt what it is all about.  Encouraging sobriety.

Home Decorating note:  Brilliant daughter Roxie positioned this IKEA rug in our hallway lined up with North!  She did get in to the Science & Math Academy, so her dreams of rocket ship building are that much closer. 

Quilt-RRRRRRR T-shirt

Coolest idea for sibling gifts--or FATHER'S DAY T-shirts with good directions if you follow the link. You can use vinyl letters-stickers if you are spelling out words. I used contact paper (wood grained, stuff I had around the house).

Vinegar rinse will also stop the bleaching-- After you sponge on the bleach, rinse in cold water and stick in big bowl of water with 2 cups of white vinegar to stop the bleaching, then stick in washing machine and immediately wash This was a wedding gift. Since the fabric didn't bleach well, I used the contact paper backing and repositioned the letters and used white "So-soft" fabric paint and brushed around the letters. Turned out okay enough to give away and the bride & groom loved them.
You do have to make sure the t-shirt, pillowcase is bleachable. Some fabrics are bleach-proof. Test before you go to the work. Sorry no picture of end product-camera batteries unavailable, but trust me, it turned out great.

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Project I've wanted to do for awhile: bleached out T-shirts. I had seen the idea on the blog link above and suggested the Young Women do it for their camp t-shirts. Cheaper than buying lots of fabric paints!
Think negative space--the exposed areas are going to turn white/pink and the area you protect will stay the same color as original t-shirt.

I've wanted a quilter-pirate t-shirt for awhile. Those are scissors instead of crossed bones at the bottom. This could be my new favorite t-shirt. $5.00 nice dark cobalt one found at walmart. Dark fabrics turn amazing colors with bleach!