Freezer paper halloween shirts and candy totes!!

i have more fun and very inexpensive crafts to do with your kids!! yay!!  this does not have to be limited to halloween, we also did some of these at easter time, and at the fourth of july and they were super cute!  these are diy shirts using freezer paper, paint, an iron, an image from the internet and maybe some spooktacular imagination!!  first of all, i googled free fonts, the other day (i will divulge why at a later date closer to christmas!!  you WILLwant to stay tuned!) anyway, i came upon the site california fonts.  they have some seriously wonderful FREE fonts.  i found some awesome halloween fonts that were actually pictures, so using their fonts, my boys chose a picture they wanted for a halloween shirt.  carson chose a very cute mummy, and cody chose a bat. the shirts we used were just random blank shirts that were in their drawers.  walmart has blank shirts for super cheap, fyi.  anyway, i traced the image on my computer screen (again, no working printer) onto my freezer paper on the paper side, not the smooth plastic side.  i carefully cut it out, and used the negative image (as shown below) and ironed it on, being sure i got the edges of the paper. 

here is an example of the image already ironed on.  the eyes, hair and teeth are ironed on too because i was leaving those the color of the fabric underneath.  i could've painted the whole thing green, then paint over it, but i find the freezer paper will sometimes take up part of what i've painted under it.  make sure you've put a piece of cardboard between the front and back of your shirt, or the acrylic paint might bleed through.  now, you are ready to paint!!

carson was painting a white mummy onto a black shirt, so he had to paint thick.  i think we did a few coats.  let dry...not long, acrylic paint dries really quickly!!  i used a blow dryer on the hottest setting to dry the surface!  cody did a black bat on a white shirt and it was the same for his too, lots of coats so it was a consistent black.  it may feel crusty and inflexible at first, but a couple times through the wash and it will soften up significantly!

the finishing touches...the red eyes on the bat i used the end of a small paint brush dipped in red paint.  the lines for the mummy and the eyes, and the mouth i used a sharpie!  it does not come off in the wash! i just copied the picture! and i messed up a little and just painted over it! yay!  they love their shirts and they are both being what their shirts are depicting!! i'm really excited!!!

       so last year we had some really cute halloween candy collecting buckets that were supposed to be their "permanent" candy collecting buckets....yeah, with boys, nothing is permanent (unless it's marker on the carpet).  so, this year, we made some!  so fun!!  we did it the same way we made the shirts.  the boys got to pick out two pictures they liked that were halloweeny. (carson and i didn't really like any of the frankenstein pictures so we collaborated, each came up with a few and decided which features we like on which franks...)

i also made the tote bags myself from some excess fabric from another project (coming in december or late november).  it is drop cloth canvas from lowe's and super cheap. $5 to be exact (may vary where you live).  i just cut them out and sewed 'em up, stuck some old ribbon on them that was extra (fyi, almost everything i have is left over from another project).  then we got to stenciling with our freezer paper!! i absolutely loved the way they turned out!!  they have pre-made tote bags at michaels, joanns and hobby lobby. make sure you have a coupon before venturing out!

these two are back to back on the same bag

these two are back to back on the same bag

i love this one!!  it's my favorite!! 

i got the letter stencils in the address numbers isle at lowe's.  you have to keep a sharp eye!! i almost missed them!  $3.

as for dressing up, as of right now it goes as follows:

carson: mummy (i finally talked him into it!!)

cody: bat (he wanted to be this last year, i made a costume, then at the last minute changed his mind)

me: the wicked witch of the west (i will have ruby slippers though, for fun)

jonathan: a pumpkin head, maybe (he said that last year and the year before)

i think i will post how i make the costumes here.  again, i have most everything...

with that, i will leave you, so you can make your own super easy shirts or totes, i will be watching harry potter with my kids...and very reluctantly cleaning up my mess....maybe.

cherisse

p.s. coming soon are some fall-flavored cake pops!! i can't wait to share these!

umm...this has nothing to do with this post, but a fantastic read in the spirit of halloween, is the forest of hands and teeth.  creepy and very good.enjoy!