Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Card

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I take Christmas cards pretty seriously. I’m actually super nerdy about them. I think about them months in advance- always trying to come up with something extra special. This year got away from me though. I thought it was going to be a wash but then one day as I was looking on Minted, I realized I had forgotten about the idea of a New Year card! Boom! Minted has such a great selection of New Years cards to chose from. I am pretty obsessed with all the foil stamped ones they have. Did any of you get Christmas cards from friends with the foil? We did and they were instantly my favorites. Anyway, we decided to go with one of their Booklette cards. We have so many friends and family members scattered across the country and Canada, we figured it was a great way to catch everyone up to speed really quick on our year. The quality of the cards can’t be beat (love the gold staples they used in the binding)! I am pretty smitten with how they came out! Plus! Don’t get me started on how excited I am that all the envelopes came addressed already!

If you didn’t get around to getting out a Christmas card- try sending a New Year card instead!! Best part about it? I would say any time in January is still an appropriate time to send one out! No rush needed. If you are interested in winning a $300 gift certificate to use on New Year cards from Minted, head over to Instagram and tag your favorite photo you posted this past year with #newyearswithminted to be entered. One person will be randomly selected from entries.

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Here are a few more photos from our photoshoot for the card…

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*This post was sponsored by Minted.

Screen Printed Family T-Shirts (with Freezer Paper)

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Alright! You guys asked for it. Here’s a tutorial on how I made our family t-shirts. If you follow me on instagram you know I made everyone a shirt for Kev’s birthday back in October. We surprised him that day and when he came home from work we all had our shirts on. Kev and I have always loved screen printing. When were dating we use to screen print shirts and sell them at art markets in the area. Then we bought a 4 color screen printing press. When we moved to Hawaii, Kev had big dreams of starting a t-shirt company with his designs. It still to this day is something we talk about from time to time.

When I made these shirts I was running a bit short on time. I did the cheat version of screen printing and instead of using real screens used freezer paper. Which is awesome for you guys though because that means pretty much anyone can make these shirts!! They are so super easy.

You Need:

1. A printer (or a staples near by)
2. Freezer paper
3. X-acto knife
4. Masking tape
5. Iron
6. Water based screen printing ink. Craft paint works good too- it will just be pretty stiff whenever you wash it. An iron will help soften it before you wear it. So if craft paint is all you have then go for it. Rowan’s and Finley’s shirts are made with craft paint. We love Martha Stewart brand craft paints. Such pretty colors.

Step 1:

In photoshop or a word document type out all your names. I chose to use DAD, MOM, ROWAN, FINLEY. Layout it out how you want it printed on the shirt. I decided to change each one slightly to have that person’s name on top. Print out in a variety of sizes to see which one will be the best fit for your shirts.

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Step 2:

With your print out taped to a cutting mat, place a sheet of freezer paper over top (shiny side down). You will be able to see the words from the print out through the freezer paper. Tape down freezer paper so it doesn’t move while you cut. You can use a ruler if you want or you can just free hand cut out each letter. Be very careful to only cut where the letters are. You are creating a stencil for your shirt.

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Step 3:

When everything is cut out. Take the stencil (and with the shiny side down) iron it onto your shirt. Make sure to line it up as best you can so that it’s straight on the shirt. Press down hard on all small thin lines between the letters to make sure they are attached well. You don’t want paint getting under there.

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Step 4:

Time to paint. You can do a few things here… With the craft paint, I used a sponge brush to lightly paint and “dab” the paint. This isn’t fool proof so you kind of have to roll with the punches here. The freezer paper works really great but it isn’t perfect. Sometimes paint will get under the edges a little. Just be gently as you paint along the edges. If you are using screen printing ink, you can use a palette knife like a little squeegee and spread the ink across the stencil. This way worked really well for me on my shirt.

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Step 5:

The craft paint might need a few coats. Depends on what color paint and what color shirt. Make sure to let each coat dry before you apply another one. Be sure to add in thin, even coats. I got a little a head of myself with Rowan’s gold accent color. I globbed it on so it would cover better. It has been flaking off in the wash now because it was too thick. If you want to add a second color or patterns to the letters (like Finley’s, Rowan’s & Kev’s shirt) make sure you do this before you pull off the stencil. When all is said and done you can pull the paper off and marvel at your finish product.

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Step 6:

Then have a ridiculous family photo shoot in all your finished t-shirts.

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Step 7:

It’s probably time to stop taking pictures when someone in the family looks like this…

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An impromptu Family Picture

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If you follow me on instagram you probably saw all my pictures of the craft class I taught last weekend. My sweet friend Amy opened up one of the coolest shops I have ever seen about a year ago. It’s full of antique vendors, vintage clothes and handmade goods. I seriously could spend hours in there wondering around. Anyway, they have this really cool space to have classes. I taught a felt flower holiday wreath class. It was packed with around 30 ladies. I also had a little pop up shop that day to showcase some of my necklaces. I won’t lie. It was a pretty awesome day!! It was a whole lot of what I love rolled up into one day! Art, teaching, friends, shopping- what’s not to love!

The shop is in a super cool old building and since we were all there together, we decided last minute to try to take a family photo. We are at an age at the moment that if Rowan isn’t in the mood for pictures there is no way you are getting a picture. There was a lot of squirming and wiggling around so they aren’t the best family photos, but it’s a photo of all of us nonetheless. Something that doesn’t happen all that often. I’ll take whatever we can get. Thanks Adam!

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Hi, I'm Jen!

Welcome to my personal lifestyle blog. It features topics such as motherhood, family life, fashion, cooking, and all sorts of adventures. I hope you enjoy what you find!

Jen Loves Kev
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