The last day of January, the girls and I started combing through their closets to pull out any Valentine-themed clothing. We set aside all the pink and red dresses, skirts and pants we could find for this most romantic month. The next morning when the children got dressed for school, I overheard 5-year-old Emma telling 10-year-old brother Christian, "Remember, Mommy says that it's February, so we should start wearing all our Valentine clothes." Christian looked at her in shock and said sternly, "I do not wear Valentine's clothes!"
Although I am not likely to get my 7th- and 4th-grade boys into any hearts this season, it has been a lot of fun putting a little love into some tees for the girls to wear for Valentine's Day. Over the weekend I appliqued several t-shirts for Mary Ashley and Emma, like the red tees pictured above.
And do you want to know a secret?
This was such a budget-friendly way to create a holiday outfit. I found the long-sleeve tees on clearance at Target and used this free embroidery design from Planet Applique for the heart patch. The original design features concentric hearts, but I varied the design by only using the outer heart and adding a monogram to the center. Then I experimented with a technique for creating a shabby fringe. I layered three squares of fabric for my design and completed the embroidery before cutting the fabric around the heart. I left about 3/8" of fabric all around the heart, then used small scissors to cut slits in this fabric border. This creates a ruffled effect, which I imagine will look even better after the shirts are washed and the fabric edges begin to fray a bit.
Paired with skirts we already had, the girls have cute new Valentine outfits for less than $5 each -- a great deal for those of us who are not afraid to wear our hearts on our sleeve (or tees) this month. I have a few more cute designs to share, so hope to post those soon.
If you haven't entered the giveaway for a Valentine party package from my sister's new Etsy shop, be sure to visit this post. We will announce The Polka Dot Party winner tomorrow!
