My friend Deb is due to have a baby next month. It’s her first; she will be a rookie mom.
Since the gender of the baby is a surprise, shopping was more challenging than I had imagined. I settled on a Bumbo Baby Seat because I think it’s a clever invention, and because I appreciate that it is not hideously decorated with bunnies or neon colored fish.
I also wanted to add a handmade item to the gift because Deb is an exceptionally creative person and she believes that I am, too. I don’t want to let her down.
I have been reading online about freezer paper stenciling for quite sometime, but cutting an ornate pattern with an exacto knife seems daunting. Genius struck at 9 pm the night before the baby shower, however, and I realized that I don’t have to cut things out myself when I have craft punches.
I grabbed a circle punch and punched two, then three, then four circles out of some freezer paper. Placed the freezer paper onto the shirts, ironed, and painted. My design is simple, gender-neutral, and modern. I think Deb liked them and I heard someone in the shower crowd ask if they were from J. Crew. I’ll take that as a compliment.
The circle punch above is from Martha Stewart and is about $6 on Amazon. It’s my favorite toy.
















{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
this is awesome! i’m going out to buy some freezer paper and fabric paint today!
This is a great DIY gift. Love the dots.
I have been adorning onesies for years as baby gifts as well. More easy ideas:
1. Use pre-made stencils from Dover books. They sell animal and sealife stencil books for $1. I usually make a set of 3 w/ different animals on each.
2. Personalize. I write the baby name on the computer using a graphics program and print it out using transfer paper and iron on.
Over the years I have learned it is fun to put the name or design on back of shirt for babies since babies are more often seen and photographed from the back before they learn to sit up!!
I love this project, Whitney! So cute and non-cheesy.
So clever! And brilliant, might I add. I’m about to try freezer paper stenciling this week, we’ll see how it goes. I’m going the exacto knife route. It could be disasterous.
And the Bumbo– we LOVE it. Perfect high chair on-the-go for our little guy who spends his days at the homes of various family members.
Love this idea! I wonder how my/the Cricut cutter would handle cutting freezer paper. That could allow for some really great designs!
I love the design. I think I will do this on some tshirts for my girls.
Holy granola, those came out absolutely AWESOME. Can I steal yer idea? Beautiful work and what a brainstorm for a baby shower gift.
Mel at shareholidays