As much as I love the core characters, one particular group of Muppets holds a special place in my heart. Of course I’m talking about one of the greatest rock bands in existence – Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. The band originally had five members: Dr. Teeth (obviously) on keys, Janice on lead guitar, Sgt. Floyd Pepper on bass, Zoot on sax and fan-favorite Animal on drums. Five years later, Lips joined the band to play the trumpet.

Are you familiar with the Muppets’ rock band? If not, you need to watch this segment from the original “Muppet Movie.” It’s a classic moment of energetic music and playful comedy from the band in the Muppets that has delighted fans across generations.

The Muppet band members have played a role in over 10 films, and they have over 60 songs to their name. (UPDATE: In 2022, Disney+ announced that these rockstars will even get their own mini-series in 2023 called The Muppets Mayhem!)

As with any band, there are tons of creative Electric Mayhem T-shirts out there for fans. In celebration of the release of the newest Muppet film, I’ve compiled a collection of eight Muppetational T-shirt designs featuring various combinations of Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem members. Whether it’s a colorful ’70s pattern to call back to the origins of this series or the timeless faded aesthetic of vintage music tees, we’re sure that these Electric Mayhem band shirts have earned wearers plenty of compliments from fellow fans. They may not all still be for sale from their original creators or retailers, but check out these Muppets band tees to enjoy some nostalgia!

If these Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem shirts have you wondering what kind of designs you could make with your own logo or artwork, play around with our online Design Studio to preview your unique custom t-shirts!

The post The Electric Mayhem: 8 Muppetational T-Shirt Designs of the Muppets’ Most Famous Band appeared first on The BlueCotton Blog.

Of course, if you’re here, it’s because you’re stumped on exactly how to care for it. 

How do you wash an embroidered throw? How often should you clean an embroidered blanket? Can you put your embroidered quilt in the washing machine, or should you take it to the dry cleaner? 

The answer depends on a few things: 

• The material of the blanket
• The material used for the embroidery
• Whether the embroidery was hand-stitched or done in a machine

With that said, there are a few general pieces of advice that apply to all embroidered bedding. 

General Maintenance for Embroidered Bedding

Day-to-day maintenance isn’t terribly difficult. Try to avoid eating food on or around your blanket, and occasionally give it a once-over with your vacuum cleaner. If you need to iron your embroidery at any point, make sure you either flip it inside out (if possible) or else try to avoid the iron coming in contact with any needlework. 

You will eventually need to wash your blanket no matter how well you care for it, however. How often you wash it depends mainly on how often you use it. A good rule of thumb is that if you use a blanket daily, wash it weekly; if you use it once a week, wash it once a month, and so on. 

Machine Washing Embroidered Bedding

It’s important to note first and foremost that not all embroidery should be put in the washing machine. When in doubt, check with whoever you bought your blanket or throw from. They should be able to give you cleaning advice.

If you can get confirmation that it’s safe to put your bedding in the washing machine, you’ll want to do the following: 

• Use mild, unscented detergent. You may want to invest in detergent specifically made for delicate fabrics.
• Avoid using bleach, fabric softener, or any other chemicals.
• Set the washer to as gentle of a cycle as possible. Most modern washing machines have a delicate setting. 
• Wash with cold water only, and don’t put any other clothes in the wash with it. 
• If possible, air-dry the bedding on a flat surface, or a clothes rack. If that’s not feasible, tumble dry it on the lowest heat.
• For smaller items, you can purchase a mesh washing bag. 

Hand Washing Embroidered Bedding

Machine washing your embroidered bedding, even if you’re sure it’s safe, always carries an element of risk. The best way to wash embroidered blankets and throws will always be to do it by hand, however time-consuming that may be. To hand-wash your bedding: 

1. Fill a large sink or basin with cold water. If you have a bathtub, you may need to use that for more oversized items. 
2. Add some mild detergent to the water. Use your best judgment to figure out how much to add.
3. Place the item you want to wash into the water, and gently move the water around to work up a lather. 
4. Leave the item submerged for at least thirty minutes. 
5. Rinse with cool water.
6. Gently press some of the water out of the item, then allow it to air dry. 

Stain Removal for Embroidered Bedding

If despite your best efforts, your embroidered bedding ends up with a stain on it, the following general advice about stain removal from embroidery applies: 

• Deal with the stain immediately. Don’t give it a chance to soak in. 
• Avoid scrubbing the fabric. Gently dab with a clean cloth. 
• Depending on the type of stain, you might use baking soda, lemon juice, or vinegar to remove it. 
• Steam cleaning is also a possibility, though a risky one. 

Curious about BlueCotton’s own custom-embroidered blankets? You can find them here.

The post How to Protect, Maintain, and Wash Your Custom Embroidered Blankets and Throws appeared first on The BlueCotton Blog.

How the times have changed.

As reported by Business Insider, video games now represent a multibillion-dollar industry. Through the efforts of shows like “The Big Bang Theory” and celebrities like Wil Wheaton, tabletop games have experienced a renaissance, with the board game market hitting $12  billion in 2018. 

Basically, it’s now cool to be a nerd. That’s why today, we’re going to showcase a few of our favorite nerdy T-shirt designs. See if there’s one that accurately represents your unique brand of nerddom, or create your own in our design studio. 

1. It Might Not Be Baby Yoda, But Its The Next Best Thing

Plus, we’ve always been suckers for a good pun. 

1. Usually The Case

But not always. We’re pretty sure series like Harry Potter and Doctor Who aren’t based on true stories. At least we hope they aren’t. 

1. A Good Way To Look At Aging 

But does reaching old age mean you’re over-leveled? 

1. A Frightfully True Statement 

And if you make the dungeon master made, you’d best hope you have a spare character sheet on hand. 

1. It’s Not A Hobby. It’s A Lifestyle 

League of Legends is the most popular eSport in the world. And for some people, it’s far more than just a game.  

1. A Critical Requirement Of Med School

And really, any high-pressure profession of that nature. 

1. For All The Introverts In The Audience

Though the number of games you can pause is shrinking rapidly, so this one might be a bit dated.

1. It’s Not Foul Language, Trust Us 

It’s just a cute science pun. Really. It’s not meant to remind you of anything. 

1. Not So Surprising We Chose This One 

Again, we like puns. We’re not going to apologize for that. 

1. But What Number Does That Represent? 

Any mathematicians in the audience want to fill us in on this one? 

1. Who Says Nerds Can’t Hit The Gym?  

They’re already pretty good at grinding. Might as well translate that to real life, right? 

1. We’ve All Done It 

Those herbs aren’t going to gather themselves, after all. 

1. A Unique Angle 

The Moose might be objectively one of the most terrifying animals in the world, but this is a pretty cool pun. 

1. The Kind Of Equation We Can Really Get Behind

….And now we’re hungry. 

1. A Double Dose Of References

It’s probably happened before, too. 

Here’s hoping you saw something you liked! Or at least something that inspired you enough to create some nerdy designs of your own. 

The post 15 Nerdy T-Shirts For Showing Off Your Passions appeared first on The BlueCotton Blog.

Here at Blue Cotton, we think that clothes can be more than just something you wear; they can be inspiring, especially when they have an inspirational quote right on them! Great quotes can get you inspired about the future, your vision, your goals, and how you’re going to accomplish them. There are so many inspiring people here today, we thought we’d recognize them with their very own shirt design.

“Can’t is just a lie scared people try to sell us dreamers.” — Robin Sharma, @RobinSharma

Robin is a #1 bestselling author whose books have sold more than 15 million copies. Most recently he wrote The Leader Who Had No Title. He is also the founder of The Titan Academy and a well-known humanitarian.

“One of the most important things we can do is help students realize their BRILLIANCE.” — Angela Maiers, @AngelaMaiers

Angela is a speaker, author, educator, and the founder Choose2Matter, a grass-roots social movement and a community of engaged changemakers transforming the way we lead, learn, and live. She is focused on driving the conversation on 21st century leadership, innovation, & digital media.

“No matter what, we always have the power to choose hope over despair, engagement over apathy, kindness over indifference, love over hate.” — Cory Booker, @CoryBooker

Cory is an American politician and the junior United States Senator from New Jersey, in office since 2013. Previously he served as mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013

“Defining a clear vision will enable your team to get behind you and help your company thrive.” — Dorie Clark, @dorieclark

Dorie Clark is a marketing and strategy consultant and frequent contributor to the HarvardBusiness Review, Entrepreneur and Forbes. She consults and speaks to a diverse range of clients, including Google, the World Bank, Microsoft and Morgan Stanley. She is also an adjunct professor of business administration at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

“If we consistently exceed the expectations of employees, they will consistently exceed the expectations of our customers.” — Shep Hyken, @Hyken

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, keynote speaker, and NYT bestselling author who works with companies and organizations who want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees.

“Leadership is about going somewhere. How do you know where you’re going if you don’t have a vision?” — Jesse Lyn Stoner, @JesseLynStoner

Jesse Lyn Stoner, founder of Seapoint Center, works closely with leaders helping them create collaborative, engaged organizations that make a powerful and positive impact on the world.

“Dream big. Pray hard. Love well.” — Tristan Bishop, @KnowledgeBishop

Tristan is the Senior Director of Social Media Marketing at Informatica, a data integration company. He loves connecting with folks and spurring one another on.

“Develop a reputation as a person who helps others and gets things done.” — Dan Rockwell, @Leadershipfreak

Dan is an AMA Top 30 Leader, INC Top 50 Leadership Expert, and Top 100 Leadership Speaker. He is also the author of the #1 most socially-shared leadership blogs of 2012, 2013, 2014, and #2 in 2015.

“Of all the choices you make each day none is more important than the choice of a positive attitude.” — Steve Keating, @LeadToday

Steve has over 30 years of sales and sales management experience and he speaks dozens of times a year on topics relating to sales, customer service, management, team building, leadership and business management.

“Do not allow your fear to feed on itself.” — Lolly Daskal, @LollyDaskal

Lolly Daskal is the founder of Lead from Within: a successful leadership firm that offers custom made programs in leadership and organizational development. She is recognized as a Top Thought Leader In Business.

“Great leadership exists at the intersection of humble words and bold actions.” — Mike Myatt, @mikemyatt

Mike Myatt is a leadership advisor to Fortune 500 CEOs and their Boards of Directors. Widely regarded as America’s Top CEO Coach, he is the bestselling author of Hacking Leadership (Wiley) and Leadership Matters… (2007), a Forbes leadership columnist, is a member of the board of directors at the Gordian Institute, and is the Founder and Chairman at N2Growth.

“What you see depends on what you’re looking for.” — Petteri Tarkkonen, @ptarkkonen

Since 1990, Peter has served as Managing Director, CEO, and President of Finn-ID Oy. He is an accomplished and passionate senior executive with a finely-tuned perspective of the corporate culture and a solid history of leadership, business development, and achievement with high tech business units in Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

“The more talented the team, the better the individual performance.” — David Burkus, @davidburkus

David is a best-selling author, award-winning podcaster, and associate professor of management at Oral Roberts University.

For more inspiration, check out 10 #MondayMotivation Quotes To Start Your Week.

The post 13 Inspirational Quotes From Top Business, Technology, & Thought Leaders appeared first on The BlueCotton Blog.

You’d have to live under a rock to be unaware of the “Keep Calm and Carry On” trend that’s been circling the globe. The British motto is ubiquitous, appearing on mugs, doormats, baby clothes and all sorts of various products.

Do you know where this saying originated?

According to Wikipedia: “The (Keep Calm) poster was initially produced by the (British) Ministry of Information at the beginning of the Second World War. It was intended to be distributed in order to strengthen morale in the event of a wartime disaster. Over 2,500,000 copies were printed, although the poster was distributed only in limited numbers.” In fact, only a handful still exist outside of the government archives.

The Keep Calm and Carry On poster was “rediscovered” in 2000, and since the Crown Copyright expired after 50 years, the Keep Calm logo is now in the public domain.

BlueCotton took its very first “Keep Calm” order in 2010, and the trend has gradually picked up steam. It is hard to walk past our printers without seeing one ready to ship daily. It is a perfectly simple and versatile design style. Just remove Carry On and replace it with anything you desire. For inspiration, look at 15 custom t-shirt designs that our customers have created below.

1. Volley On

This fun tee works for any sport team.

2. Teach On

Reward teachers with this Keep Calm shirt design.

3. Play Sax

Make school band T-shirts with our clipart.

4. Fight On

Fight against breast cancer with a Relay for Life shirt.

5. Phyllis On

Celebrate someone with this customized T-shirt.

6. March On

Marching band tees bring everyone together.

7. Lawyer Up

Market your firm or teach civil rights with a playful air.

8. Chant Hare Krishna

Made for the Hindu mantra, this spiritual Keep Calm shirt inspires people.

9. Sparkle

This custom tee design is great for color guard, dance and cheer.

10. Rush Phi Lamb

Enjoy Rush Week with your chapter.

11. Go Greek

Greek community culture deserves to be celebrated anytime.

12. Stay Fresh

Whether you’re being cool or sassy, show it off with this Keep Calm tee design.

13. Play Flute

The iconic Keep Calm crown puts a twist on the earlier sax shirt.

14. Ballet On

Ballerinas work hard, so keep their spirits up.

15. Glam On

Cheer on the ladies in a Battle of the Sexes game.

The post Keep Calm T-shirts: They Do Carry On appeared first on The BlueCotton Blog.

One of my favorite job duties here at BlueCotton is getting to know our customers. I just watched a documentary called Vanishing of the Bees (narrated by the lovely Ellen Page), when I saw Lexington Bee Company’s t-shirt order fly across my screen.

How did you get into beekeeping?

My interest in beekeeping began when I was in college at the University of Georgia. I took an entomology class and became fascinated by the study of bees. I started volunteering at the UGA bee farm and reading books to learn how to keep bees. After that I built my own hives and what started out as a hobby during college, grew into a lifelong passion.

What do you find the most fascinating thing about bees?

A third of the food we eat depends on bees for pollination. Without honey bees, the fruits, the vegetables, and the flowers that depend on them would disappear. Not only are bees responsible for pollinating the plants that produce the food we eat, but they are also the only insect that produces food consumed by humans. Albert Einstein once said that, “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.”

If you had 30 seconds on all major networks, what would you say about bees/beekeeping?

Support your local beekeeper. Not only does eating local honey support a more environmentally friendly agricultural model, it’s also better for you. Honey is a collection of simple carbohydrates and an assortment of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids. Processed honey sold in grocery stores loses many of its subtle flavors and nutritional values when it is filtered for clarity and superheated to extend its shelf life. At Lexington Bee Company, all of our honey is 100% pure, raw, unheated, and unfiltered. We harvest our honey with minimal straining to preserve all the natural enzymes, pollen, and floral essences the honeybees put into it for the highest quality flavor.

What’s your favorite kind of honey? Can you tell us a little bit about different kinds of honey (from trees/flowers/etc)?

The flavor in honey is the result of the pollen and nectar gathered in a certain locale during a certain season, which can lead to delicious results. Depending on what flowers and trees are in bloom determines what the honey will taste like. One of the most flavorful honeys is Sourwood honey, which is produced in the mountains of North Georgia and Western Carolina during the months of June and July. Sourwood honey is extra-light to an amber color and extremely aromatic with a distinctively rich honey flavor.

What’s your favorite bee/beeswax/honey product?

The appearance of honey in grocery stores has increased exponentially in the past few years. From chips to candy to sauces, honey is adding flavor to a variety of food products. Acting as a natural sweetener, honey is a healthy substitute for refined sugars. So, given the delicious flavor and added health benefits, any food containing honey is my favorite honey product.

If you would like to be featured on our blog and answer a few questions about your organization, business, club or team – please contact leann@bluecotton.com.

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According to Wikipedia, “Stories persist that the episode was seen by so many people that, during the commercial breaks of the episode, the New York City Sanitation/Public Works Department reported that the plumbing systems had broken down in some parts of the city.”

M*A*S*H won a total of 14 Emmy’s during its eleven-year run, and it’s influence on pop culture endures today. Though the show ended twenty-eight years ago on February 28th, 1983, references to M*A*S*H are found in That 70s Show, Family Guy, Futurama, The Simpsons and Scrubs. The M*A*S*H logo spoof continues to be a popular t-shirt design for military-themed sorority and fraternity parties, birthday parties and other military themed events.

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