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.

1. Trash Bag Witch

This “no-sew” witch costume comes from none other than the domestic queen herself–Martha Stewart. All you need is a bunch of black draw-string trash bags, some masking tape, and a pair of scissors. Nine simple steps later and you’re sporting your own homemade, inexpensive witch costume!

2. Kermit the Frog

Not every halloween costume needs to be an over-the-top, head-to-toe affair. This simple and clever Kermit the Frog costume is the perfect example. A little felt goes a long way when transforming yourself into the world’s most recognizable Muppet! Check out the post at Radmegan for full instructions on how she made this costume.

3. Bunch of Grapes

A couple of dozen green or purple balloons and a coordinating shirt make for a very quick and convincing bunch of grapes! Check out Glamour’s post for this and several more cheap and easy costume ideas.

4. Cactus

Flickr user, Daniel Bloomfield, came up with this fantastic DIY cactus costume. All you need is a green sweatsuit, some white pipe-cleaners bent into three points and a hot-glue gun. Raise your forearms at a 90 degree angle and there you have it!

5. Dirty Laundry

If you’ve got an old, laundry basket on-hand that you no longer use, this is a perfect zero-cost option this Halloween! Cut the bottom out of the basket so that you can wear it around your waist, then fill it and cover yourself with clothes! Don’t worry, you don’t have to use actually dirty clothes to pull off this costume! This idea comes courtesy of Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth, TX. Check out their Halloween page for more easy costume ideas.

6. Bat

Umbrellas are cheap! Well, at the least the crummy ones at the dollar store. Luckily, that’s all you’ll need to make this cool bat costume’s wings and ears! Evil Mad Scientist has the full write-up on how to construct this costume.

7. LEGO Block

It doesn’t get much simpler than this LEGO block costume from So Crafty. All you need is a cardboard box (with holes for your head and limbs), some paint, and a dozen (or less) plastic cups.

8. Banksy Street Painting

Now, this idea is one of the more clever ones that I’ve seen. Flickr user, George Schnakenberg, transformed himself into the “Flower Thrower” painting by famous street artist, Banksy. This one is a little more elaborate, but the materials you need are readily accessible.

9. Character from “The Sims”

If you’re familiar with video games, you’re probably aware of The Sims––a game in which you control and manage the normal, everyday lives of characters simply known as “Sims.” In the game, the character you’re currently controlling has a green, 12-sided gem floated overhead. A friend of reddit user, kokvlad, created her own such gem out of paper the suspended it over her head. Clever!

10. Roller Coaster Car

This one is definitely one of my favorites! Treehugger shares a great costume that gives the illusion of a couple sitting in a roller coaster car, but still has the freedom to walk around! A painted cardboard box, a metal rod, and some extra pants and shoes go a long way in selling the effect.

There you have it! Ten last-minute Halloween costumes well within the budget of almost everyone. There are thousands of more ideas to be found on the Internet, but these are some of our favorites.

Our designer can help you make your creative custom idea come to life this Halloween because a great Halloween can start with a costume made from a t-shirt.

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When it came time to celebrate his 6th birthday, it was an obvious decision to base his party around his current obsession. He had an Angry Birds cake, plates and, of course, he wore his Angry Birds T-shirt. The coolest thing, however, had to be the human-sized slingshot built by my brother-in-law. My sister painted different-colored rubber balls to look like the different birds and everyone took turns launching them at a tall stack of cardboard boxes. It was just like the game, but in real life! The kids had an absolute blast, but all the adults eventually found themselves wanting to try it, too.

I found myself asking, “Why do kids get to have all the fun?” As grown-ups, we all have things we enjoy, just like my nephew. Sure, it may be silly for an adult to have an Angry Birds party, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun themed birthday parties of our own. Here are a handful of cool ideas for themed birthday parties that were created especially for the “big kids.”

1. Mad Men Party

Mad Men ran from 2007 to 2015, and it’s still one of the hippest shows on television after over 90 episodes across seven seasons. A winner of four Primetime Emmy Awards for outstanding drama series, Mad Men is an authentic interpretation of 1960s America. Not only is the visual style and art direction spot-on, the series also provides an accurate look at social issues of the time. Mad Men is already one of those shows that naturally draws people together to watch as a group, and with the distinct look of the 1960s, it’s the perfect inspiration for a themed party.

Anna Moseley, from AskAnna, has a great, photo-heavy post detailing the Mad Men birthday party that she put together. She started with some classy martini-themed invitations in the mandatory red, black and white Mad Men color palette. She requested guests attend in appropriate attire for the show’s 1960s time period, of course. Next, she made sure to have plenty of 1960s-era props and furniture, including some vintage print advertisements reminiscent of Don Draper’s best campaigns. Finally, it wouldn’t be a Mad Men party without some adult beverages that would fit right in at Roger Sterling’s minibar. Check out her full post for a more thorough breakdown of her party, including lots of fun pictures.
Remember your celebration with a vintage birthday T-shirt that has the elegant style of the era, all with a casual look for modern life.

2. ’80s Party

Regardless of whether you were actually around to experience them, the 1980s have become known for their apparent excess. Fashion was full of bright, neon colors, crazy animal patterns and spandex. Hairstyles were defined by large bangs and lots of hairspray. Video games became mainstream, both at the arcade and at home. All of these things and more make the 1980s prime themed-party material.

Jennifer Sbranti, editor-in-chief of the Hostess with the Mostess Blog, has a fantastic write-up on a bodacious ’80s party planned by Alanna Andes Events + Parties + Design. The party invitations alone, which are made to look like a game cartridge for the original Nintendo Entertainment System, bring to mind a charming sense of nostalgia. Decoration ideas include old audio cassettes, VHS tapes, animal-print banners and classic ’80s toys like Slinky and Jenga. Finally, the photo booth with its totally radical props – including a denim vest, neon Wayfarers and paper speech bubbles – will entertain your guests indefinitely.
Give everyone a commemorative party favor with this retro awesome birthday tee.

3. Ballpark Dinner Party

I’ve found that even if you’re not a big fan of the sport, going to the ballpark for a baseball game is still fun. There’s just something about the energy and overall atmosphere of a baseball game that feels comfortable, familiar and gosh darn it, American.

Kate over at Studio Lime Design has a wonderful post about her recent baseball-themed dinner party. For decorations, she used a patriotic red, white and blue color scheme with lots of stars and stripes. Invitations and labels also followed this pattern and were heavily influenced by the fonts and design of a box of Cracker Jack. Being a dinner party, the food was the main attraction. Classic ballpark snacks like nachos, soft pretzels and Baby Ruth’s were served, along with a “build-your-own-dog” bar where you could load up your hot dog with a variety of fixings. For dessert, guests can enjoy some vanilla ice cream served in a mini batter’s helmet. Oh, and don’t forget the ice-cold beer!

That iconic beverage fits right in with the Cheers and Beers birthday shirt. Make it look sportier with our Names and Numbers feature.

4. Game of Thrones Dinner Party

“Game of Thrones” is the popular HBO fantasy series based on the book series, “A Song of Ice and Fire,” by J.R.R. Martin. While the story is set in a medieval land called Westeros and features mystical creatures like dragons and undead “white walkers,” the show deals with a number of modern issues and is heavy on political intrigue.

Originally for binge-watching with friends, the feast from Spruce Eats is terrific for a birthday party. Start with the meat-filled Hot Pie’s pasty. Then, you can go all-in with every entrée on the list or focus on specific ones for the person you’re celebrating. From roast chicken to Arya’s meat pies, there’s something for anyone on the menu. Enjoy cherry pie for dessert and themed alcoholic drinks too.

Does the birthday girl love the wilderness in Game of Thrones? Look at camp shirts as a base for a birthday tee. Is the special guy all about the North? Winter tees could be what you need. Try out our AI text-to-image tool for more unique designs.

5. How I Met Your Mother Party

Finally, we have what might be my favorite party theme in our round-up. In fact, some may even describe it as “legen…wait for it…dary.” One of my favorite television sitcoms is “How I Met Your Mother,” and Elissa Stone of One Stone Events has put together a truly epic party based on the hit show.

Only die-hard fans of HIMYM will appreciate the details of this party, as every single aspect is a reference to many recurring themes and jokes on the show. Yellow drink umbrellas, red cowboy boot cookies, “best hamburger in New York” cupcakes, an “Intervention” banner and even a live goat are just a sampling of the clever touches that only a dedicated viewer would understand. If you’re a fan of the show, this post is worth checking out – if only to quiz yourself on all the witty references. Now, put your favorite Robin Sparkles cassette in the boombox and break out the laser tag gear, because it’s party time!

Think playful for a custom birthday T-shirt at this party. A Kiss Me design is on point for Barney fans, for example. Check out other birthday shirt ideas to find even more inspiration.

See? Adults can have fun parties, too! This is just a handful of ideas for fun, themed parties for adults. The possibilities are endless! Have you thrown any unique parties for adults? Tell us about them in the comments.

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It’s that time of year again: Graduation time. An exciting event for every high school senior and college student, and a reminder for the rest of us of just how old we really are. When it comes to graduation gifts, the go-to idea is usually cash. But that tends to come across as less thoughtful and you can’t always expect a new graduate to spend it responsibly. Why not try giving your favorite graduate something made with love that they’ll actually use? Check out our list of nine cool DIY graduation gift ideas.

1. Tile Photo Coasters

If you’ve ever lived in a dorm room, you know that space is hard to come by. That means there’s not much room for a bunch of photo frames featuring someone’s friends and family. Why not give your graduate some memorable photos that serve an additional purpose? These stylish DIY Photo Tile Coasters are the perfect answer! There’s no better feeling than when you’re cramming for that mid-term history exam, and then you lift that fifth mug of coffee to see your best friend smiling back at you as if saying: “I know studying sucks, but our Spring Break trip will make up for it. I promise!”

2. Money Soap

Patience is a virtue every graduate should learn, and so is good hygiene! What better motivation is there to stay clean and smell fresh than some cold, hard cash? None that we know about. This clever DIY Money Soap gift will keep your graduate bathing daily, or at least until they finally make it to that tightly-rolled bill in the center. Who knows? That just might be their next tank of gas to come home for a visit.

3. Laptop Sleeve

A recent article explained 10 different ways that laptops have helped students find success in the classroom. Laptops can be expensive and fragile – especially if you get one of those branded with that famous once-bitten fruit. Help your graduate protect their investment that got them through their education with this cool handmade laptop sleeve. You can even make one suitable for a tablet or e-book reader as well for a tech-savvy former student. High school graduates will get plenty of use out of it too.

4. Instagram Journal

The popular photo-sharing smartphone app, Instagram, has over 100 million monthly active users and over 40 million photos per day. So, there’s a pretty good chance your graduate has an Instagram profile (or another social media profile you can repurpose for this DIY project). Check out this tutorial to customize an ordinary journal or notebook with a collage of your graduate’s favorite Instagram photos.

5. Customized Etched Glasses

When sharing a tiny dorm room with another person, it’s important to define what stuff belongs to whom. This is especially true of dishes. Nothing is more annoying than washing someone else’s dirty dishes. Give your graduate some of these classy, customized etched glasses to get them ready for college. You could add a memorable inside joke or a few words of an inspirational nature on custom can coolers instead. New college students will appreciate knowing whose dishware is whose when it comes time to pack up for the summer.

6. I Heart My State Painting

Home is where the heart is, they say. Quite literally with this gift! “Heartify” your graduate’s hometown and state with this DIY framed painting. This conversation starter is easy and modern and better yet, this décor will remind them of home every day!

7. Survival Kit

Give your grad the gift of preparation. Whip up this snazzy little DIY Survival Kit that travels anywhere. In their glove box, backpack, overnight bag they’ll be sure to have all the pain relievers, Band-Aids and stomach settlers that life could require. No excuses for missing class anymore! Help them make the most of their college education without having to struggle through pain and discomfort. Even when they’re joining the workforce, this kit keeps essentials on hand.

8. Sun Jar

For countless good reasons that we all understand, candles are generally prohibited from dormitories on campus. But even the most austere of accommodations will have a window. Give your high school grad the warm glow of a candle with none of the danger with the DIY Sun Jar. The sun keeps this cool little lamp powered, so there’s no cash spent on batteries. That’s a win-win. Once they’re out of dorms and into their own place, this cute decoration will bring back fond memories too.

9. Floor Cushions

Oh! The places they’ll go! Help your grad show off some impressive hosting skills with a set of comfy, cozy floor cushions. These decorative touches are guaranteed to make any dorm room more inviting (for study groups, naturally). Unsure what fabric to pick? Play it safe and pick up some fabric with your grad’s favorite sports team, color or character.

Which one of these DIY graduation gifts would you have loved to receive when you graduated from high school or college? Let us know in the comments below.

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This Weekend Project video from Make Magazine demonstrates how you can make your own cheap and effective fire starter known as “Char Cloth.” All you’ll need for this project is an Altoids tin, a source of heat, and an old cotton t-shirt. Watch the video below for complete instructions and to see the “Char Cloth” in action!

The post Make Your Own T-Shirt “Char Cloth” for Your Next Camping Trip [Video] appeared first on The BlueCotton Blog.

Batman & Robin

The Big Bang Theory (Sheldon & Leonard)

Breaking Bad (Walter & Jesse)

Back to the Future (Doc Brown & Marty McFly)

Entourage


Ghostbusters

Lost (Hurley & Ben)

Terminator 2 (T-1000 & John Connor)

Wayne’s World (Wayne & Garth)

Star Wars (Han Solo & Chewbacca)

The post Ten Calvin & Hobbes T-Shirt Mashups [T-Shirt Memes] appeared first on The BlueCotton Blog.

Yesterday, the women-focused entertainment blog, The Frisky, posted a brief piece calling out retailer JC Penny on a shirt targeting young girls. The shirt was printed with the statement, “I’m too pretty to do homework, so my brother has to do it for me.” Jessica Wakeman, the writer at The Frisky responsible for the post, expressed her disdain for the poor message being communicated by the shirt. Only hours later–after the post had been picked up by dozens of other news sites–JC Penny emailed a formal apology to The Frisky and notified the author that the t-shirt was being pulled from their stores and website immediately. You can read the original post here: Kill Me Now, Please: JC Penney’s “I’m Too Pretty To Do Homework” T-Shirt For Girls.

Credit Card Fraud Suspects Tracked-Down Using Logo on T-Shirt

Two New York men suspected of using a stolen credit card were tracked-down by detectives using surveillance footage. A logo on the back of the suspects’ t-shirts led the detectives to the shop where the shirts were printed. Once there, the employees of the shop were able to identify the shirts and where the gentlemen worked. You can read the full story here: APD: T-shirt logo leads detectives to two suspects with stolen credit card.

Hell’s Angels Slap Amazon with Lawsuit for Trademark Infringing T-Shirt

The infamous biker gang known as Hell’s Angels has filed a lawsuit against online retailer Amazon.com for trademark infringement. The shirt features the phrase “My boyfriend is a Hell’s Angel” and a winged symbol reminiscent of the actual Hell’s Angels logo. You can read the full article here: Hells Angels sue Amazon for selling T-shirt.

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By now you might be wondering, what on earth does this historic event have to do with custom-printed t-shirts? Well, to be honest, nothing except that it’s a great excuse to create some dinosaur-themed designs in our BlueCotton design studio! Below are four dino-designs I created. All of them were made using only clip art and text tools native to the design studio–no uploaded images were used. You can click on the images below to open them in our design studio. Check them out and then create your own!

The post Designosaurus Rex: Dinos in the BlueCotton Design Studio appeared first on The BlueCotton Blog.

“The Move” is a yet-to-be-released product that allows you to attach your iPhone 4 or iPod Touch anywhere on your clothing without the use of straps, clips, velcro, or magnets. It’s a concept difficult to describe using words alone, so check out this video from the inventors explaining how the product works and for some really cool examples of how it might be used.

As of now, the product is only a prototype and not available for immediate purchase. However, if this idea is something that intrigues you, check out The Move’s Kickstarter page. There you can get a detailed run-down of The Move’s features/uses and even pledge your own money to fund the project and help bring the product to the mass-market.

The post “The Move” Could Let You Wear Your iPhone or iPod Touch appeared first on The BlueCotton Blog.

Creating your own custom fabric labels to replace the t-shirt manufacturer’s tags can be a great way to further sell your clothing line as a legitimate brand. YouTube user, PBunnieP, has created a very helpful video tutorial of how to create your own fabric labels using only cotton twill tape, iron-on transfer paper, an inkjet printer, and an iron. Check it out below…

You can also check out the full post at her blog, The Bunnie Hole.

The post Brand Your Custom T-Shirts with DIY Fabric Labels [Video] appeared first on The BlueCotton Blog.