Some new Wordans custom t-shirts! :)

It has been one busy week.

We have been receiving many fantastic designs from new Wordans designers! Thank you so much for sending in your great designs and for keeping us busy :) We appreciate it!

Our FREE SHIPPING to Canada promotion is still continuing, so if you're thinking about picking up some custom t-shirts, now is the time to buy. This promotion does not have a minimum order number, so whether you're in the mood for one custom t-shirt or 20, we'll send them to you for free!

We had a professional photographer stop by the other day to take some pictures of our staff/some local designers wearing Wordans custom t-shirts. I thought you all might want to see the new pictures from us at Wordans. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks for your continued support. Have a great weekend! :)

-Katie

Why don't American Apparel models smile?

They're wearing high quality t-shirts, they're making money from wearing high quality t-shirts... how come they just don't SMILE?

Okay, so perhaps they're told not to smile and this is some sort of campaigning idea from the gang at American Apparel, but I was looking through some different t-shirts (to see styles and such) and that thought just hit me that no one was smiling and I thought I'd share it with everyone. It is Friday, after all.

American Apparel clothing is actually a great subject to talk about for a bit today. American Apparel has a variety of diferent kinds of fabrics and cottons that they use, but what I found interesting (and great!) is that they have a line of custom t-shirts made from 100% organic cotton. I've been on an environmentally friendly kick these days -- I'm desperately trying to be a better "green" person and not make this problem worse. It's good to know that American Apparel (our clothing supplier here at Wordans) isn't making things worse for the environment either.

The models may never smile (Wordans models love to smile!), but American Apparel customers can feel happy that all of the custom t-shirts American Apparel makes are produced in Los Angeles, United States. Homegrown happy custom t-shirts... there's nothing better than that.

Maybe it's our great t-shirt designs that make our models SMILE and laugh :)

Have a great weekend!
-Katie

PS: I'll get over the not smiling as this company really does a great job and we're happy to be using their products.

PPS: Want to know more about Wordans custom t-shirts? Check out our website by clicking here.

T-shirt a cause... or a non-cause...

I don't know who is more insane -- celebrities or fans like you and me?

Custom t-shirts can be a great way to show your fandom for your favourite celebrities, but sometimes custom t-shirts and celebrities just don't go together well. I have to admit, although usually I'm completely against all things paparazzi-esque, I happen to think that these celebrity t-shirts are pretty darned funny.

I thought in the spirit of a good laugh that we would look back over some of the celebrity t-shirts and t-shirt campaigns that have been launched over the years. Let this be a lesson to you that custom t-shirts really can make a difference in swaying people's opinions.

#1 - Britney Spears - Oh my is this poor girl ever horribly ridiculed in the eyes of the media. Not only are her pictures spewed across every tabloid and magazine in the world, she also has celebrity t-shirts being sold about her. This one [above] was one of the more tasteful I found.

#2 -Jennifer Aniston vs. Angelina Jolie - The prize? Brad Pitt. Originally married to Aniston and now frollicking and playing dad with Jolie, Brad's actions have literally divided fans into two different "teams". I think these custom t-shirts are absolutely hilarious, especially in this picture as the girl on the left is none other than Paris Hilton. A celebrity t-shirts campaign that was so popular, even other celebrities were buying into it!

#3 - Katie Holmes - Poor little Katie. She marries the man she loves, but because he turned out to be slightly on the unstable side these celebrity t-shirts hit the streets. The "Free Katie" t-shirt campaign made me snicker a little as it also had a detailed website and a whole collection of passionate Dawson Creek fans who were trying to Free Katie from the evil Tom Cruise. Were they right? Who cares? It was a fun t-shirt campaign and that's really all that matters.

Custom t-shirts can be more than merely a fun way to get your art from your mind to a vast audience... the above people were making t-shirts based on fairly silly concepts and made a ton of money doing it. People love something that is fun and different and... everyone loves a cause.

Get involved, get unique and make a splash!
Until next time,

Katie

Halloween is coming!

I know, I've been talking about Halloween a ton on this blog lately, but I think it is definitely one of those fun "holidays" that we can do a lot with in the custom t-shirts world. Please put up with my shameless plug of why Halloween custom t-shirts are a must have.

Why, you ask?

Halloween custom t-shirts are a great way to get into the Halloween spirit without having to:

a) spend a fortune and

b) put in a ton of effort.

Not that I'm about advocating the lazy man's easy out, but sometimes it just isn't worth spending $500 to get that fully working Darth Vader costume... then again, sometimes it just might be.

Halloween t-shirt designs are a lot of fun, personalized t-shirts are even more fun. At Wordans you can take all those creepy, funky, fun Halloween custom t-shirts ideas you have and actually do something with them. Throwing a Halloween party? Create Halloween custom t-shirts and get your friends to show up in your designs. Throw a Halloween t-shirt contest and see who can come up with the best design. Get creative, get silly... have a blast.

Currently, we are still 13 days away from Halloween, so if you have any great Halloween personalized t-shirts in mind, submit your designs. We would absolutely love to see what you have to offer.

Want to know more about Wordans and what it has to offer -- drop me an email or check out the website here.

Have a great day,
Katie

Mimijude t-shirts are the cutest thing since evil bunnies

I've now seen a number of pictures floating around the "custom t-shirts" online world for this unbelievably adorable line of new t-shirts from a company called mimijude.

If you haven't yet had the experience of meeting Mimi, then you're in luck as I honestly believe these t-shirts will sell themselves. Mimijude's line of t-shirts feature Mimi, a cute, yet unbelievably clumsy/evil girl who is constantly caught in the act of doing things she shouldn't (and perhaps didn't mean to do). Being a girl who was always getting into trouble, these custom t-shirts remind me of my childhood and every time I see them, I want to buy one.

These are my absolute favorite ones of the 5 different t-shirt designs mimijude has up. Isn't Mimi awesome?

The chip-stealing seagull is back

Many of you may remember my Friday joke from last week where I posted a video about a seagull that steals bags of chips and shares them with his friends. I'm still laughing about that one and the hilarity ensues with today's post.

Robbay, a fellow blogger from A Side of Cartoons, has created another cartoon of this hilarious seagull and his exploits. This one, you can use to create personalized t-shirts as Robbay has submitted his cartoon to Wordans. Yes, our vote worked! Let this be a message to you all that it is this easy to get your original designs on personalized t-shirts. All you have to do is sign up.

I thought it would only be appropriate to display Robbay's great t-shirt design / cartoon here since it was here that it all started. If you're interested in purchasing personalized t-shirts with this seagull design, click here.

In other news, it is important to mention that Wordans does have a Wordans Facebook Group and we're always happy to accept new members. If you want to get some behind the scenes news on Wordans events and new t-shirt styles, check out our group. We'd love to have you!

More to come later on today!

-Katie

Nerdy t-shirt lovers unite!

I have always been a huge fan of ThinkGeek as I'm secretly a gadget nut. What does ThinkGeek have to do with custom t-shirts you may ask? Well, excellent question.

ThinkGeek has recently released their absolutely fantastic wi-fi t-shirt, which will put all other custom t-shirts to shame. OK, well maybe not that drastic, but nerdy t-shirt lovers will be trampling one another to get to this t-shirt. At least I know I will.


This wi-fi t-shirt actually glows when it picks up a wireless internet signal, letting yourself and those standing in utter and complete amazement around you whether or not wireless internet is accessible where you are and how strong the signal is. As if the wi-fi t-shirt couldn't get any cooler, it is also completely washing-machine friendly as the animated image is removable, allowing you to throw the t-shirt into the washing-machine without screwing up the technology.

Pick up ThinkGeek wi-fi t-shirt through their website for only $29.99 USD + shipping and handling.

Are we a culture of nostalgia?

The 80s were about standing out, the 90s were about speaking out ... what are the 2000s about?

I would wager to say that we are a culture of nostalgia. Rather than having a defining style or personality of our own, we instead have instead sought to emulate past generations, especially through our clothing.

Working for a custom t-shirt company has taught me that people love custom t-shirts that are tied in some way to nostalgia. While new designs are artistic and definitely hold some merit, the top sellers at most custom t-shirt companies still seem to be those that drive our nostalgia. These custom t-shirts that sell the best are the ones that remind us of some special moment in our childhood or a television show, movie character, cartoon that made us happy. 80s t-shirts are a great example of this. Whether it's Mr. T, Big Bird, Ghostbusters or Jem and the Holograms, we wear our 80s t-shirts proudly because they identify us with our past.

It is interesting how custom t-shirts has sprung up with the popularity of the internet. What used to be just something that we wore as kids, has now defined us as adults. We love using custom t-shirts to express our silly side, to show our nostalgia and to identify us with our past. We're proud of 80s t-shirts because we're proud of 80s culture.

I wonder what the future generations will wear on their custom t-shirts? Will they have a generation they can feel proud of? What are we leaving behind?

Have a t-shirt design you want to submit? Express yourself and your generation.

Ban UZBEK COTTON

While at www.t-shirtforums.com I came across this important press release and since it has to do with the t-shirt industry and Wordans.com, I am posting it here for you to inform yourselves about. This is a serious issue.

- Katie

PRESS RELEASE:

T-SHIRT MANUFACTURERS CAN HELP FIGHT CHILD SLAVERY IN THE COTTON INDUSTRY BY BOYCOTTING UZBEKI COTTON

“Uzbek children. sometimes as young as seven, are drafted in as cheap or free labour during the cotton harvest” From White Gold - the True Cost of Cotton (A report by the Environmental Justice Foundation)“Uzbek cotton is a state monopoly, relying on slave labour and the forced labour of hundreds of thousands of children working in appalling conditions for little, or often no pay.” Craig Murray, Former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan.

For more information on this issue, and a link to the short (8 minute) EFJ movie “White Gold – the True Cost of Cotton), follow the link below. We watched it, and it moved us to change the very way we label our garments.

Continental Clothing Company - WHITE GOLD

The Environmental Justice Foundation suggests apparel manufacturers label their garments with the country of origin of the cotton in addition to the country of manufacture, as a guarantee to consumers that the cotton has been produced without resulting in environmental catastrophe or enforced child labour. Continental Clothing is the first company to follow the recommendations of the EJF, and we encourage other apparel companies around the globe to do the same and take a stand. Companies like us, that are large users of cotton, have an opportunity, if not a responsibility, to raise awareness and promote consumer action on issues such as this.

Changing the labels in your garments may cause consumers to question the T-shirts they buy and so switch them on to cotton T-shirts which guarantee that certain positive social and environmental conditions are met. There are many charities and individuals raising awareness of these critical issues, but they are all outside of our industry looking in; it takes the people personally and intimately involved in the cotton industry to make a stand, and it is us who can make the difference. For further information on what is happening in Uzbekistan, Uzbek child labour, the destruction of the Aral Sea and the scale of these issues, visit our website at:Continental Clothing Company - BOYCOTT UZBEK COTTON

Thanks,Phil (President, Continental Clothing Company)

Customize your t-shirt!

I posted a Friday joke up here three days ago about a Seagull that steals chips from local stores. I thought it was absolutely hilarious and I got a good laugh from it. Thank you to Cheryl for forwarding it to me. It definitely made our Friday here at Wordans.

The best part of this is that Robbay, from A Side of Cartoons, designed a cartoon about the chip-stealing Seagull, which you can see up on his blog. Since I thought it was utterly awesome that he took me up on my idea of someone talented designing a custom t-shirt out of this great idea, I am going to put the cartoon up here too.

In an ongoing effort to convince Robbay to submit his cartoon to Wordans to be put on custom t-shirts, I have another request of my awesome readers (yes, this means you) -- vote for Robbay's t-shirt design on the TOP LEFT of this blog. Go on, you know you want to.

More posts to come...

-Katie

Haunted Happenings in Salem, MA

As it is the month of October and Canadian Thanksgiving is firmly behind us, there is no better time to begin discussing the wonders of Halloween. For those of you who have never been to Salem, Massachussets, I would suggest the month of October as being one of the best times of the year to visit. This is because of the...

The Salem Haunted Happenings Festival

To us folk in North America, Halloween is a great time to pick out fantastic Halloween costumes (or Halloween t-shirts?) and have a little fun with bobbing apples, Halloween parties, watching scary movies and carving pumpkins. Oh and some candy and trick-or-treating too.

Halloween experiences in Salem are slightly different. In addition to the town's history being centered on the Salem Witch Trials and a number of pirate legends, Halloween has become a full fledged event including a month long of bewitching festivities beginning on October 4 and ending on Halloween day.

The small town of Salem morphs from being a quiet port-town into a wildhouse of witches, Ghostbusters, goblins, pirates and more. What is awesome about this festival is that no matter what you believe in, or what you've previously thought of Halloween, you're bound to find something exciting and fun to do. I made my own magic wand last year and did a ghost walk around the town.

As this is a custom t-shirt blog and we are talking about Halloween, I would like to challenge you this year to consider two things:

1) buy Halloween t-shirts as your Halloween costumes
2) check out Salem's Halloween festival

If you'd like more information on Haunted Happenings in Salem, drop me an email at katie@wordans.com

Want Halloween t-shirts? Submit a design to Wordans.com and help us build a great stock of Halloween t-shirt designs.

In the spirit of Friday email forwards...

....

I thought I would post this email that I received from a friend since it was just too funny to pass up. Animals really are hilarious sometimes.

If you have a great animal story you want to share, send it to me. It is Friday after all, and we could all use a good Friday laugh. Email me at katie@wordans.com or leave me the note in the comment section below.



Without further ado.... the Chip-Snatching Seagull!

Someone should create a chip-stealing seagull custom t-shirt design... I know I'd buy it.

-Katie

You've got to Express Yourself.

Well, I'm now officially humming Madonna's Express Yourself as I sit here and write this post.

"Express yourself

[you've got to make him]
Express himself
Hey, hey, hey, hey
So if you want it right now,
make him show you how
Express what hes got,
oh baby ready or not"

Of course these lyrics don't have a lot to do with what we're discussing today, but I thought it was interesting how in a society of people commanding us to "express yourself," we fail to actually pull it off without upsetting someone else, which brings me to my point today.

Can you express yourself effectively through custom t-shirts without upsetting someone?

In custom t-shirts news today, I read two more articles on people being upset with custom t-shirts representing what they feel to be inappropriate subject matter. The word "controversy" keeps popping up alongside custom t-shirts, making me wonder why we have such a problem with the concept of "express yourself."

I received a comment from ValleyGirl on yesterday's post and I wanted to explore it a bit in today's post. Thank you ValleyGirl for leaving a comment. I really appreciate it.

"I think people should wear whatever they want, as long as its not spreading hate."

I completely agree. We should be able to wear custom t-shirts without offending someone else. Is the problem then that some people are just too touchy, or that we (as a culture) just have too much to say?

Freedom of Speech is supposed to allow us to discuss whatever we want, but what do we do when some people are discussing socially or morally taboo subjects? What about those who don't believe the Holocaust happened? If they wear custom t-shirts saying "The Holocaust Never Happened" are they spreading hate? It's a fine line we draw. It all leads back to the question of what is truth? And what are we allowed to say? Freedom of Speech definitely has some flaws.

Custom t-shirts are supposed to be fun, but at the same time allow us to express our opinions, our viewpoints and our personalities. Create a design, generate some discussion and make a difference.

Want to contribute to this discussion, or suggest another? I love hearing from you. Leave me a comment below.

-Katie

Anti-War T-Shirts causing controversy in the United States

Custom t-shirts have recently been undergoing a lot of attack in the United States as more and more people are using their clothing as a mode of expressing their opinions and feelings concerning serious issues. T-shirts have become the new picket sign and are offering a peaceful answer to riots and other modes of verbal protest.


A number of cases have been popping up concerning American politics and custom t-shirts.




Many Americans have been wearing anti-war t-shirts expressing their disdain for current American politics in reference specifically to the ongoing war in Iraq. Unlike their sixties generation counterparts, this generation of war protestors are sporting their opinions through their clothing. It seems a simple and peaceful mode of expressing one's opinions and yet a number of court cases have been filed against Americans wearing anti-war t-shirts. Apparently Freedom of Speech only goes so far.


Where should we draw the line? Is it okay to wear anti-war t-shirts if they are directly insulting anyone? What if they are?





We laugh when we see someone wearing an anti-Bush t-shirt and yet we have problems with custom t-shirts demeaning the American war on Terror and those involved. This is probably because many Americans have friends and family members who are in Iraq fighting, or have recently returned. While most of us want to draw a line between solider and war, it does become difficult. I suppose the question then becomes, how can we express our frustration towards the war on Terror without demeaning the soldiers who are fighting to protect the rights of their citizens? What message should our custom t-shirts carry?


Being a Canadian, I find this issue one that hits very close to home. I want to be able to express myself without running the risk of being dragged into court for upsetting someone's rights. With Canadian soliders fighting overseas as well, it is difficult to know what to think about war and anti-war t-shirts.


What is your stance on sporting anti-war t-shirts?

Do you believe you should be allowed to wear whatever message you choose? Post your thoughts up here and we'll discuss this issue further.

-Katie

Halloween Festivals -- Get your Halloween t-shirts!

Only three more weeks until Halloween and the scramble to find the perfect Halloween costumes is already upon us. I recently spent the weekend in Salem, Massachussets where the Halloween festival is one of the most important things in the season. It seems this year that the focus is on Halloween t-shirts rather than full costumes.

Halloween t-shirts are easy, comfortable and a whole lot of fun. More importantly, they're not overly expensive and you can wear them year round if you choose. They also make great Halloween prizes if you're throwing a party or contest at work.

Wordans is currently looking for new Halloween designs for our custom Halloween t-shirts. If you have a great Halloween design, submit it here. We'll pay you for every time it gets sold on a Wordans custom t-shirt. Not only will you have your own designs on Halloween t-shirts, you can even make some money while you're at it.

Halloween is about having fun, being silly and looking great. This season, why not try Halloween t-shirts instead of costumes? You might find you like it.

Have a question? I love to hear them. Leave me a comment below and I'll get back to you.

-Katie

T-Shirts = Teamwork

Remember all those eighties movies where the families dress up in matching t-shirts for some sort of exciting event?

The one that always stands out in my mind is the Chevy Chase "Vacation" movies. I never had a family that wanted to wear matching t-shirts for events, reunions, etc, but I always wanted to. They seemed to always bring a spirit of teamwork and there's something about proudly displaying a logo, image or icon on a custom t-shirt that makes me smile.

Matching t-shirts make GREAT promotional gifts

Be it a family reunion, or a softball tournament, or a neighbourhood BBQ, group t-shirts have always held a certain sense of camaraderie. Sports enthusiasts wear their favourite teams' jerseys/t-shirts and businesses often give away custom t-shirts proudly displaying their corporate logo. People tend to keep custom t-shirts. More people tend to not only keep them, but to wear them proudly. This is why matching t-shirts make sure great promotional gifts.

Wordans can print your group matching t-shirts

Photo: Hope College Alpha Theta Chi

If you're interesting in ordering matching t-shirts for an upcoming event, promotion, business, or just for fun, we can ensure that your custom t-shirts will be of the highest quality and best printing. We have a 3 order minimum for group orders, but can put any design you choose or create on any of our American Apparel clothing.

Make your event a success by ordering custom t-shirt design from Wordans!

Halloween fun & How to fold a t-shirt in 2 seconds

Time to get custom Halloween t-shirts

With Halloween right around the corner, maybe it is time to think about picking up some cool halloween t-shirts from Wordans? OK, maybe that was a shameless plug, but seriously, Halloween t-shirts are becoming a remarkably popular way to show your costume wearing fun without necessarily dressing up like Harry Potter, the Wizard of Oz or a nurse. Custom t-shirts can be a lot of fun to design. Show off your originality and create something unique this Halloween.

How to fold a t-shirt in 2 seconds

T-shirt folding is one of those magical things that I know I've never been good at. We had the Meg team come in and demonstrate how to fold t-shirts to our staff. It was quite the debaucle, but we had a ton of fun and our custom t-shirts were definitely folded by the end of the day. Our video of that will be up soon, but in the meantime, I thought I'd post this Youtube.com video that shows t-shirt folding in 2 seconds. I don't know about you guys, but I'll be practicing this on our custom t-shirts all night!

George Bush T-Shirt Causes Controversy on Airline

Okay, so this isn't exactly breaking news as it is a story from just about a year ago, but I figured why not write about some t-shirt "news" anyhow... This is one of those moments in history where the entire "freedom of speech" thing seems to just go out the door.


"An Australian was barred from a London-Melbourne flight unless he removed a T-shirt depicting George Bush as the world's number one terrorist." - Mark Dunn (News.com.au)

I was surfing the internet under the heading "t-shirt news" just to see if there was anything interesting to discuss today here and wouldn't you know it, this article on t-shirts comes up. After reading through the article and sitting in utter shock, I now feel as though I have some things to say. Brace yourselves.



It is unbelievable to imagine that a man, who is not even in the United States of America would be hassled on an airline going no where near the United States of America simply for wearing a t-shirt that depicts George Bush as a terrorist. What happened to laws of Freedom of Speech and the ability to have an opinion? T-shirts are historically used as walking canvases to display a message. They've helped presidents win elections, why shouldn't they be allowed to express valid opinions on presidents? I don't see a difference, frankly.



Custom t-shirts are supposed to exist in order to express oneself. While I do appreciate the fact that George Bush wouldn't be too thrilled to be called a terrorist, he has still placed himself in a position where he's bound to be discussed by running for president. Is it really so wrong for someone to sit on an airline with a custom t-shirt on?

If we can't express ourselves through our clothing and especially with t-shirts, then what's the point of having an opinion at all? Freedom of Speech shouldn't have limitations when it is peaceful.

What do you think? Let me know your opinions. Leave me a comment below.

Cheers!

Wordans Facebook Group -- Coming to a Computer Near YOU

That's right, Wordans is going Facebook!



Social communities are everywhere these days and we're all loving the strides they've made to bring us all together. It seems like everytime I sign up for a new social community, three more appear out of nowhere. There is a lot to be said about social communities though. I, for one, love the fact that I can book events on Facebook and that it reminds me when everyone's birthdays are. Who needs a brain anymore these days?

So, since social communities like Facebook are all the rage, we at Wordans are launching our own social communities groups, starting with the Wordans Facebook Group. No invite is necessary. So feel free to join the Wordans group if you want to know what's going on with us and hear about any special offers or upcoming events. We won't spam you and maybe we'll even leave you a Facebook gift for your birthday. We're that nice.


The Wordans Group currently is hosting some of our Rock Your Wear Gala pictures, but we'd always love to have more up there. If you have some pictures from last Thursdays gala, please join the Wordans Group and post them up there. Or email them to me at katie@wordans.com

Hope to see you on Facebook! Stay tuned for our upcoming MySpace page as well :)

Ready, Steady, Go!

It’s done, it’s finally done. Wordans’ custom t-shirts are now ready to buy, wear and display through our new online boutique. If this is your first time checking us out, we want to shout out a huge “thanks for dropping by!” If you’re looking for something new and exciting, design your own custom t-shirt and let your originality reign.


We’re always looking for more Wordans’ designers, so if you think you’ve got the artistic touch sign up to be a Wordans Designer and start your own online boutique. You’re in charge. Set your own prices, add your creative designs and sit back and see the results. Customize t-shirt designs for your friends, family and clients. Like having an army of walking canvases, you can display your original style to the world in a fresh, new way.

We love hearing from you, so if you have anything you’d like to say or any questions we haven’t answered on our website, drop us an email at questions@wordans.com

A Night at the Rock Your Wear Gala

Before I say anything else, I want to shout out a huge

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

to our Rock Your Wear contest winner --- Tone! (aka Anthony Livet) :)

Tone's awesome design won him a Wordans' customized t-shirt with his unique design and a grand prize of $1 500.00 thanks to our wonderful sponsors. Congratulations also go out to the runner-ups who gave Tone a run for his money with some great design examples for customized t-shirts.

In case you haven't noticed, the Wordans website is now up and running smoothly. You can sign up for a My Wordans account to buy customized t-shirts, submit your designs, create your own online shop and become a Wordans partner. We would love to hear your feedback on our website, so if you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, leave us a note on our comments section by clicking below this post. We hope you all