Fun Travel Shirts for Your Summer Vacation

Happy 4th of July!! We love the summer and Independence Day here at 4Craig. We already did a blog about 4th of July t-shirts, so I thought we'd do a post about some fun vacation and/or travel shirts we made. If you haven't seen our 4th of July/USA post, you may want to visit it. There are some shirts on sale through tomorrow.

Who doesn't love vacation? Whether you dream of tropical beaches or mountains, staycations or to travel far, far away, everyone needs some time away from every day life. Hopefully you find something to wear for your vacation.  

Perfect Summer Vacation Tent Camping T-Shirt *

If you love hiking, camping - in a tent or RV, being in nature, campfires, backpacking, s'mores - then this shirt is for you. It's inspired by some simple summer vacations we took. Mostly to save money. But there is something wonderful about being in nature, away from all the busyness in life. This comes in men's, women's, and kids' sizes as well as four different colors.

The World is My Backyard Distressed Camper T-Shirt *

If you love to travel by RV, maybe you're a full-time RVer who lives in their camper, this fun and simple shirt is for you. It is made with a vintage RV and then distressed for a grunge look. Be proud of your RV lifestyle and wear around to find other RVers. This shirt comes in five different colors and men's, women's, and kids' sizes.

Take the Scenic Route Suitcase Vacation T-Shirt *

This one is geared more toward the ladies. A vintage floral suitcase is on top of a pink one. It reminds us to take the time to slow down and enjoy life. Maybe not even on a vacation. You can go the long way home from work. It's a lifestyle, not just a vacation. This shirt comes in men's, women's, and kids' fits as well as five different colors.

To Travel is to Live Suitcase T-Shirt *

This shirt is for anyone who loves and lives to travel. This design is a lot like the one above. It's pretty and inspiring. Reminds me of a European vacation, but you can travel anywhere with it.. It also comes in men's and women's sizes (for some reason no kids) as well as five different colors.

USA Road Trip 2017 Shirt *

This one was shared on our 4th of July shirts post, but I thought it was appropriate for this blog post too. It has a silhouette of the United States with a car etched in. It is dated for this year, so you can buy it for your road trip vacation and keep it for a souvenir. Buy one for everyone on the trip. It comes in men's, women's, and kids' sizes as well as five different colors. You can also buy a premium version (softer  and longer shirt but a more snug fit) that is distressed here.

Summer Goals Surfing Beach Van T-Shirt *

If going to the beach, enjoying the sun, getting a tan, and surfing are your idea of a great summer, this shirt is for you. It has a camper van as well as a beach ball and surf board. Soak up the summer rays with this tee. This comes in men's, women's, and kids' sizes as well as four different colors.

*All the t-shirt links are affiliate links. You can shop on Amazon through our affiliate links we post in every blog.

Ten 4th of July T-Shirts That Will Make Your Whole Family Happy - Many on Sale for under $15

We had a blast making tees for Independence Day. All the shirts come in men, women, and kids fits.  They also come in many different colors. We tried doing a lot of different designs, so there would be something for everyone - fidget spinner, dog, cat, sloth, fireworks, etc. It's all there. And many of these shirts would be appropriate to wear all year. Get ready to wear some red, white, and blue.

Also, some of these shirts are on sale this week for Independence Day. If it is on sale, there will be a notation under the shirt. Happy bargain shopping.

American Sloth Shirt

Who doesn't love sloths? Who doesn't love America? They go together perfectly.

Fire in the Sky Fireworks T-Shirt

***On Sale***

Inspired by an episode of "The Middle" from a few years ago. The family went to the wrong park to watch the fireworks and didn't get to watch the fire in the sky.

Premium USA Road Trip 2017

We have a regular one too, but the premium version is distressed and a higher quality shirt - though it fits more snug than the regular version.

American Kitty Cat

***On Sale***

Cats and America, perfect for the cat lover.

Pixel Block American Flag Star

***On Sale***

Inspired by Minecraft, a game played a lot in the 4Craig Family. This shirt is decorated with a green pixelated block pattern. 

Road Trip 2017

The regular version of this design. It's fun for any road trip this year.

USA Puppy Dog

***On Sale***

A cute puppy is wearing a tie and holding a flag. Fun and patriotic.

USA Home Map

***On Sale***

If the USA is your home, this is your shirt.

Red, White, and Blue Star Fidget Spinner

***On Sale***

Fun for the kids and adults.

American Flag Gymnast Gymnastics T-Shirt

There is also a version for the men with a male gymnast on the still rings. 

Okay, so there's eleven because I almost forgot this one.

American Pirate T-Shirt

***On Sale***
Weird but fun.

Remember all the sale shirts will be on sale until July 4th, 2017. After that the price will go back up to normal. All the links posted are affiliate links, 4Craig is the affiliate.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a safe and fun 4th of July. 

I Don't Need a Superhero Because I Have My Dad T-Shirt

Yes, it's getting close to Father's Day. Have you found the right shirt for his gift? No, you don't need to buy him a tie anymore. You can buy him a t-shirt.

It was hard to come up with a design for many reasons. #1 Many ideas have already been done over and over again. #2 The really cool stuff was trademarked. Superman, NFL, Star Wars, Batman - you name it, I can't do it without paying lots of money. #3 Since I am a woman, it's hard to know what men would want to wear.

I think I have overcome those hurdles. I made a superhero shirt that dad can wear all year (not just a Sunday in June), and it can be worn by dad and his sons and daughters. I chose a superhero theme because a good dad is as close as you can get to a real life superhero.

Superhero Dad T-Shirt
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This shirt comes in different colors - red, purple, blue, dark heather gray, light heather blue. It comes in mens, womens, and kids fits. Dad can wear matching shirts with his son or daughter. I chose a nighttime city skyline with a dad signal. Like the bat signal but for dad. It's fun and true. If you have a good dad, you don't need a superhero.  Buy it for everyday but would also make a good Father's Day (perhaps too late to get on time), birthday, or Christmas gift for your dad. Or you can buy it for him just because.

Pediatric Brain Cancer Awareness Shirt

March is Brain Cancer or Brain Tumor Awareness Month. I wanted to come up with a shirt to bring awareness, but it was hard. Cancer is hard. It's ugly but it brings out the beauty in the people and their family who are fighting this horrid disease.

We never had to personally deal with brain cancer. We dealt with pediatric leukemia (our 11-year-old fought it three times and survived), so we have lots of friends who have had to deal with brain cancer over the years.

Gray is the color for brain cancer (makes sense with brain tissue doesn't it?) and gold or yellow is the color for pediatric cancers. Those two colors don't seem to go well together, but I think I've found a way.

Pediatric Brain Cancer Awareness T-Shirt

The tree and the heart at its roots are in gray. There is a woman (mom) on the side in gold/yellow with a grey ribbon around her neck. Anyone who has dealt with pediatric cancer knows that mom is right there, the entire time fighting, wishing she could take away the pain and sickness. I imagine this is the way with all cancers but more so with pediatric.

I took more color liberties on the top of the tree. The ribbons are gray and gold, but the hearts are different colors. I made them that way for hope, a tree blooming with rainbow colored hearts of hope and love. If you go on the pediatric cancer floor in the children's hospital, it's a strange mix of sadness and joy. Pediatric cancer patients know how to live. They may be sick, but they have learned how to enjoy the day, no matter what's coming. It's a humbling experience. You can't help but to be changed when you visit.

Tees for Mother's Day

So I know that Mother's Day is a week away, so I wanted to share a new line of shirts I created for moms and grandmothers. Plus it's on Amazon, so if you have Prime you can get them in two days after they print the shirts.

I had a lot of trouble coming up with designs for Mother's Day. Why? First of all, Mother's Day is one day a year. Who wants to have a shirt sitting in their dresser they can only wear one day a year? It takes up precious space. There isn't a Mother's Day season like Christmas or Halloween where you can get a month out of the shirt. Second, most of my shirt designs or sayings seemed very grandmother-y. They were dated. I needed something more modern and not so sentimental. I designed a few mock ups but I realized that I didn't want to wear them.

After many attempts, I decided on a text-only design. No pictures or graphics. It took a while but I found the correct fonts and saying. It's a shirt I would wear. Well the mom version. I also made versions for grandmas and different nicknames for moms and grandmothers. Like Mimi, Nana, Oma...you get the picture. Plus you or your mom or grandma can wear the tee all year.

Blessed to be Called Mom

This one also comes in White

 Blessed to be Called Nana

Blessed to be Called Mommy

Hopefully you like it as much as I do. They come in three different colors - Black, purple, and dark heather (a gray color). The print is turquoise. I chose it over white (although the basic mom version also comes in white) because it looked more trendy and less generic. To find all the different versions of the shirt, click on a listing and then click on the brand name "Blessed to be Called Mom" in blue at the top.

Since Mother's Day is coming up, I priced them a little cheaper than I normally would (helps with the budget). I'll keep them at the $14.99 price point at least until Mother's Day. Yeah a Sale!!  Happy Shopping!!

See You Later Alligator T-Shirt

Do young kids still say "See you later Alligator?" I know mine do. But then again, my kids are those homeschool "weirdos." We said it all the time when I was a kid, so when someone says "See you later allligator," I can't help but to respond with "After while Crocodile." It's ingrained in me. Like Pavlov's dog I just can't help myself.

Well, that response was the inspiration for my next few shirts. I designed these with Gimp, a free graphic design program comparable to Photoshop. Well others say it's comparable. I have never used Photoshop so I'm just repeating what others say. 

Nevertheless, I designed three shirts on that theme with an alligator, a crocodile, and a raccoon. I chose cute animals instead of realistic or scary ones. I wanted to embrace the lighthearted reverie so often associated with childhood memories. These tees are fun for adults and kids. What do you think?

See You Later Alligator T-Shirt

After While Crocodile T-Shirt

See You Soon Raccoon T-Shirt

These tees come in basic colors - black, navy, red, asphalt. I can make a listing with other colors like pink, purple, green, yellow if you would like. 

Why I'm Here and my first shirt.

Why do I have this blog? Perhaps the simplest answer would be to make money. I'm trying to find new ways to promote my products. I've been a t-shirt designer for less than year, and I'm trying to get my name out there. It's hard here on the internet to get noticed. Everybody's screaming. I tried to think of ways to covertly market my products. But that's not working because I feel so dishonest. So here I am, being honest with you. My name is Stephanie Craig, and I make t-shirts. I would love for you to buy them.

I only took art for two weeks in high school. It didn't work out in my schedule. My college prep load didn't leave me much wiggle room. I wanted to take the classes in college but it didn't go with my career track. So here I am, in my 30s and finally learning art and graphic design. Finally doing what I enjoy doing rather than what a smart gal like me should be doing with my life.

I  have probably made over 100 designs since last August, but some were bad. Really bad. They didn't sell, and I took them down to make room for newer, more attractive designs. It's hard to believe how much I've improved in that small amount of time. For now, I sell my products on Amazon, Teespring, and RedBubble. Amazon is my favorite since it  has a larger audience. It's hard to get noticed on that site, but very exciting when I do.

For my first post, I want so show you one of my first shirts, one which didn't sell. I took it down, redesigned it, tried to sell it again but didn't like it still, so I took it down again and redesigned it.

This design was one of my first. I was caught up in Olympic Fever last August and loved the Final Five. Who didn't love Simone, Aly, Gabby, Laurie, or Madison? They were amazing, awesome, Flipping Awesome!! So I decided to make my fandom into a gymnastics shirt. I was very proud of it at the time, but it didn't sell any.

Now I have a similar women's gymnastics Flippin Awesome shirt for sale. You can see they are similar but will probably like this one better.

There are now more colors available like pink and purple instead of the basic colors to choose from. I like the image of the girl doing a back handspring on the balance beam much better than a split handstand. I also like the font better and like  how the "N" in flippin extends to the girls leg. I haven't sold any yet, but I'm more hopeful with this new design.

So this is what you'll get from me. A design and a little bit of background information on the t-shirt. I will post more shirts and if you have something you want to see, please tell me. I would love to design new ideas. 

Leave a comment below if you have a shirt you would like for me to try. I'm still a newbie designer, but I love new challenges.