Happy Friday! Look at my little athlete. You'd think we were doing something sporty this summer, but we're really not. We are, however, doing something crafty. These shirts were super easy, and Lou did almost all of the work. For the win.

It's summer, which means club sports, camps, family reunions, trips to amusement parks and other opportunities to make matching Ts! Have an important softball game against the press corps/rival school's teachers/neighbors? Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of your opponents like showing up in matching finger-painted shirts.

We made these for Lou's cousins (and our nieces, of course) who recently turned 5. I have big dreams about making them for every member of their generation, with perhaps the year they were born, player-number style, on the back, and different color shirts for each family. Yeah, I'm a total dork, but I think they're cool-looking. If you're going to wear shirts that match Cousin Thelma's, you may as well have fun making them.

Seriously, kids love this, but grownups would likely have fun too, particularly with the addition of an alcoholic bev or two. Think of it as a team building exercise.

Gather these supplies:

T Shirts. I got these on sale at Old Navy a couple months ago; you should be able to find them at a bunch of places for less than $5.
Fabric paint. I went with three different colors I thought would complement the green in the shirts.
Tape. To tape off your letter. I used this and clear tape.
Other supplies. A slice of cardboard to slide inside the shirt while you work, and a dropcloth if your artist is wee. (I use worn out reusable shopping bags, cut and flattened).

Now tape off the shape of your choosing (we went with a square) and your letter, so you can finger paint right over it. I was doing two pretty easy letters - 'L' and 'M' - but I have faith that taping off any letter would be not too challenging for an adult helper.

Then go to town, painting all over your shirt. If your artist is a kid, consider taping off the entire area of the shirt you're hoping to keep paint free.

Obviously, Lou loved this project. She did three shirts - one for her and one for her cousins - and then we allowed them to dry before pulling up the tape.

Uh, yeah, that's pretty much it. We carefully wrapped those shirts and gave them to our nieces for their 5th birthday.

Meanwhile, this is one of Lou's favorite shirts (second to her tiger shirt, which gets paired with her sparkly gold skirt, obvs). I mean, she made it. And it's got an 'L' on it. tough not to love it, even with all that white.

I just love those socks. And that face. I just want to rove around the neighborhood with a ball and challenge kids to a kickball game.

I feel pretty strongly that you should make these. That there is an occasion in your life that would be better solemnized with finger-painted T shirts. Now is the time!

Thanks as always for reading and have a great weekend. Oh! And it's my one-month blogiversary, so thanks so much for sticking with it!