Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Chesty History

by Donna MacMeans


The holidays will soon be upon us. I see the signs everywhere. It's not the trees turning colors, it's not that maternal instinct to bake, it's the plethora of catalogues that are overflowing my mailbox. Yes, every vendor on earth is sending me their holiday catalogue ON A WEEKLY BASIS! I suspect they do it because they know my weakness. I love looking at the Tshirts. Not to buy, just to read.

I did a little research on Tshirt history. There appears to be a dispute over exactly when the light undershirt came into being, but American soldiers from WWI brought back the concept to the states in the early 1900s. Decorated Tshirts (most likely named after their shape) began to appear in Florida in the late 1940s with images of popular resorts (can anyone say Disney?). Tshirts as a means of expression became vogue in the 1980s. I may actually still have some of those.

These Tshirt observations come from http://www.signals.com/ - (they wouldn't let me copy pictures of the actual shirts, darn):

Lead me not into temptation, especially bookstores
Careful, or you'll end up in my novel.
Inaction figure

A good Tshirt expression adds to characterization in a contemporary. I used a computer-oriented funny to show the geek humor in one of my early suspense manuscripts. Shame that option doesn't exist for historicals. I suspect the shirts might resemble some story titles:

Heiress for Hire
Too Wicked to Love
One of these Knights
or maybe.... So Many Dresses, So Little Time

Oh - and I found this one at Signals.com for one of our favorite bandit commentors:

Don't make me use my Opera Voice

So what slogan would you like to see on a Tshirt, contemporary or historical? Or, what's emblazoned across your chest these days? There are prizes involved.

72 comments:

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, Donna, great post. Love the idea of Pam wearing don't make me use my opera voice. Actually, I think I'd like to hear her! And you're so right about the catalogues. I think I've got half the Brazilian rainforest sitting in my recycling bin at the moment!

Anna Campbell said...

And ha! I get the golden, brass, plastic rooster today! Not that I I'm competitive or anything...

Helen said...

T-shirts don't you just love them they are so comfy and you can write just about anything on them, during the 70's there was a little cartoon of a girl and a boy printed in one of the daily newspapers everyday they were called LOVE IS and everyday there would be a different ending they were extremely popular with teenagers so my mother had a girlfriend of hers paint it on a t-shirt for me and the slogan was Love Is Holding Hands I still have that T-shirt not that it fits anymore but it still holds a special place in my heart. My Grandson is running around my house at the moment with a T-shirt on that says SECURITY in big letters across the front partly because as soon as he arrives he checks everything making sure that the things hes is not allowed to have are up and certain doors are closed.
And yes my letterbox is filled with catologues at the moment as well.
Really enjoyed the post thanks Donna.
Have Fun
Helen

Annie West said...

Donna,

Actually, someone recently sent me a post with lots of funny T shirt logos and I can't remember one of them! I think I'd adapt one of yours - So Many Books...So Little Time!

As for the junk mail - it seems to get worse and worse. I think we could save a few forests here if we stopped unsolicited mail in our letterboxes! Hope you find some good T shirts in your latest batch!

Annie

Donna MacMeans said...

Hi Anna - You can line your office with brass roosters, I'll never be one to challenge you - but if we come up with a night owl commendation - it'll be mine more than not LOL.

Hi Helen! - The real question is - does the Tshirt still fit? ;-)
That's so sweet - I'll be tempted to have the shirt framed just so I could see it more often.

One of my more memorable Tshirts, (not that it's as personal as yours)is that back in my public accounting days, I was part of the crew that worked on the audit of Hustler magazine - published by the notorious pornographer, Larry Flynt. Everyone on the crew received a Tshirt with their logo beaver dressed in a construction outfit. Nothing obscene or pornographic about the image - but just knowing what it stood for would turn a few heads. I don't think I ever wore it in public. But I still remember it *g*

Donna MacMeans said...

Annie -

Have you noticed how many of those catalogues have several slogans connected to reading? I find it most encouraging. I guess the vendors figure that only literate people will bother looking at their catalogue ;-)

I'm not a Tshirt person normally. My round face is not flattered by the shirts round neckline, but I do like to chuckle at the slogans. Thanks for posting!

Caren Crane said...

Donna, I am very particular about my t-shirts and totally feel your "they're not flattering" pain. There is, however, an easy solution. I always remove the round necklines from my t-shirts. Always! All you need is a sharp pair of scissors. Snip the stitches and yank that puppy out!

And no, the collars do not unravel. There is a whole movement now toward "reconstructing" t-shirts that seriously hearkens back to the 80s. My younger sister and I would get blank white t-shirts and draw pictures and slogans on them with fabric paint. She made a great one that had the slogan, "Wie, bitte?" Yes, we were both German nerds. *g*

My Girl Scout troop (all 8th and 9th graders) recently designed their own troop t-shirts. They are dark purple with silver lettering. On the front it says, "We Rock, You Follow" and has stars around it. On the back, it has our troop number and city and state, then a pair of eyeballs and (stop looking at my shirt). It's that whole teenaged "look at me - don't look at me" thing. The girls crack me up!

Amy Andrews said...

Oooh, love t-shirts.
My daughter has one at the moment that says - You lost me at Hello and I got the giggles at a send up of the Von Dutch shirts that said Von Drunk - but that was probably just me.

I saw an interview many years ago on a day time show where a well knonwn Aussie footballer was being interviewed. He told a story about his wife's new t-shirt she insisted on wearing everywhere that said - I love my gay brother. He said he had to have one specially made that said - I am not her gay brother - for when they were out together.

Amy

Anonymous said...

Amy, that's an awesome story! :-)

I have a whole collection of keepsake t-shirts from various events I've participated in throughout the years--my absolute favorite is the t-shirt from my first (okay, my only!) triathlon. The outdoor education group I worked with in college had t-shirts for all our big camping trips, and I have a bunch of those I still wear.

And then there's my romance bandits t-shirt! I wear it ALL THE TIME!

Lovely memories, but not catchy slogans. I've never really been the type to wear my slogans, but I admire folks who do!

Joan said...

Fun post, Donna.

I once had a T-shirt that I wore to exercise in. It said "There's a skinny girl inside of me....I ate her."

Nowadays, I don't wear too many slogans but I did purchase one. It is from the HBO store. Black and one word in gold...ROME! LOL.

As to catalouges I love reading the Miles Kimball one. SO many interesting gadgets.

brownone said...

Actually, I have a "Happy Bunny" T-shirt that says "I know how you feel, I just don't care."

As for the mail...everything goes right over to the recycling bin without being cracked open!

Beth Andrews said...

I might be in the minority but I love getting all those catalogues *g* I enjoy looking through them before tossing them in the recycling bin :-)

My older daughter and her friends wear their sports t-shirts all the time. They rip the side seams and tie them back together and cut off the sleeves.

My 16 yo son lives in t-shirts. His latest favorite says: Why, yes, I've always been this awesome. It's funny because the picture on it is of a very clean cut, middle aged man that looks like it was taken from a 1950's coffee commercial *g*

He also has sports t-shirts (Notre Dame and Texas) some drum brand t's (he's a drummer) but mostly rock band shirts including The Who, Grand Funk Railroad, AC/DC and his favorite, Rush :-)

Great post, Donna!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Wait a minute, if it's evening in Oz, do you really get the gold rooster today? I mean it should be for someone sitting at the keyboard BEFORE sunrise, not at sunset!!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

I'm of the t-shirts don't flatter me group. I did get one for working on Dec. 31, 1999 that said, "I survived the millenium...(insert hospital name)." It was kind of cute. My son has tons of t-shirt's with sayings on them. One of my favorite is, "Yes, I'm loud, obnoxious, and crude, but I'm FUN!"

And catalogues are a great way to pass the night when there are no patients in labor. Last year I bought several presents on line from catalogues for Christmas.

Anna Sugden said...

What a fun post, Donna! Love all the slogans.

Amy - your story about the Aussie footballer cracked me up!

Beth - I'm like you. I like looking through the catalogues before tossing them. I love all the ones that you can get personlised Christmas goodies in.

My favourite writer sloagns are:

Finish the damn book! (NJRW)
Smart women read romance novels, I write them.
And ...

Paper $1,000
Postage $10,000
Printing $100,000
Selling your first book ... Priceless.

There was an ad some years ago that showed a woman walking along the beach with a t-shirt that said "I'm looking for the man of my dreams" on the front. And on the back it said "Not you!"

Laura J. said...

I love funny shirts! And I really need that one you posted about "Lead Me not into Temptation..." Bookstores are definately tempting. A friend of mine has a shirt that is a "wishlist" and all of the "wish" have to do with books.

As I was cleaning out my closet today and switching clothing seasons I found a t-shirt I forgot I had that says "A wiseman once said, 'I don't know ask a girl'". Love that one. I also have one that I wear often that says "Life is short, buy the shoes".

As for holiday catalogs, I haven't been inundated (sp?) yet, but they are slowly starting to show up.

Thanks for the fun post Donna!
Laura

doglady said...

I am sorry I am late, but I HAD to scurry over to the Signals site to get MY t-shirt! I love it, Donna! I love t-shirts! I tend to collect them, wear them and then when they get a bit worn I make quilts from them. My nephews and niece each have a quilt made from their favorite t-shirts they can no longer wear, as do my brothers. One of my favorites is of a dog leading a pregnant woman into a human shelter (rather than a dog shelter) It has the dog saying "She just keeps getting pregnant." Underneath it says "Spay and Neuter Your Pets" I have one of Sugar Ray Leonard hugging his pit bull and it says "Real Men Don't Fight Dogs" Love it! A few others include :

Opera Singers Do It Onstage

I can withstand anything bu Temptation - Oscar Wilde

Who Told You Life Was Fair?

Not Without My Pets (refers to the evacuations after Katrina when people were forced to leave their pets)

Susan Sey said...

Hi, Donna! I love t-shirts. Had a huge array of earth friendly ones back when I was teaching outdoor/environmental ed, but they've all worn out & have long since become dust rags. Not that I dust. But in case I ever do, they're there.

My most recent favorite t-shirt is plain brown with a little cartoon rose on the front. Underneath the rose it says Grow. I really love wearing that one. It feels pretty & positive without being too aggressive.

My favorite catalogue to look at shirts, though, is What On Earth. Do you guys know this one? So funny! And they have a whole line of Bob things. Glasses that say Good MOrning, Bob! Shirts that say Why? Because Bob said so! And my personal favorite? A tin of party nuts that says BOB'S NUTS on top. We got it for my dad (the ultimate Bob) for Christmas one year & laughed ourselves silly.

Susan

Donna MacMeans said...

Caren -

Are you a girl scout leader? Kudos for you. I was a co-leader for my daughters troop, and a den mother for my son's pack (they name the boys after animals for a reason ;-) We did lots of crafty things but I never thought to snip the stitches off the crew collar. Does it just kind of hang loose and fluttery? I'm going to have to try that.

Donna MacMeans said...

Downundergirl -
I saw a shirt last night that had a pirate's skull and crossbones. The words beneath were "You had me at yo ho" Loved the gay brother story! Yes, I think my husband would have done the same.

Andrea said...

I love T-shirts. They're just so comfy. I got my favorite T-shirt from cafepress.com and it says "Everyone loves a Regency girl" across the front and has a picture of a Regency lady reading a book. Love it.

~Andrea

FilmPhan said...

I love t-shirts! I love wearing them in the winter with a long sleeve shirt under them. It's so comfortable. And you don't cover up the picture on the front.

I have a lot of t-shits. One of my favorites says, "Official Kilt Inspector" and has a picture of a pair of boxer shorts with a circle-slash sign over them.

I make a lot of t-shirts too. I made 2 for "Buffy," and 1 of "Smallville." My sister made me one of "300" and made herself 1 for "Supernatural." I made my friend a really funny one for her birthday. It had a picture of Gerard Butler on it (as Attila). He is sprawled on a bed with this white almost diaper looking thing on and above it I wrote "Want some?" She won't wear it in public though.

Stacy S said...

I've only worn mostly concert t-shirts. I do like the one So Many Books...So Little Time! I think I need the one Joan has- There's a skinny girl inside of me....I ate her."

doglady said...

How about this for a t-shirt?

Kylemore, Take Me Away!!

Nancy said...

Hi, Donna--what a fun topic! I love t-shirts and have too many to fit in the drawers. I've almost worn out "So Many Books, So Little Time" (from Signals, years ago). One of my newer favorites is from the musical Wicked and reads "Defy Gravity."

Then, of course, I have the usual fangirl assortment of superheroes.

Nancy

Trish Milburn said...

I have a zillion T-shirts. I tend to collect them from the national parks I visit, and I have some other hiking/park/outdoorsy T-shirts like the one where there's a beaver, a bear and a moose paddling a canoe:

"Wildlife in the fast lane"

And then I like ones that refer to favorite TV shows:

"Don't fear the Reaper. The Winchesters took care of it." (from Supernatural)

"Wow! I'd say we've officially crossed over into weird." (also from Supernatural)

"slay*er, the -- she who hangs out lots in cemeteries" (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Joan, liked the skinny girl shirt.

Anna, I have that "priceless" T-shirt. :)

Joan said...

I'm feeling the urge to wear a Tee....of course it is so darn chilly and rainy right now in Kentucky it would have to be made of wool! (We've had over 5 inches in 36 hours...I"d LOVE to send some to Atlanta and San Diego!)

My brother is a T-shirt addict. Every trip I go on, I have to bring him home a T-shirt. In May, when I went down to a sleepy little area of Florida for my goddaughter's wedding all I could find was one of those really cheapie looking, badly screened ones...for $28! Um, no thanks.

But do you know he was annoyed at me for not getting him one. Even though he has a blue million from various parts of Florida...Sheesh.

Donna MacMeans said...

Kirsten -
Caren was kind enough to remind me of the cafepress website. I had planned to use a picture of our Tshirt - but the logo appeared too small to have impact. So here's the link for anyone looking for the perfect Christmas gift:
www.cafepress.com/romancebandits

Joan - I could use that skinny girl Tshirt - that's about the only time I actually wear them - when I do aerobics. I love the ROME Tshirt and so appropos. I haven't shopped TV network sites for gifts. That's a timely suggestion.

Brownone - That's cute! I can toss a lot of catalogues without opening - mostly department store and "stick girl" clothing specialty shops - but some others I just cant's resist.

Donna MacMeans said...

Beth - I've got a Crosby,Stills, Nash and Young still from my concert rocking days. I also still have (though I gave it to my daughter & she still has)the bright red RWA Tshirt handed out when we tried to get on Good Morning America several years back.

I love to look at the catalogues as well. I have Uno Alla Volta here by my desk which has fabulous stuff and the Smithsonian catalogue which is always fun. I don't order a lot from them - but I do look.

Suzanne - I would imagine there's lots of medical related fun shirts. I bet you guys could have come up with a better tag than I survived the Millenium *g* but those big corporations like to be so politically correct.

ruth said...

I collect T-shirts and then give them as gifts to friends and to my sons who always need extras. My favorite one that I keep for myself is Live for Today. My sons love The Eternal Optimist.

Donna MacMeans said...

Anna - Loved your slogans esp. the woman on the beach. I had a great computer geek catalogue that had some neat writerly slogans, but it appears they were all copyrighted so I hesitate to use them here.

One of my favorite shirts- which is kind of like a Tshirt as the word ROMANCE across the top in sequins above a picture of a peacock. Closest I could come to something to support historicals *g*

Hi Laura- definitely hang onto that wise man shirt ;-) They need to be reminded, and often.

I saw another one I liked. It showed someone reading a book (couldn't tell the sex because the book is in front of the person's head) and it says: As soon as I finish this chapter. I like that one because when I allow myself to indulge in a book, my life becomes ruled by those chapters. Thanks for visiting.

Donna MacMeans said...

Doglady - You're welcome *g*. I love the idea of turning the Tshirts into a quilt. Excellent idea. Heck, I might even start buying Tshirts just to do that *g* Can you imagine a whole quilt full of writerly slogans? It could be a rejection quilt. Something soft and comforting to wrap around you when you get one of "those" letters, with slogans to stimulate you to get back to the keyboard and write. Love it!

Susan - Yeah, I love What on Earth! I think they're connected to Signals and Wireless - another great catalogue. My son's name is David. We've given him: DAVE The Man, The Myth, The Legend.

Some others from What on Earth:

Sarcasm - Just one more service I offer

My laptop has more memory than I do.

And for gifts for CPs -
Mine is not to question. Mine is to critique.

Donna MacMeans said...

AndreaW - I love that Regency shirt. (oops, almost left out the "r" in the shirt - but that works for me too ;-)

I saw a I heart Mr. Darcy. That's about the closest I've come.

Doglady - I think you're on to something. But you better add (just in case) Kylemore - bring me back! (hehehe)

Filmphan - I liked the Kilt inspector. Hmmmm...I wondered if they're hiring?

You make Tshirts? You're so talented. I can do the iron-on-transfers and the occasional Tie Dye, but that's about it. I love the idea of personalized Tshirts though. Actually, that could be kind of romantic. Too bad they popped up after my time period.

Cassondra said...

Oh good grief. T-shirts!

Last year I boxed up almost 70 of them and shipped them to my Aunt and cousins in northern Ohio. I was buried and had to get rid of some. I bet I still have another 70 piled in the closet. Because I was in the music business and ran events for a living, I got a t-shirt (or more than one) for every event I attended or worked on. Usually one that is the "for sale" shirt and another one that said "EVENT STAFF" on the back. They were foisted upon me.

I used to wear them a lot but now I wear them mostly for work at the post office, where I deliver about three thousand catalogs per day to five hundred fifty stops (grin), and I also do what Caren does--I cut not ony the neck out of them, but also the sleeves--and wear them over a colorful sports bra for working out. I like loose workout clothes.

I don't get any catalogs here at the house--I've managed to avoid it. And I'm STILL buried in paper.

But let's see--one of the best t-shirts I ever saw was on the broad back of a college student--we were standing in line at Barnes & Noble.

It said (okay, be careful here. If you're easily offended, don't read this out loud--if you're not, go for it) How much fud would a fudpucker puck if a fudpucker could puck fud?

I doubled over laughing. I was still laughing when I got to the check out clerk. She asked what was funny. I tried to repeat it--very slowly--and I got about a third of the way in and she grinned and said "you better stop."

I stopped. But I still remember it.

Cassondra said...

Oh, I should clarify--I boxed up music industry t-shirts because my aunts grandkids (my cousins) have a garage band and are all into the fact that I was in the music industry. The t-shirts make them feel "in the biz."

Donna MacMeans said...

Hi Stacy S - I do have a Beatles Tshirt that I recently bought in LV. Wish I would have bought one & kept it from back in the day. I have a Blue Man Group Tshirt as well, but I'm not sure it was designed for women. The whites of the blue man's eyes are right...hmmm, how does one say this tactly...at the apexs of the shirt *g*. It's an attention getter.

Donna MacMeans said...

Nancy - I LOVE Defy Gravity!! I have the lyrics to that sound printed out somewhere in my chaotic mess. My husband downloaded the entire musical onto a CD for me, but really it's only that song that I absolutely love. It says so much about being a writer and taking risks.

Trish - I think it says a lot about a series when key lines of dialogue appear on Tshirts. Sounds like that could be a blog - what lines of dialogue from a novel would you like to see on a Tshirt?

Joan - Your son sounds like my husband. He likes Tshirts from the local college of whatever city we (or I) happen to be visiting. He wears them to work out in early, early in the morning - so no sane person is ever going to actually see him wearing it (says she who can not function that early in the morning.)

Donna MacMeans said...

Hi Ruth - I love the Live for Today, or the Carpe Diem variant. I saw one (in a catalogue) that said "Carpe Nocturne" which might suit me better as I'm always up at night. Thanks for stopping by.

Cassondra - I bet you do have Tshirts out the Wazoo. I get a catalogue you might enjoy - The Music Stand? It has lots of music related stuff. Not sure how I got on their mailing list. They've obviously never heard me singing along to the radio at the top of my voice.

I forgot you get to deliver this stuff. Man oh man, what a back breaker that must be at this time of year. I'm sure that inspires a few epitaphs worthy of a Tshirt or two.

Anna Campbell said...

Pam, you crack me up big time! I don't want Kylemore to take you away. I want you to stay right here!

Anna Campbell said...

And Suz, sprung about the golden rooster! I am indeed taking advantage of the time difference. The Olympic Committee is going to come and strip me of my GRs! And I'll lose that egg sponsorship deal.

Anna Campbell said...

Actually, one of the fun things about travelling is picking up presents, and they're often T-shirts. On the last trip, I got my nephews maraurding and pillaging Vikings at the York Viking museum (need I say more? They were definitely appropriate!). Annie who commented here has two wonderful children. I got her son a yellow NY taxi T-shirt with the flagfall on the back. And her daughter's T-shirt was my absolute fave. It's black with white Snoopy in a pirate hat on the front with the crossed bones. So cute - and even cuter that the first time she wore it, she went to a heavy metal concert! Love the idea of Snoopy with all the head bangers! Got my horsey teenage friend a Texas Rebel Cowgirl T-shirt in bright pink that looks a treat on her. And her brother an armadillo roadkill one about a cafe where you can eat it - tastes like chicken! All this gave me a great giggle, as you can imagine!

Hellie Sinclair said...

Well, yesterday I wore a Captain Jack Sparrow screened t-shirt across my chest. I also have "I *heart/skull & crossbones* Pirates" shirt; and a t-shirt with Jack Rackam's emblem--which gets a remarkable number of compliments from guys. I think I just look particularly chesty in it...and with a pirate emblem, a bit of a badass...

Shirts I'd like to own--I love Happy Bunny's sayings, like, "Hi Loser" or "It's not that I'm not listening, it's that I don't care" and my favorite: "You bore me." Mean, but hilarious. (I'm not sure why I find something so obviously mean to be amusing...but maybe it's my pirate cruel streak.)

Hellie Sinclair said...

Oh, I must get the pirate yo ho shirt!

Caren Crane said...

Foanna, I'll bet you have great fun picking up t-shirts when you're in the USA. We are mad about t-shirts!

Donna, of course I'm a Girl Scout leader. You don't think I do all that camping and hiking for fun, do you? I've been a leader for 10 years--only five more to go before the youngest is finished. Woo hoo!

Oh, and if you take off the collar, you have a lovely round, lower neckline. It's much more flattering for everyone, believe me! I don't usually cut off the sleeves or remove them (though I have), but I usually roll them up.

My current favorite t-shirt is a faded Rolling Stones t-shirt I got on a clearance table at Target. It totally looks like it's from back in the day! My other favorite is from the Franz Ferdinand concert tour last year. I have tons of concert t-shirts! (all without collars *g*)

Anna Campbell said...

Caren, been meaning to say I think Franz Ferdinand are the biz!

Caren Crane said...

Foanna, my sister separated by a very large ocean, sing with me: "That's why we only work when...we need the money!" *g*

Kate Carlisle said...

Very fun post. I'm trying to think of all the slogans I've worn over the years and I can't think of any, LOL, which just means I must be going senile. Can I get a t-shirt for that? ;-)

I don't really wear them anymore myself for all the reasons already mentioned. But I did give a baby t-shirt to my friend who just became a grandmother. It said "What Happens at Grandma's Stays at Grandma's."

I think the pirate Yo Ho shirt is the winner!

Keira Soleore said...

Donna, I loved the "Don't make me use my Opera Voice" for DogLady.

Is there a T-shirt with a yellow rooster on it? Foanna sure is asking for us to inflict one on her.

As a former nerd, I love this one... On the front it says, "Shroedinger's cat is dead." On the back it says, "Shroedinger's cat is not dead."

Then there the one that has the chemical molecule for caffeine.

I need one with a jar of Nutella on it saying, "Taste this." NOOoooo00o...

Keira-runs-away

Christine Wells said...

Hi Donna, loved those slogans, especially the opera voice! I'd like one from The Simpsons--
I used to be with it, then they changed what IT was.

Cassondra said...

Oh, kid t-shirts. We always give little ones Search & Rescue t-shirts--stuff from fire or rescue agencies. It's cute to see a tiny two-year-old with an FDNY shirt with "STAY BACK 500 FEET" on the back.

This Christmas we're giving my father in law a shirt that says "I'm confused....wait...maybe I'm not" I think it's from the What On Earth catalog.

Last year my brother in law got him a shirt that read "Old Guys Rule."

He LOVES it!

pearl said...

Enjoyable post which gives me much to ponder. A saying on a T-shirt that I love is, Love is the errant dream. This is absolutely my ultimate fave ever. T-shirts are so apropos everything.

Helen said...

I am loving these slogans there are some really good ones out there I have a lot of promotional T-Shirts that were given to us at work that we had to wear for the different promotions one of them had Pigs Might Fly on it and little pigs all over it that was a great one to wear lots of comments from the patrons.
Have Fun
Helen

anne said...

Great post. Thanks. I have T-shirts galore which I enjoy wearing, but I have to admit to a special one. My adorable Maltese, is captured beautifully on it and underneath is his name, Puccini. My Pooch.

Donna MacMeans said...

Anna - Tshirts make great gifts - easy to pack - easy to wrap - easy to ship. I do get a bit miffed when I see a $25 price tag on a Tshirt with a little more than a pretty picture and the name of a city on it. I like the cheap versions that come with attitude - displayed prominently across the chest ;-)

Donna MacMeans said...

Mshellion - I think part of the appeal of the Tshirt slogan is that you can wear something snarky that under normal circumstances you'd never say. You might think it, but never say it *g*.

I believe I found the pirate you had me at yo ho at cafepress.

Donna MacMeans said...

Keira - I'm sure there's some suitable wake-the-dead, bright & cheerful rooster Tee that we can award at a suitable Bandita gathering. I will spring for it myself if it comes with a battery operated rooster crow that I can remotely activate with the touch of a button (evil grin).

doglady said...

I think you are so right, Donna. T-shirts allow us to express things we are thinking, but it is just too impolitic to say. When my Dad was alive he and my Mom had matching t-shirts - OLD GEEZER and OLD GEEZER'S WIFE. He loved that shirt! Anna C if Kylemore takes me away I promise to come back and visit. (SNORK) I have to get my niece the Yo Ho t-shirt as she is a HUGE Captain Jack fan. We had these lifesized cutouts of Captain Jack and Will Turner at Wal-Mart to promote the movie. Once the promotion was over I commandeered them and gave them to my niece. Any wonder the child loves me?? Another of my favorite t-shirts is my Beethoven t-shirt with the caption "Topping the charts for 200 years" and my Mozart t-shirt that says First Rock Superstar.

Keira Soleore said...

Aha, Donna. I bet that'll make Foanna's crow into a meow. ;)

Anna Campbell said...

Crow???!!! MEOW???!!! I'll have you know I'm a musical girl - I BACH!

Donna MacMeans said...

Anne - Those dog Tshirts are cute. However, (ahem) I have the cutest dog in the word, but no Tee. She's a mutt and they just don't seem to make Tshirts for that breed *g* Thanks for visiting.

Pearl - I like that too. It's so serene and romantic. I'm afraid most of the slogans I've seen in reference to love have a more love-spurned feel to them.

Helen - I'm not far from Cincinnati where flying pigs are the city's mascots *g*. See you can where your shirt over here and fit right in!

Donna MacMeans said...

Caren - I'm definitely going to try the collarless thing - and I found a Tshirt for you. It says - The voices in my head told me to buy more shoes!

Cassondra - I love the little ones in the big shirts - makes me think of when my kids played soccer and their shirts came down to their knees.

Doglady - you're going to make Trish jealous. Oh wait, she has her own life-size Captain Jack.

H Maree Davis said...

Just yesterday I threw out a T with a strategically placed 'wish these were brains' but I still love my 'I am woman, I am invincible, i am tired!'

My all time fave is probly one I bought dh. I'd spent the year on a station out of Kunnunnurra and he'd been working in Europe, there was a t shirt that had a little Eiffel tower, big ben, the leaning tower . . . and a boab tree.

Guess what my mouse is resting on? A verrry niiice romance bandits mouse pad. Thanks Cassondra!

H! :)

Lily said...

T-shirts with logo... personnally I am not a big fan of them!!

However there is one that is funny - in my situation: Trust Me... I'm a doctor!

jenna said...

What a great post! T-shirts sure are a wonderful resource. Books are my best friend, for life. On my T-shirt.

Nathalie said...

A romance novel title on at-shirt... great idea, but the question is which book!!

Though I have never worn a t-shirt with a slogan on it!

Donna MacMeans said...

HI all

FWIW - I have to leave for a bit. I'm heading to my aerobics class (in my Double Trouble Tshirt) now but I'm supposed to participate in a chat with coffeetimeromance at 9:00 tonight (EST) or 6:00PM (PST) depending on which coast you're on. This will be my first chat - yes, I'm a chat virgin ;-) but feel free to drop in and harass me. I'll be back to this blog afterwards to comment and choose the winner of Mrs. Brimley -

Amy Andrews said...

Love the yo ho slogan.

There's a really funny one I've seen around but it's a bit rude. The print is done in an eye chart style with each line getting a little smaller.

R E A D T H I
S W H I L E
I L O O K A
T Y O U
R T I
T S
Amy

Amy Andrews said...

Oh damn - when I published that last comment the formatting changed. Trust me its much harder to make out the slogan on the actual shirt and rude as it is, I laughed my head off when I figured it out.

Amy

Donna MacMeans said...

h maree Davis - LOL on the brains tee Not sure what a boab tree is, but I've got a good imagination (smile).

Lily - As I mentioned, I only wear Tshirts for aerobics, but other than my ROMANCE shirt, I don't think I have a lot of shirts with writing on them. I do like to read the slogans in the catalogues, though

Downundergirl - That's funny, but I imagine- given a typical eye chart - that the inverted triangle would end well below the targeted area.

Donna MacMeans said...

Jenna -

You are the winner of a signed copy of Mrs. Brimley. If you go to my website at www.DonnaMacMeans.com and send me an email, I'll get that in the mail to you pronto.

Thanks everyone for the fun comments

Hellie Sinclair said...

Donna, *grins* Nah, I'm the kind of person who would say most of those things on T-shirts. Okay, not the Happy Bunny ones because saying, "Hi Loser" to people is slightly ruder than I usually intend to be. But "You had me at yo ho" would be something I'd say.

P.S. I scarfed down your book in practically one sitting. It was so delicious! That scene with the paintbrushes was also so unbelievably hot! I can't wait to read your next book! Thank you, thank you.

hrdwrkdmom aka Dianna said...

Most of the T-shirts I wear have the hospital logo on them. My son's favorite is the one with the grim reaper on it. We "lost" it for a while but it is found again...LOL