Our Heart Tee began as a birthday shirt for our second baby. We kept coming back to the heart shape our kids were drawing—at the library coloring table, on foggy windows, with a little heart-shaped hole punch at home. It felt close to the small things already around us, which was part of why we wanted to put it on a shirt.
The idea was a birthday tee that still belonged with everyday clothes. Something special could happen in it, and then it could be a shirt again the next morning.
A design that can come along afterward
We block print the Heart Tee by hand, pressing each heart individually. The lines and ink impressions vary a little, so each shirt has its own details within that familiar shape.
A tee with an age or a date on it can be a lovely birthday choice too. If you want something that moves easily back into the regular drawer, an everyday motif is another way to mark the occasion. The photographs and the day itself can hold the birthday connection.
You don't have to choose a heart. A favorite fruit or insect may be much more interesting to the person having the birthday. The Strawberry Tee and Ladybug Tee are two possibilities. If the child wants to choose, a couple of suitable options can leave space for their opinion without making the decision enormous.
Make the outfit comfortable for that day
A birthday tells you the child's age, but it doesn't necessarily tell you the size of shirt that will fit. For a gift, ask their grown-up what they're wearing now, or for the measurements of a tee that works well.
Compare the chest and body length, and think about the sleeves with the rest of the outfit. Buying a much larger size doesn't guarantee the shirt will be useful for longer. It still needs to feel good for the occasion you're choosing it for.
There may already be a pair of jeans, joggers or shorts in the drawer that makes the new tee feel like an outfit. We'd start there. Those familiar clothes can be part of the celebration and make it easier for the shirt to be worn again afterward.
Leave the tradition a little room
A family photo, a favorite cake, a song that comes back each year—there are lots of ways a birthday becomes recognizable to a family. The shirt doesn't need to carry every part of it.
You might keep it when it's outgrown, pass it along, or simply let it be worn for as long as it fits. We like the idea of a small tradition that has room to change with the people in it. Our own heart design began with a particular birthday; someone else's reason for choosing it can be completely their own.
Our graphic tee guide gets into the cotton, printing and other practical details. For a birthday, we'd give those things their usual attention, then enjoy finding a drawing the child will be glad to see on their shirt.
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