Covenant Youth has won the January-February T-Shirt Contest with 54 votes!  They have earned $100.00 off their next order, Great Job!

CBET was super close with 49 Votes! So I wanted to give them honorable mention!

Over the last 4-5 years American Apparel has taken the screenprinting industry by storm with a very nice lighterweight T-Shirt that is truly a superior T-shirt.  But, American Apparel thinks that making a nice shirt is not enough.  They have resorted to advertising that ranges from suggestive to downright pornographic! I am suggesting Tultex as an alternative, or if anyone has any other suggestions pleas let us know.  It seems pretty basic, but I believe it is better to use an alternative than to support American Apparel.

Read More Here: http://www.terriblypoetic.com/design/why-i-wont-buy-american-apparel/

-Don Kick

Generally Speaking, including a date on your shirts will just make them obsolete faster, so it's best to avoid putting an event date on T-Shirts unless you have a specific reason to include one.

If you've ever tried to get rid of leftover T-Shirts after the event date on the shirt.  You know what I'm talking about.

Nobody want's to wear a shirt with last years date on it, but last years shirt without a date on it becomes a rare collectors item worn with pride, as if to say "I know my way around, stick with me!"

There are exceptions to every rule, for example,"Hawaii 09" is brilliant, since each time someone comes to Hawaii they feel the need to get an updated shirt.  But generally our ministries are not as glamorus and Hawaii. 

I just thought I would post some inspirational Bible verses here that would work well for T-Shirts.  I will be adding to the list...  so please, send me your suggestions!

Phil 4:13:  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Prov 3:5: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Matt 5:16: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

John 13:35: By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Phil 1:6: being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Rom 8:39: neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matt 11:29-30: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Isa 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Heb 11:1: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Yes, we make cheap T-Shirts!!! There, I said it.

We'll, not cheap T-Shirts, I prefer to call them High Quality T-Shirts for an extremely good value but that just sounds like I'm showing off!  So lets call it a cheap T-Shirt, so we all know what we are talking about here.

We can provide many suggestions on how to save money when ordering your "Cheap T-Shirts"...  There are a few things that effect the price so you can pick and choose to find the price that it right for you.

1.) Get Bulk Discounts when you order More shirts.  This usually isn't real helpful, Since... if you need 36 shirts its because you only need 36 shirts, ordering 72 is not going to make much sense even if it will be cheaper by $1.00 per shirt since you are going to be stuck with 36 of them!

2.) Order white T-Shirts instead of a color.  This is a good one!  By ordering a white T-Shirt you can save yourself $1.00 per person as opposed to ordering the same exact Black T-shirt!

3.) Only print one side.  This is obvious, right, Printing on the front and the back of T-Shirts is more expensive than just printing on the front only or the back only.  This can make your T-Shirts cheaper by a dollar or two depending on the specifics of your order.

4.) Use fewer ink colors.  Each color that is printed on your shirts requires its own screen and each screen means more labor and hence...  More money.  Go Cheap, Our designers can help you eliminate colors by getting a 6 color design down to 3 or even a 3 color design down to 1.  Save some big bucks here!

5.) Ask for special sale pricing on T-Shirts.  This can save you a little, but the best part is you don't have to give up on anything.  Usually we like to use the same shirt on all of your orders just to be consistent, but if your willing to have us change around to find the best deal we can usually make your cheap shirts just a little cheaper.  It never hurts to ask!

So, how cheap is a cheap T-Shirt?

So, here is what we have...  A sale priced (White) T-Shirt, with a single color print on the front or back only. Depending on the quantity you want...

144 Shirts $2.95each! 

96 Shirts $3.75each!

72 Shirts $4.45each!

48 Shirts $4.85each!

24 Shirts $6.25each!

Go Crazy and order 432 shirts...  they are only $2.35each!!!!

Remember you still get our free Shipping, and our free design with every order, that is what I call a Cheap T-Shirt!

That's a great looking Cheap T-Shirt.

What should be considered when choosing between a 50/50 Blend T-Shirt or a 100% cotton? Aside from some personal preference, here are the differences.

50/50 Blend T-Shirts are a blend of Cotton and Polyester.  Polyester is more durable than cotton, it holds its shape better than 100% Cotton (no shrinking). On Dark colored T-Shirts, the polyester will hold the color much longer too!

100% Cotton T-Shirts in contrast to the 50/50 T-Shirts are less durable, the T-Shirt color will fade faster and they will shrink a little (Although most T-Shirts today are Pre-Shrunk cotton to avoid some of this problem). They will be much more comfortable to wear, and keep you cooler in hot weather!

There are also other blends available that try and get a better balance between the two, like a 60/40 blend, and many sweatshirts are 90/10 or 80/20 just to complicate things.

The choice is yours, there is no right or wrong answer here.  But here is my theory, kids are messy, and they don't seem to be bothered by the heat, so I prefer 50/50 for the kids, and 100% cotton for the adults.

Thats just my 2 cents.