Can you remember your best summer memories?
If you’re a longtime reader, then you probably know that, while we are Chicagoland natives, my husband and I spent five years living in sunny Las Vegas. My eldest son was born there, actually. Even though I had a hard time adjusting to it at first, eventually we fell completely in love with Vegas, the many friends we made, and some of our best summer memories that we had there.
We’ve been back in Illinois for about three years now, and have not had the opportunity to go back to Vegas – until now!! Finally, we’re getting to visit our old haunts and friends again! My husband has a conference this week, so I’m tagging along. Since I still work (remotely) for my Vegas company, I’m actually going to be going to work while he’s in seminars all day! We’ll definitely be snagging some vacation time as well, but it’s a great excuse for a quick getaway – and we could use one!
We’ve been in need of some couple time lately with our busy schedules. To celebrate our upcoming trip, we decided to have a little at-home date night dining on our patio fire pit table. After dropping our sons off at daycare, I popped into CVS for a few last minute necessities.
I LOVE CVS for a quick, convenient stop. Just grab and go, no crazy lines or huge stores to traverse.
Check out the Best Summer Ever Deals at your local CVS. Buy 2 20oz bottles of Coca-Cola products for $3
As I was passing the soda cooler, the Coca-Cola™ display caught my eye. Coca-Cola is a household fave anyway, but I love how they always have fun new packaging. They are currently doing a “Share a Coke and a Song” theme, and I won’t lie, I had to inspect all the available lyrics!
I love music, and I love how it can transport you through time. I have so many memories with music.
Haven’t you ever heard a song and it instantly reminded you of a certain place or person?
Amazing how music works like that.
Glancing over the various lyrics on the Coca-Cola bottles, I was suddenly reminded of a few Vegas summer memories, and an idea popped into my head. I snagged a few bottles with the rest of my stuff and headed home.
These bottles totally reminded me of so many Vegas memories; club hopping as newlyweds, warm summer evenings with our infant son, and great times with all the friends we made there.
While enjoying our dinner date night, we reminisced on a few of these memories, inspired by the fun song lyrics on the Coca-Cola bottles I grabbed. The dinner spread was pretty sweet too. Ahi tuna, cooked to perfection by my hubby – something I never expected to like until sampling it in a trendy Vegas restaurant.
A delicious al fresco dinner and planning our short Vegas getaway? Sigh, perfection.
Discussing our getaway made my mind go into “packing mode” – and I panicked.
I’ve been shopping my closet for my vacation wardrobe (and cringing over my deplorable selection), wishing I had the budget to pick up all the cute summer outfits I’ve been eyeing on Instagram. I’ve been in love with the latest surge of what I call “quotation” clothes – you know, those super soft v-necks and tanks with fun or meaningful quotes or lyrics on them. I’ve said repeatedly I could make a few for myself, but haven’t gotten to it. Well, no time like the present, right!?
What you will need:
Tank top or tee of choice
Iron on material
Cutting machine or stencil
Iron
Imagination 🙂
While I’m a big proponent of spending money on quality clothes, sometimes you can snag some comfy pieces for cheap. My tank was only $4 – VERY budget friendly!
I had some white and red iron on material in my stash already, so that worked out well. When trying to decide on lyrics to use, I started perusing my Vegas playlist.
Yes, I have a Vegas-themed playlist.
Obviously I considered the classics – Viva Las Vegas, A Little Less Conversation, Luck Be A Lady . . .but as much as I love the old school lounge style, I also love some of the newer Vegas-y songs. When it came down to it, it was a no-brainer.
I love waking up in Vegas! You will too, if you make this cute pajama tank #BestSummerMemories Share on X
I mean, do you know how many times I woke up to Chicago gray and wished it were Vegas blue??
First, I grabbed my supplies. Second, I made my design. Once I had my lyrics, I opened up my Silhouette software and got to work.
Here’s what I ended up with:
I’ll list all my fonts below, with links on where to get them. 🙂
Once I had my design, I split my heart onto a different layer and made my cuts.
Whatever iron on material you buy should come with directions, but you basically always want to flip the image to cut, and load your material in with the lining on the bottom. This makes it easy to “weed” the negative space around your design.
Translation: gingerly pick away all the material that surrounds your design.
When you are done weeding, it should look like this:
The above view is how it will look after weeding. You will flip the design onto your shirt for ironing. I intended to do two layers, so I had to iron on my bottom layer first.
Set your iron to the setting recommended on your material. For me, that was Cotton, or High. I laid the iron on the design for a few seconds, then lifted and moved to new section. I repeated this for the first 15 seconds, then I was able to smoothly glide the iron over the whole design. You won’t need more than 30 seconds or so, but stick to the rules on your specific material. Wait for it to cool, then peel back the liner.
Apply the second layer and repeat.
And then enjoy the reveal! I’m totally packing this with my favorite jammie pants. Nothing like “Waking Up In Vegas”!!!
When I’m slightly less self conscious, maybe I’ll add in a modeling pic – but just know I LOVE this tank! I can’t wait to wear it and make my best summer memories IN VEGAS!!!
Do you want to create your #BestSummerMemories this year? Do you want to reminisce on old memories, and maybe create a sweet playlist for yourself? I definitely recommend you download the Shazam App (available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, etc.) to get your Coca-Cola Share a Song. The app helps you figure out the song if you don’t recognize it. 🙂
Fonts used above include: Lovely Melissa, Champagne & Limousines, and Evelyn.
How would you create your #BestSummerMemories by using the “Share a Coke and a Song” app?
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