I know it's a little early but really not too early to start thinking about crafting Christmas gifts. Here’s an idea to add sparkle to your Christmas cheer by custom designing your own Christmas clothing or give a hand crafted gift for the holidays. Using clip-art with the MS Office programs (Word, Works, PowerPoint, Publisher), you can create your own unique design which can then be printed to iron-on transfer paper and applied to an article of clothing or other fabric items. You can apply the transfer to the front of a t-shirt or sweatshirt, across the bottom of a pair of sweats, over the pocket of a shirt, down the leg of a pair of jeans etc. Another great gift idea is to apply the transfer to the edge of a set of sheets for a one of a kind bed ensemble. Let your imagination run.

Whenever I am working with graphics in the MS Office environment, I prefer to work in PowerPoint because it gives me the greatest flexibility, so these instructions will be referencing PowerPoint commands. You can accomplish the same results with other MS Office Products but the commands will vary depending on which program you are using.

Here is what you will need to succeed: Clothing or other fabric article, Avery Transfer Paper, Steam Iron and Ironing Board, Cotton Cloth (Towel or Pillow case works well). Read your printer manual to determine if it has the capability to print a mirror image. Remember, the image must be on the transfer paper in mirror image in order for it to transfer to your fabric correctly. If your printer does not have that capability, then you will need to use your software to reverse the image. The command to use in PowerPoint is on the Draw tool bar: Draw | Rotate or Flip | Flip Horizontal.

Steps to take:
• Select the graphic you want to use – if not already in digital format, then you will need to scan it into a jpg file. For this you could use a photograph, clip-art or an image that your create in PowerPoint, Publisher, Visio, Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. The fun is in the creativity. Be sure to use vivid imagery and colors.
• Insert the image into PowerPoint. Once it is in PowerPoint, you can creatively work with the image.
• When you are satisfied with your image, use the Flip Horizontal command to create your mirror image.
• Take a test print on regular paper to insure your image is printing in mirror and is of the size and shape that you expected.
• Load the transfer paper into your printer one sheet at a time. Print your image on the transfer paper.
• Follow the instructions on the Avery Transfer Paper box to apply your transfer to your fabric item.

My best advice is to take your time in applying the transfer to your fabric. Follow the instructions carefully to get the perfect results you want. If you are at all unsure of your skill or the technique, then I would suggest that you use some old fabric on which to practice. It will cost you a little bit extra in "wasted" transfer paper but my save you the cost of your good article of clothing. Good luck and have fun being creative.