From Geek to Chic: What to do with all those old tees....

I've seen countless articles advocating that you save all your kids old tees to make a special blankie. But what about all those, ahem, not so special tees. The ones from school fundraisers, 5 seasons of little league and the truly hideous "souvenier" your inlaws sent back from the islands.... And if that was not enough - there are all the freebie work tees. My husband brings one home every week. They are all geek themed (he works in the tech industry), unfashionably oversized and until recently, destined to polish silver or at best, be worn only while painting.

But get ready to get out your scissors and give those tees a second chance. Megan Nicolay has written a book that allows even the most non-crafty, non-sewers among us to make functional, hip and fabulous garments and accessories from these cast-offs. The book is called Generation Tee - 108 Ways to Transform a Tee Shirt. The directions are simple and straight-foward. And while I can't say I flipped over every idea (t-shirt earrings? I think not), some of the designs are downright inspired.

There is something for everyone, from the conservative girly-girl to risque punk mamas. Several of the styles work equally well for kids clothes. There are even maternity styles and instructions for crafting everything from an ipod holder to yes... a special blankie. The book actually has some useful ideas for recycling tees you've loved long and hard. Into something other than a throw. The best part is, whatever you make, no-one else is ever going to have one quite like it.

Generation T 108 Ways to Transform a Tee Shirt, is available from Amazon.com. You can also check out a couple of projects at the author's website.