The decorations. The treats. The ridiculous costumes.

Halloween has to be one of our favorite holidays here at CafePress. Especially when it comes to donning fabtastic costumes, haunted houses, and thinking outside of the box. And the costumes: homemade, store-bought or a mixture of both, it’s always a treat (and sometimes a trick if they’re disguised well enough) to see who wears what, especially the kiddies of CafePressers!

This year, we’re encouraging everyone to share their costumes with us – because we love creativity, self-expression and copious amounts of zombie face paint. (Umm, who doesn’t love that? No. One.) And, if you share a Halloween costume photo on our Facebook page Halloween photo contest, you’ll have a chance to win a FREE custom photo mug. Simply “Like” us on Facebook, upload a photo of your child or pet in a Halloween costume, and VOTE! The top 25 most voted will get those free photo mugs.

Now how’s that for a fun Halloween memory? We think its better than a pillowcase full of candy. Or possibly better than a house-full of kids bouncing off the walls from a candy-induced sugar rush. Coffee is often the answer to life’s many unanswerable questions.

So don’t forget to upload your photo after you’re done trick or treating tonight, and VOTE on your favorite photo! Our contest ends Friday, 11/4. Dress to impress, oh yes.

If you have children – or have children on your shopping list, hint, hint –

then make a bee-line for My KIdentity. It’s a fun CafePress shop specializing in kid-themed designs (although there are also plenty of products, according to shopkeeper Alisha Joseph, for adults who never quite grew up).

Alisha gets much of the inspiration for her designs right from the source – yes, her children. As a mother of two adorable kids, oftentimes she simply watches what they do, and how they act, to come up with fresh ideas. “Right out of my kids’ mouths,” Alisha explains. They’re often her muse for topics from camping and kid humor to siblings and school.

Truth be told, though, it’s not easy being creative around the children, she’s quick to point out. You try drawing on a tablet, working on the laptop or create “kid-looking” text on the couch, while children climb on you.

Ah, the sacrifices we make as artists… But the rewards are many. Perhaps just as important as the money Alisha earns from selling designs in her shop, she also enjoys the praise. Her proudest moment? “The very first time a stranger noticed one of my kids’ shirts and shared a compliment with me,” she explains. “They hadn’t known it was my design.”

Well, consider this another compliment. You’re doing a great job and bringing a lot of joy (and smiles) to parents, grandparents and everyone who loves the joy of childhood.

The heat is on this summer, as I’m sure many of you in the Midwest and on the East Coast are experiencing to a tee right now. Personally, if I were experiencing that heat right now, I’d be hogging the air conditioning between bouts of sticking my face in the freezer.  I was never that good at sharing…and heat only supports that quality in me.

Well, we can’t change the heat wave for you, but we have an alternative – enter CafePress’s new Performance Dry T-Shirts. Made for sports and fitness performance, these wouldn’t be such a bad idea for a hot, sweaty day either, with their ability to wick moisture away from your body, keeping you cool and comfortable while you’re busy being active. Voila! Almost as easy as running a marathon. (tee hee…)

Whether you’re a runner who cringes at the idea of cotton, a cross-fit aficionado, or have plans for a killer camping trip, don a dry-fit t-shirt in both men’s and women’s styles and a variety of colors that conveys just who you are and what you love. Because, after all, what’s better than showing off your passions on your sleeves – especially while you’re right in the thick of enjoying them.

As part of our ever-growing group who serve the major brands utilizing the services of CafePress (which includes corporations ranging from the teams behind Snoopy and Garfield to Someecards and Funny or Die), Christy is a people person. She’s also a T-shirt person. Which is what makes her such a perfect fit for the job here.

But as well as her knack for (and love of) finding the perfect T-shirts for a night on the town, listening to her favorite bands and meeting up with friends new and old, Christy loves reconstructing T-shirts. That is to say, she loves taking scissors and string (or whatever material strikes her fancy) and turning those T-shirts into a wearable work of art. She can shape them into her own unique form more suitable to her feminine frame, our puff them out for a casual look. In fact, no seam is safe when Christy gets that gleam in her eye.

Not surprisingly, she loves reconstructing T-shirts with designs from some of her clients. Here are a handful of them that she loves. Although, you might not recognize them when she’s done.

Music is My Life Mug: Since music is one of my favorite things, I just love this Schroeder Mug from the SnoopyStore. Not only does is feature Schroeder doing what he does best, it has a cute saying on the side that just makes this mug all the more adorable! You can purchase this mug, or mugs like this one here.

Nurse Jackie Fitted Tee: What can I say – I am a huge Edie Falco fan! Ever since her days on the Sopranos, I have been following Edie as an actress, and Nurse Jackie quickly became one of my favorite shows on Showtime! If you don’t have Showtime, get the DVDs or watch the series on YouTube! Nurse Jackie is a dark comedy, and I love this dark fitted t-shirt from American Apparel! It fits a little snug, so I recommend ordering a size or two up since American Apparel runs small.

Musing Keepsake Box: Caia is one of my favorite artists! I love her artistic feminine styled work and this keepsake box is one of my favorites! It is great for jewelry or anything small you want to store and would look great in a bathroom, coffee table or dresser.

Owl Love You Tote Bag: Owl bet you’ll love this tote bag!  I love to have a cute tote bag with me! I keep this handy in my car for stops at the grocery store, a quick trip to the beach, or just to lug around all my stuff!! This super simple, yet cute design always gets a lot of compliments when I am out shopping!

As part of our spirited design department, Gail knows a thing or two about eye-catching graphics. Not to mention what it takes to create a well-rounded design that appeals to both the eye and the mind.

In short, nothing boring is going to make it on her radar. You can see this in the fun CafePress designs that have created a spark in her eye. In Gail’s own words:

“You have to love the fact that we live in an era where half naked men on horses, Rebecca Black and sparkling vampires are part of our daily culture. I’m a designer, meme follower, free speech believer and a behaviorism fangirl. Designing for Cafepress is all about communication. Telling your story, speaking your mind and letting the world know who you are and where you stand in your beliefs in a T-shirt, mug or bumper sticker. I love seeing products that drive discussion and proudly make a statement.”

More specifically:

Real Hope. Real Change Decal: Real Hope. Real Change. A great reference to pop culture and Shepard Fairey’s art, this bumper sticker is sure to give your cars bumper attention.

Born This Way 2-Sided T-Shirt: Born This Way is a great play on the bar code as an icon and the incredibly fast moving social changes going on in the country.

Schoolgirl Mini Button: 22.88 million people would appreciate this button’s love of the smart and the goth.

Carpe Bacon T-Shirt: Carpe Bacon. Meat lovers unite and seize the bacon!

If your walls could talk, they’d tell a lot about you.

They can tell people what your favorite colors are, what bands and movies you like, or even your favorite artist. Yup, I’m talking about those cool prints, posters, photographs, and now, something completely new from CafePress – Wall Decals!

Your room and house are the perfect places for self-expression – your passions, your hobbies, loves and interests that make you who you are. And now we’ve added this new product as another interesting type of wall art. Show your walls some love.

Our wall decals come in a variety of different shapes and sizes to fit any space you have, big or small. Choose from rectangular or oval shapes, which start at 21” X 7”, up to 38.5” X 24.5” and medium sizes in between.

Then comes the problem of mounting your posters and prints; you can get yourself into a pretty sticky situation – literally and figuratively. Since our wall decals are made of a reusable vinyl with a special adhesive, they stick to your walls without leaving any marks or damage. So if you decide that running decal looks a lot better on the wall by the door (an extra bit of motivation?) than in your room, you can move it in a breeze. It’ll save you from spending some dough on tape or that putty stuff to force your posters to stay on the wall!

Take a look at all of the wall decals, which start at $13, and start decorating!

When our pal Joey isn’t working the phones to drive up sales, he’s at the driving range working on his golf game. Particularly his long game, as he seems to be fairly confident about his short game (see design choice below).

In fact, Joey is such a golf nut he tries to recruit fellow CafePressers to join him for a quick 9 holes in the morning before work, at a course near the office. Since few of us are early risers, he hasn’t had much luck filling-out his foursome. But if we would join Joey on the course, chances are he would be wearing one of his favorite T-shirt from his favorites below:

I Like Big Putts T-Shirt: When the pressure is on, my putting game is on. Sometimes.

I Hate/Love Golf T-Shirt: Uhhh … I think this one explains itself …(see the golf t-shirt version here)

Tiger Blood T-Shirt: It’s not old (yet).

Sunday Funday T-Shirt: Sundaywear – it’s where the heart is for football fans.

I Never Finish Anythi T-Shirt: This is a really funny shir

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Apr 14th, 2011

CafePress New Product Alert: Shot Glasses

Not actual size of shot glass. Although that would be cool if it were.

We like your CafePress shopping experience to be like your favorite adult beverage: no bite, with a smooth finish. And now, we may be able to help you with that when it comes to your drinks too.

Introducing one of CafePress’s newest product additions – shot glasses! You can now find a plethora of cool designs to add a little flair to your next party.

Long gone are the days of traveling on vacations collecting clear shot glasses as your trip souvenir. Although hokey can be awesome (who doesn’t love a cactus-shaped shot glass?), sipping your favorite aperitif from one that you designed yourself has an added element of satisfaction to enjoy along with your drink. Gift stores around the nation may get jealous.

And with wedding season almost here, think of the great bachelor and bachelorette parties that will benefit from personalized shot glasses. They’ll certainly get some good attention (and maybe a free drink or two?), and could make some great party favors.

Our shot glasses are made of premium ceramic and come in two different colors, all white and white with a black interior for those mystery drinks.

So take a load off this weekend and enjoy responsibly. We’ll hold you to it.

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