Introducing… The Keats Tee!

Being the mama of a 3.5-year-old, I see a lot of scribbles, doodles and paintings.  Although mostly by other kids as my son prefers to BUILD the world’s largest marble racer or train track (a.k.a. “super awesome track”) rather than DRAW it.  A tiny part of my artsy, crafty heart shatters as he shuns crayons and and scoffs at paint.  It’s alright, once he’s old enough to understand that he can draw a detailed schematic of said marble racer and train track, he’ll be begging me for paper and markers.  But wait… this isn’t about my son, is it?

Enter Keats Burnett.

A wide-eyed, sweetheart of a kid who went to preschool with my son.  Everyday at the beginning of school, Keats could be found sitting at the small-person-sized table surrounded by sheets of paper and a tub of Crayolas.  It was obvious how much pleasure putting wax to wood gave him and he had a stack of masterpieces to prove it.  I know what you’re thinking – a kid that likes to draw, cute, but so what, my kid draws too and you don’t see me making a shirt out of it.

Well, right before Keats’s fourth birthday, my son and I went to his house for a play date.  After we did the usual scoping out of his toys (namely assessing the train situation), I passed by the refrigerator and saw this hanging up there.

“This is me walking in slippers.”

It struck me in a way that most refrigerator art doesn’t.  The quirky little person with big feet was impressive enough but then the title that he gave the drawing was just perfect – too perfect for a then 3-year-old.  I said, “I HAVE to make a shirt out of this!”  Keats’s mom explained that he had a ton of other ones too – he would draw these things and then assign a title to them that she would write next to it.  And then she brought out the stack – like a 12 inch stack – and she said that wasn’t even all of them!  And they were all just as amazing as the slippers one.

I knew right then and there that we’d struck gold!  How fun to make shirts that literally came from the brain of a child but that are also witty and interesting enough to make even adults chuckle.

Here are a just a few of our faves from the first inch of the stack (seriously, they were all reeeeeeeeeally good).  We’d love to hear which one(s) are your faves and that you’d like to see on our next Keats tee.

“This is me eating a pea and a bad guy.”

“This is me trying to pick up a big lollipop.”

“These are all my teachers.”

“Max” (his cousin).

“Me in a hula hoop being silly.”

“Me standing on an apple.”

“Dad Mad.”  One of my personal faves.  Keats’s dad (a.k.a “Mad Dad”) said to me, “I’ve been mad at Keats like one time in his life and he decides to document that ONE time!”

A special thanks to Keats for loaning us his work and also to his parents for allowing us to exploit their talented child!

Oh yes and you can buy the shirt here at our online store.  It comes in a 2T, 4T and 6T on the softest, comfiest, vintagey tee you’ve ever felt!

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