How to Tie Dye with Acrylic Paints

When we were brainstorming different ideas for my 8-year old daughter's birthday party, we quickly settled upon having a tie dye theme.  In case you haven't been around 8 year olds lately, they can be all about tie-dye, peace signs, hearts and rainbows, so it seemed like the perfect plan.

However, once I thought about it a little more, I was worried it would be tricky to pull off.  Regular tie-dying often involves presoaking the fabric, dying it, wrapping it up and waiting several hours before rinsing it out.  That definitely would be tricky to pull off in a 3-hour time frame for our party.  Plus, it's often recommended to use 100% cotton fabrics, and that would rule out the pillowcases and socks we were hoping to tie dye.

Luckily, we decided on an alternative that worked out really well...  using watered-down acrylic paints instead of regular dye.

Check it out...

That rainbow of bottles was filled with the watered-down paint that was really easy to use and all those colorful shirts and pillowcases were ready to take home at the end of the party.  (NOTE:  They were still a little damp, but we simply put them in plastic bags as the girls left and they hung them up to finish drying when they got home.)

Here's what you'll need:

 * plastic squeeze bottles ( found ours in Walmart in the food storage section, but spray bottles could also work)

* acrylic paints (they're available in tons of colors and are often less than $1 a bottle)

* fabric textile medium ( found with the acrylic paints in most craft stores)  Optional but I'd recommend it

* smocks and containers to catch the paint (We use disposable lab coats as smocks and they're awesome!)

* variety of items to dye ( we did pillowcases, t-shirts, and socks) and rubber bands



Here's what to do...

1.  Add the water and fabric textile medium to your acrylic paint.  The textile medium is optional but it helps to soften up the paint so the shirt is not as stiff when it's dry.   For each of the colors, I poured  one bottle of acrylic paint and half a bottle of the textile medium into the squeeze containers.  Then I filled up the empty acrylic bottle three times with water and added that in.  (So the ratio is 1/2 part textile medium, 1 part paint, 3 parts water - but you can experiment with your own ratios)  Then shake well to mix. 

2.  Repeat with the other colors you'll be using on your shirts, pillowcases, etc.  (That's the other awesome thing about using acrylic paints, there are sooo many colors available so it's a lot easier to find the perfect colors for you)

3. If you're doing this for a party or group of kids, you'll want to get all your supplies together and try to minimize the mess.  Because the paint will stain clothes once it dries, I gave each of the girls a smock.  I actually used these disposable lab coats (affiliate link) and they worked great to really cover all their clothes. 

I covered my tables with plastic tablecloths.  Then  put out bowls of rubber bands and some spray bottles on one table and then the paints, trays and rubber gloves on another.

4.  Next it was time to get dying!  I had the girls lightly mist their shirts, pillowcases or socks with a spray bottle of water, then put on the rubber bands.   (I had to help some of them with the rubber banding step)  Once everything was all tied up, they were ready for the color.  I instructed the kids to hold the tip up the bottle right up against the fabric so the color went into the fabric instead of squirting everywhere, but we did do each color over the disposable pans so I could collect any extra paint and put it back in the containers.

A few tips I gave the kids...

* Try to stick to two or three colors for the best effects.
* Try not to put yellow/purple, blue/orange, or red/green next to each other or they may mix together to make a yucky brown.
* Try to make sure you get plenty of paint in each area, but not so much that it's dripping off or it'll run into the other colors.

5.  When the items were dyed, we put them on plastic trays and tablecloths to soak in and set the colors.  After about an hour, I took off the rubberbands and held up each masterpiece so the kids could "oooh" and "ahhh" as their designs were revealed.  I hung up each piece so it could dry a little before it was time to take it home.

(NOTE:  Most of the items were just wet, but some of the girls went a little overboard and their items were still pretty sopping wet when I undid the rubber bands.  I simply squeezed them a little with an old towel to sop up some of the extra liquid so they weren't actually dripping onto my deck while they dried.)

Our finished products...

I instructed the parents to allow the items to dry then throw them in the dryer to heat set the colors.  After that, you can wash the items just as you would your regular t-shirts or pillow cases.

One final note about fabrics.  One of the good things about acrylic paints is that they'll "stick" even if the fabric is not 100% cotton.  Some of the pillowcases we used were a 60/40 cotton blend and others were microfiber (all synthetic).  The colors on the microfiber ones didn't seem as bright as on the cotton blend.  It may have been the combination of colors used, but I'd recommend staying away from microfiber items or testing it out first if you want more vibrant colors. 



Check out all the other fun foods and activities from our Tie Dye Birthday Party HERE.

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BIG Custom Sports Photo Poster Collage (super easy and Inexpensive)

Yesterday I shared the HUGE Custom Photo Poster I made for my girls' room.  My son was impressed when he saw it and wanted something similar, so I used the same concept with an engineering print, but made it a sports collage instead.

Check it out...

 

I knew I wanted something sports related to match his room and his interests, so I made a collage of him playing four different sports and added text labels.

 

 Again, I used PicMonkey.com to add the effects, make the collage and add the sports words.  This isn't a sponsored post or anything, but if you haven't tried PicMonkey for photo editing fun, you really should.  It's really easy and there's so much you can do.

I simply went to the collage page and chose the layout that I wanted, then added my pictures.  I changed all the photos to black and white, adjusted the sharpness and exposure, and cropped them to best show the action.  When I had everything looking the way I wanted, I hit "Edit" at the top of the collage page, and I was able to add the sports' names.  I rotated them to fit where I wanted them and everything was ready.

NOTE:  Because you'll be printing this out at 24"x36" , you'll want a 2:3 ratio when you're making the final pixel size of your collage so it fills the whole poster without being cut off.  It sounds really "math-y" but it's just simple multiplication tables.  You'll want the short side to be a number multiplied by 2 and the long side to be that same number multiplied by 3.  For example, mine was 1400 (700x2) by 2100 (700x3).

Once I got the collage the way I wanted it, I uploaded it to Staples again.  I chose the engineering print option in 24x36 and chose to fill the page with the image.  I picked up a black 24x36 frame.  (Black seems to be a lot easier to find than white and it was cheaper than the girls' white one ~ only $9 for the frame!)

My cat gets very curious when I'm doing projects!

I just popped the poster in the frame and I was good to go.  My son loved it!  I think it would be awesome to do this with any sports or hobbies ~ you could even make a big collage of a whole season's worth of photos or really with anything.  And at $4 a print (mine was actually $3.29) you could switch it out whenever you want.

 

 Pretty cool, isn't it?  And for about $13 total for the picture and frame, it's way better than any generic sports print you could buy for your wall!

HUGE, Custom Photo Poster (and it's REALLY inexpensive!)

Last year, I saw this awesome Giant Picture on Sugar Bee Crafts and knew I wanted to make something similar.  All I had to do was wait till I got the perfect photo that I would want to make giant-sized.  Well, last week I finally got that perfect shot of my girls and set out to make my own huge print.

Here it is...

Isn't it pretty?  It's 2 feet by 3 feet, so it's quite big, but fills the space above their big dresser just perfectly.  (For a tutorial on their pretty, fabric-covered dresser, go HERE).  Oh, and did I mention that this gorgeous big custom print cost under $4?  That's right, four bucks!  It was so inexpensive that I splurged and got an $18 white frame to display it in.  Just over $20 and such a wow factor when you walk in their room.

When even an 8x10 photo enlargement can easily cost $4 or more, how did I get an 24x36 print for the same price?  The secret is getting an engineering print at an office supply store or copy center.  (I used Staples).  Usually engineering prints are used for blue prints and such, but they also work fine for a black and white photo.

Here's what I did...

First, I used a photo I got of my girls at a flower garden near our home.

They're both smiling, hair is brushed, outfits match, pretty background ~ that's something to take a picture of for sure!

Next, I went on PicMonkey.com  (it's FREE and really user friendly) and changed the photo to black and white.  I also adjusted the brightness, contrast, and sharpness just a little bit so it looked nice and crisp in black and white.  Finally, I added the frost edges around the outer edge and put the year in the bottom right corner.

Finally, I went online to Staples and uploaded my picture.  (I imagine other copy centers have similar online ordering options, or you can just save your image to a flash drive and take it in) I chose the 24x36" size (the medium option) and selected to fill the frame with my image.  Within a few hours, I got the email that it was ready and went to pick it up.

The paper is thin, like regular copy paper, but the photo is surprisingly clear.

Here is where I differed from the original tutorial.  Mandy had opted for the largest 3x4 foot size, so she mounted hers on a large piece of foam.  I actually tried mounting mine on foam board, but it got a few wrinkles in it that I didn't really like.  Then I realized that 24x36 is a standard frame size.  I got another engineering print, then used a coupon so I was able to get a nice white frame for just $18.  The print is protected behind glass and I can spend just $4 again anytime I want to just switch out for a new picture.  

Oh, and the bottom of the picture looks a little blurry and hazy with a line running across their arms, but it's actually just the reflection of the bed in the background.  (It was like trying to photograph a mirror ~ tricky, tricky)

The girls love it, I love it, and I'm just thrilled that it was so inexpensive.

Next, I'll be sharing how I made a similar poster-sized piece of artwork for my son's room. You can check it out HERE.

Pencil Dispenser (from an acrylic straw dispenser)

A few weeks ago, my sister told me she saw a cute idea to use a straw dispenser to hold sharpened pencils.  I thought it was such a cute and clever way to always have sharpened pencils on hand and ready for use, but I was bummed that I'm no longer a full-time teacher with a classroom of my own.  Then I realized we still go through a ton of pencils here during homework time and I'm always scrambling to find sharpened pencils when the kids have to restock their pencil cases before they go off to school in the mornings.  I decided I was going to go ahead and get our own pencil dispenser for our house.

Check it out...

It's funny how exciting it can be to get a new electric pencil sharpener and a cool dispenser.  No matter what time of year it is or how old you are, fresh school supplies can give you a fresh outlook!

There was really nothing to this "project".  I simply ordered an acrylic straw dispenser from Amazon,(Amazon affiliate link)  the kids sharpened a bunch of the pencils we had around the house, and we filled up the dispenser.

To get a sharpened pencil, you just turn the knob on the side and a fresh new pencil rolls right out.

I thought about adding a little label or stickers to the dispenser to jazz it up, but for now we like it just plain.  (The kids love watching to see which pencil falls out) It sits right on top of the little cabinet where the kids put their school papers and we keep extra school supplies.  

I think I may get more for each of the kids' teachers.  I missed out on the chance to give them for back-to-school or Christmas gifts, but I think they'd be appreciated at any time of year.  

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Make Your Own Chalkboards (with construction paper and glue)

Here is another one of those "No way.  I had no clue you could do that" ideas!  A couple months ago one of my readers (Hi, Bonnie!) sent me an email telling me that she makes her own little chalkboards for her preschoolers using just construction paper and glue.  Now Bonnie said she has been a classroom teacher for over 30 years, so I was sure she wasn't making this up, but I didn't have a chance to actually test it out until recently.  Well, it totally works and it's such an inexpensive, easy and awesome idea.  

Check it out...

I know a lot of schools use dry erase boards, but I think these could be even better for several reasons.  First, they're way cheaper.  Second, you don't have worry about dry erase markers which are pricey and dry out quickly.  Third, you can even make your own little reusable worksheets with this method!

Here's how to do it (it's super easy!)

1.  Get a sheet of dark construction paper, a foam paintbrush and some white glue.

2.  Using the brush, cover the entire sheet of paper with a thin layer of glue.

3.  Let it dry completely, then "season" your chalkboard by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk over the whole surface and wiping it off.

4.  For added durability, you could mount your new little chalkboard onto a piece of cardboard if you'd like.

5.  To make a reusable worksheet, just write using a white crayon before you paint on the glue, then continue with the other steps.

Pretty darn cool, isn't it??!!  They're easy and cheap enough to make a whole bunch of different ones for your kids at home or to make a set for your classroom if you're a teacher.

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