Dip Dyed Tote Bags

I love giving handmade gifts. Every year at Christmas, I try to make a big batch of, well, thingys. and give them away . This Year it was Chex mix for the boys and tote bags for the girls. Everyone seemed happy!

This project is probably 10 and up. I kept my kids out of it.

I used 4 shades of Procion dyes, however you can use as little as one. I was warned to try to keep it down, because the colors will start to get muddy as you go along.

I used the plastic container that the veggie platter comes in, from the grocery store. I love it when something is recyclable and I can use it one more time before I bin it. Like I got my money's worth.

I used Soda ash on the stove- it smells to high heaven! Keep a lid on it and crack a window.... even if it is December! This helps prepare your fabric for dying. I ordered several tote bags off of the internet. Amazon, Dick Blick, Micheals' and Joann's. It was fun to feel the different textures, they were all different sizes, some had pockets, other's didn't. I kept in mind the women in my life that I was making them for, so 2 went more emerald green, and one went way more purple and blue. The rest were rainbow, purple, blue, turquoise, and green.

grab a wet bag out of your Soda ash, wring it out, leave it scrunched up and dip it right in the dye, about 3 inches deep. Fold the skinny wet bag in half and dip the middle in another color.
Lay it flat in a tub. after they have been wet about an hour- throw it in the washing machine.

after they have been wet about an hour- throw it in the washing machine.

HANG Dry- not in the dryer.

Then I used, Sharpies, and Dacique Dyes painted on to make a few modificatons, You know, make it personal!

Paper Journals

I've learned a lot about journal making, since I started this fun journey. over 300 Journals made.... just a few!!

Electrical tape is actually a form of binding- way stronger than washi tape. Makes the whole notebook more durable, and last longer going in and out of bags.

 More Neutral colors, and some colored Duct tape bindings, the Metallic gold  binding is really fun, makes it more of a design choice, less about demanding function.

I've been making more secure journals by using a contact paper seal- I can use delicate handmade papers, that are like tissue paper in consistency. The Modge Podge seal was making them wrinkle, and sometimes changing the colors. But, when I use contact paper-they are protected from water damage, and I feel secure about that!

There are so many awesome metal details that I now use. The name plates and the corner protectors are old school, and still useful. Age Before Beauty? even if it false age?? Distress inks help me give the illusion of age, but maintain the sturdy reliability of new materials.

Some of my journals for sale: Journals for sale!!!!!

Some of my older posts about making your own journals: composition notebooks tutorial.

Kids Art

My kids love to paint with watercolors, it's an awesome way to get them to sit still a minute and calm down. But, they make a ton of art, and I can't figure out what to do with it all, so I actually photograph it- write and e-mail to my son's e-mail address, and trash it. He has no idea he even has an e-mail address, I just thought I'd do that to keep track. 

Some of their art projects are started by me- white crayon or I help them put down stickers to make "bubbles" under the paint. At 3 art projects a day... you just can't keep them all! So, over about 3 weeks,I started keeping the ones that were in similar colors. I used 16 paintings for this project, below is a sampling!

   

Next I used a 3 inch circle hole punch. They are kinda expensive, you can use any shape you like, and if you need to shop- use a 50% coupon at Micheal's Art Store.

Then I had to glue them in place. We put on a Tinkerbelle movie, that bought me about 10 minutes, then I was surrounded by helpers. One used circles for her feet, and the other one held my stack and handed me my circles! There was still glue on all of us, at the end of the day- Bath time All a round! {Honestly the baby had 2 baths, one was for the paint she used as make up.....fair warning}

The end result is a fun Piece of wall art for my living room! I like it- definitely scaly, kinda mermaid -ish! The kids are really proud and they point it out when family comes to visit.