Fun, Easy, and Green

How many of you have thought...."I wish I could make that!" Well I thought that with the packets of dye for tie dye. When I was in Kenya working with my friend's amazing family we tie died some shirts. The kids has a blast and it was really easy. It was not much money but I did have to bring over the dye.

So last week I was thinking about how much fun I had dying the shirts with the girls and seeing their faces was a great moment. A friend of mine will be celebrating her little man's 1st birthday this upcoming weekend and I wanted to get a fun gift. I really wanted to make him a tie dye shirt but I did not want to go buy the dye.

With the internet as my guide I found some info on making natural homemade dye from spices, plants, and food! So I looked around to see what I had and found I could make yellow, orange, blue(ish), and brown.

For Yellow:
I took 2 lemons and took the peal off and boiled them in water (2 1/2 cups) for 1hour. Flitered it and stored in a glass jar.

For Blue:
I peeled one red onion and placed the peals in water and boiled for 1hour. Filtered it and added one drop of blue food coloring and stored in glass jar.

For Orange:
I boiled water with Paperkika (3Tlb) for 1hour. Filtered it added one drop of red food coloring and stored in a glass jar.

For Brown:
Boil 1/4 cup of used coffee grounds for 1hour. (I had a three year old wanting to get starting with the dying process so I did not let it boil for an hour. Because it was a very light brown I added one drop of blue food coloring. It became more like a ocean green. It was fun and worked in a pinch.) Filter and store in a glass jar.

To make fun lines, shapes, and what not add your rubber bands to a white shirt. Make use the bands are tight. I placed some of each color into glass blows (if you are seeing I use glass a lot, I do! They are green and reusable and the color will not stain it.) Now that the colors are in blows....HAVE FUN! Dip the part of the shirt you want in each color. Dip over and over again to make the color darker. When you are done place the shirt in a plastic bag. Let it stand as long as you can. The longer it stands the stronger the colors will be. When you are ready take the bands off and rise in cold water.

Have fun with your new shirt! I know I will have a great time giving the cute little guy his tie-dye birthday gift! If you have any questions please feel free to comment or contact me.