Things You're 'Dye'-ing To Know.

I'm totally lame with post titles, I KNOW THIS. 

I posted this morning about one of our yearly summer traditions: TIE DYE. I've gotten lots of questions and messages and texts, so I figured it would be easiest to answer them all here in one place. 

It came about maybe four summers ago when my niece Ashley gave me my first tie dye tutorial. I loved it and the kids loved it and we've been hooked ever since. 

Ashley was/is my tie dye mentor and she's given me some sage advice over the years. (I may or may not have texted her AGAIN this year because my memory is either completely blank or filled up with current episodes of Animal Mechanicals.)

So here's her/my advice:

-Get a kit with bottles and dye powder from your local craft store. Pay attention to the volume of dye each kit makes because running out ruins everyone's day. TRUST ME. 

-If you have brand new shirts, wash them first and leave them wet. You want to get the sizing out so your dye will be vibrant. Better yet- use an old shirt. Recycling for the win! 

-Rubber bands. Get loads. They only give you like three in each kit and we use more. Walmart sold a huge bag with their craft supplies for like .97¢. It's worth it FOR SURE. 

-DYE OUTSIDE or, if it's raining, in a bathtub OR on your sworn enemies' kitchen table. ANY OTHER AREA is a terrible idea. Awful. 

-The crumple design Tulip tries to sell everyone on is lame and anyone who thinks it's cool is a loser. (I'm looking at YOU, Steven

Brighton.) That is not tie dye. That's cheating. No rubber bands= NO TIE DYE. Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way. (But we still love you, S.B.) 

-Wrap your dyed shirts in a WalMart bag and leave them to soak overnight. It'll make the colors brighter than if you rinse them after say, 6 or 8 hours.

-Cut the rubber bands and lay the shirts out to sun dry on the grass before you rinse them. (Again, it'll help your colors stay vibrant.)

-Hand wash individually (I know it's a pain) each shirt after you've rinse it until the water mostly runs clear. I just swish each one in my sink with some soap and then rinse and then hang to air dry. We will wear them after this initial dry and then for the first several washes I'll keep our freshly dyed shirts in a separate load because BLEEDING WILL HAPPEN if you don't. 

-After a couple of washes you'll be good to go tossing it in with your other colors, so don't worry too much. Or, if you're still nervous, you can always go back to your sworn enemie's house and toss them in with their good church clothes JUST TO BE SAFE. (Not really. Jesus would not approve.) 

-Gloves are a hassle and pain, and I never wear them. They're huge! However, I sport an interestingly colored palm/fingertips for a few days after we dye so PICK YOUR BATTLES. 

-Make a shirt for your husband that he will never (willingly) wear out the house because the family that tie dyes together, STAYS TOGETHER. 

Unify your family this summer by tie dying your cares away like we do! Make your husband a shirt that he will "love" to wear. ::wink:: 

Enjoy your summer creating traditions like this one. I know we do!