In case you were wondering what I do every day out here in NJ in this blazing heat…. Projects. My two little sisters(Steph, 17 and Jen, 13) are home from camp/school and almost every day we go on some kind of adventure. They actually call hanging out with me “Camp Nicole”.  One day at the art store, we happened upon a tie dye kit at check out. Impulse buy!

This is the one we used - HERE for $19.

This turned out to be a fun, messy and almost 3 day project.

Here are the basic steps… although the kit will give you all the instructions.

1. Wash your stuff with water.

2. Tie your shirts with rubber bands. The kit will teach you all the different patterns you can make. Although we realized that random bunches look pretty damn cool too. 3. Keep the rubber bands about an inch to 2 inches apart. 4. Soak the shirts in a soda water + 2  gallon of water solution (provided in the kit) for 20 minutes.
5. The colored dyes come as powder already in squirt bottles. You just have to add water to the fill line. Start squirting the different sections of the shirt.
6. Dont be afraid to mix colors! That’s what ends up looking the most badass.7. Put the shirts in individual plastic bags and store them for 12-24 hours. 8. 24 hours later…. Unravel under running water, until the water run cleans and… BEHOLD! (Then put in the wash with detergent and warm water.) My sisters made… Underwear, shorts, socks, tanks and a onsie for Cookie!

I made… 8 cloth napkins that I bought from Target!!!! You knew I would make something homey…. Stay tuned for some seriously KILLER table settings using these napkins. I freakin love them. How better to take the edge off a stiff dinner party than with some tie dye napkins?!? I think I’m going to mix them with other prints to make a really funky table!

(I also made a huge tablecloth… but thats not ready yet! And dont worry… I wont use them on the same table. )

Ok… So do I recommend? Absolutely!!! It’s a great project to do with kids, especially now that camp will be over soon. That statement comes with reservations… If you are a neat freak- skip it. My mom had to leave the vicinity because she couldnt watch. Also, we tried to involve Cookie, but she dyed half her body blue, so we had to keep her away until we were done.

What else… Wear gloves and use a drop cloth.

And above all… have fun. There is nothing like pretending you are a kid once in a while.