PBN: How to Make Your Own Rainbow Tye Dye Dress

Nothing says “bright and vibrant” like a tye dye dress or t-shirt. Not only does this colorful garment add a pop of color to any wardrobe, the process of tye-dye is fun for all ages! If you’re never done DIY tye dye before, don’t worry, it’s way easier than you think it is. All you need are some simple supplies, an hour of active time, and a bit of creativity.

Rainbow Tye Dye Dress Instructions

Supplies:

●      White shirt or dress

●      Protective trash bags or tarps

●      Fabric-specific dye

●      Squirt bottles

●      Rubber bands

●      Gloves

●      1 gallon Ziploc bag

Once you’ve gathered your supplies, it’s time to get started!

Step One: Know Your Fabric

You can’t purchase your fabric dye until you what sort of material you will be dyeing, so decide on the garment or garments you’ll be working with before purchasing supplies. While shopping for fabric dye, check the box to ensure it will properly color your new tye dye dress (i.e., cotton, polyester, blends).

Step Two: Prep Your Workspace

Fabric dye is what gives your tye dye dress its vibrant color, but while it dyes your fabric, it will also stain you and anything around you. This means you will want to either work outside (if the weather allows), or use tarps and trash bags to protect your work surface. It’s also a good idea to wear gloves when working with dye.

Step 3: Mix Your Dye

Before you soak and section off your dress, you’ll want to mix up your dye colors so you’re ready to go. Be sure to follow the package instructions for optimal end results and vibrant colors. Use a funnel to fill your squirt bottles, so you minimize splashing and mess.

Step Four: Soak & Tye Your Shirt or Dress

One your workstation is protected, soak your garment in hot water and then wring it out until damp. You have a choice in patterns, but for a classic “pie” tye dye look, find the center of your garment and slowly twist it until you have a circle. Then, you’ll use rubber bands to hold it together, crossing the center of the garment like slices of pie.

Step Five: Dye & Decorate

Now it’s time to have some fun! Squirt dye into each section of the pie (or whatever design you choose) until the garment is fully saturated with dye. Squirt a different color into each segment of the pie and work within the color wheel as much as possible, separating colors that may blend together poorly. Once you’ve saturated one side with dye, flip your tye dye dress over and do the other side with the same colors.

Step Six: Wait, Rinse, and Wear!

Now slip your garment into a gallon Ziploc bag and let it dye and rest for 24 hours. Once the time is up, rinse the shirt or dress thoroughly until the water running through it runs clear. This part can be messy and you’ll be amazed at how much dye rinses out; don’t worry your garment will still be vibrant and colorful!

Now it’s time to unroll your tye dye dress and see how your stunning pattern turned out! Wring out the water want to wash it (by itself) at least once before wearing.

Pro Tip: Don’t wash it with other garments for the first few washes to avoid color bleeding.

Did you DIY your own tye dye dress? What are your fave tips and tricks? Share them with us in the comments section below! And if you enjoyed that project, you’ll also love our tips for 3 simple, stunning DIY winter crafts, as well as our 5-step tea cup candle favor craft project!

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Photo by Joshua Stitt on Unsplash

What to Take Camping with your Kids

My family loves camping together and one night last week, for fun, we camped out in our own backyard. My youngest wanted to sleep in a tent and my two older kids got on board quickly. I had to plan quickly and I ended up making a list of things that are good to take along! This list won't include obvious things like sleeping bags and tents, but will focus on less obvious things that are beneficial for camping.

1. Skewers! The kids love smores and skewers are easier than finding sticks in the dark to roast marshmallows.
2. For adults, acrylic tumblers. It's nice to enjoy a beverage of choice around the fire.
3. Headlamps for everyone. Trust me, your kids will want them too. Make sure you get waterproof lights though! Headlamps make it much easier to collect firewood or read a book since both hands are free.
4. Multi-tool. Bring one! These are handy for all sorts of reasons -- there are tools specifically designed for kids as well.
5. Bring a tarp! In case it rains, a tarp can cover the top of a tent or you can set your tent up on top of it to keep it dry. Either way, always bring a tarp. Always.

What's on your must-list for camping? Let me know!

Photo Tools for Outdoor Photography

Outdoor photography can be tricky. Lighting, equipment, blah. It's a lot. However, I have found that some photo editing software options have really helped. I live on a farm and I love to take pictures of it. Here are a few I've used in the past.

Lightroom 

It seems like every photography expert and their mother uses Lightroom. This makes sense, as it's quite possibly the strongest tool to personalize your own pictures. You can custom create presets or purchase presets to create the planned effects you want. Photoshop is worth mentioning with Lightroom, as many photographers actually use them together. It's good to know the difference between lightroom vs photoshop though, so read up on that before committing to Lightroom as your editing software of choice.

GIMP

GIMP is one of the most popular open-source editing programs for photos out there. Flexible and strong, GIMP is one of the best Photoshop alternatives. With advanced filters, masks, layers, color adjustments, and transformations -- it's a software that's incredibly customizable. It also features a high quantity of scripts and plugins. A few of them replicate popular Photoshop tools (such as Liquify), and there's a bundle of animation tools as well.

Seashore

Seashore, specifically for Mac users, is a little light on features but easy to grasp. If you’re based on Mac and are feeling left out, don't worry, Seashore is a free picture editing tool based Mac’s Cocoa framework. This tool utilizes the exact same file formatting, which makes it comparable to GIMP. Though not as strong as Lightroom, Photoshop, or GIMP, this tool has the essential editing features such as gradients, multiple layers, and brush strokes.

This is just a snapshot of some photo editing software I've used. I hope you found it useful!

How to Put Extensions in a Pony Tail

In an ideal world, a beautiful blowout or a thick mane of curls would be easy to achieve on a daily basis. However, unless you have a personal stylist who shows up on your doorstep every morning a perfectly styled coiffe isn’t always achievable. Thankfully there is an online world full of hair styling short cuts and pro tips to help you fake a great hair day when you’re short on time.

If your hair doesn’t have the volume or body you desire, there are always hair extensions to help add fullness and depth. Clip in hair extensions are affordable and easy to put in, plus they make your average pony tail day look stylish and posh.

Wondering how to put extensions in a pony tail? Read on for everything you need to know.

Tips for Choosing the Right Extensions

Choosing the right hair extensions makes all the difference, and it’s best to start with understanding extension quality. Not all hair extensions have that “real hair” look, and the cheaper options won’t style into your natural hair seamlessly. It’s best to purchase Remy Human Hair Extensions, which are comprised of human hair that has previously been permed, styled, or color treated. This is opposed to virgin human hair extensions, which are completely natural, but pricier.

As far as which color to choose, that depends on the look you’re going for. You can match your hair exactly or choose a slight color variation to add dimension to your finished look.

How to Put Extensions in a Pony Tail

If you’re looking for extensions that will enhance the fullness of your hair on a quick and easy pony tail day, here’s how to put extensions in a pony tail. First, gather your hair in a small elastic band, centered where you want your pony tail to be. Next, clip in your hair extensions around the tiny elastic of hair, adding fullness to your look. Finally, tease and style your hair into either a high or low pony tail and spray as needed.

Try Hair Oils Stronger, Healthier Hair

Of course, hair extensions aren’t the only path to a fuller, more lustrous look. You can also use natural hair oils and products to breathe life into lackluster locks. Here are a natural hair care options we recommend

Essential Oils for Hair Care

Aura Cacia is brand dedicated to providing quality essential oils to support natural wellness. They offer a line of essential oil blends designed to be used in DIY hair care recipes. Glisten Hair Care Essential Oil Blend combines bergamot, ylang ylang, sweet orange and peppermint to give your hair shine. Enrich Hair Care Essential Oil Blend uses a combination of sweet marjoram, Texan cedarwood, and ylang ylang to promote healthier hair. Elevate Hair Care Pure Essential Oil Blend uses lavender, Texas cedarwood, ylang ylang, and peppermint add an invigorating aroma to your DIY hair care recipes.

Other Oils for Natural Hair Care

Natural oils are a great way to help your hair grow stronger. Hair Oil from Ayush Herbs supports healthy hair growth with a blend of five Ayurvedic herbs designed to soothe and moisturize hair. Shea nut oil is another great option to help care for dry, overstyled hair. Simply add to hair before rinsing to restore damaged locks.

Now that you know how to put extensions in a pony tail, tell us how you care for your locks and style your hair extensions. Excited about this article? We also cover how to DIY style and cut your own hair!

Share your tips with us in the comments section below.

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Photo by Gianandrea Villa on Unsplash