Sunday Funday - DIY: Dip Dye Continued

First off, thanks Christina! What a great post! I'm so excited you'll be posting here and there on great DIY projects!

Anyway, my Twofer Tuesday post really inspired me for the entire week. It reminded me how much I love dyeing and playing with color! I got a few shirts and played.

Rit dye has always been good to me, so I bought a bunch of dyes for playing. I've used both the powder and the liquid, and I don't notice much of a difference. Either works fine!

I work from 2-10pm during the week, so I would spend my mornings running around and then making dye baths in my kitchen sink!

The first shirt I wanted to try different colors, so I started with a lighter teal color for the middle. I left the shirt in the bath for around 20-25 minutes (stirring in between). Once that was done, I cleaned the bath, and made a new one with a royal blue for the bottom. I followed the same steps as above, but left the shirt for a bit longer, so it would really take the color in. The results can be seen below!

The second shirt, I wanted more of an ombre effect. I also wanted the dye to be higher on the shirt. I used a black dye (which smells very weird and like you're inhaling cancer...) because I had never played with it before. For the lighter gray, I dipped the shirt in the dye for less than a minute, and pulled it out quickly. Then I put a little less of the shirt in, let it sit (and stir a bit) for about 5-10 minutes. Finally, I pulled out more of the shirt, and left the bottom in for about 30 minutes so it would take in a lot of dye. It worked out great! I love that shirt!

Remember to wash your clothes separately so they don't ruin the load! I hand washed both of these afterward until the water ran clear.

Anyway, these quick examples show you how easy it is to dip dye and play with your clothes to make them something more special! Dye is super cheap and super easy to use! Go play and show us your results!

A.Carmen

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Thrifty Thursday - H&M and DIY

This Thrifty Thursday has been a few days in the making! I've been obsessed with playing with dip dyeing ever since my post on Tuesday!

I've headed to a few H&M stores this week, mostly because they're having great sales! I found a few fun items that I can't wait to wear!

These shorts caught my eye upon entering H&M because of their interesting quality. The label says it is 100% cotton, but they are a plastic coated dark denim that add something really special. The best part of these shorts? They were $9.95 at normal price!

I've been dying for some mustard pants, and H&M had a great pair that fit great and will work with a ton of tops! They also work great for a day look, but can definitely be made into a fun evening look! These were $29.95, but of course I had a 20% off coupon, as well! Sign up with your email on H&M for great offers!

Along with these bottoms, I bought a bunch of plain shirts and dye for dip dyeing! I don't want to show you the results for a bit, but it has been so much fun!

Michael's has cheap T-Shirts for $2.50 each this week!

And H&M has more fitted options starting at $5.95!

Rit dye is pretty reasonably priced, and works great in a metal sink! I've been playing before work daily and can't get enough! Filling the sink with about 1-2 gallons of water and mixing with about 1/2 of the dye package with a bit of salt has been successful. Wet the fabric before dipping it in the bath and you can dip whichever parts you want to dye and experiment! Dipping for a few seconds will get a little base coat, and leaving it in for longer will get a darker/stronger color. You can play with different colors and ombre effects with one; so many ways to work it! I can't wait to play some more!

I'll end this post with my prize purchase from ASOS! I am DYING for this watch to arrive because it's sooo dreamy! It's so simple and fabulous and I'm way too excited about it!

ASOS Sleek Monotone Strap Watch - $20.71

Now that that's said; how would you work these items into your wardrobe??

A.Carmen

[ Images courtesy of A.Carmen and ASOS ]

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Twofer Tuesday - Dip Dyeing

Hey everyone! Today, our blog is all about finding affordability in high fashion trends! We've decided to call it Twofer Tuesday!

One of my favorite trends from Menswear A/W 2012 collections was Dip Dyeing or Gradual Vertical Color Blocking! Color Blocking has become so common in clothing these days (which I love!), so whenever it's used in an interesting way, I'm all for it!

Check out these great examples from Paris Menswear collections shown back in January! :

Ann Demeulemeester

Raf Simons

Carven

Ann Demeulemeester

Raf Simons

Pretty fun, right? This trend excites me because the color combinations are endless and it can brighten up a simple t-shirt look into something a little more special! It's also easy to interpret for all seasons!

ASOS, a great online retailer (who offers free shipping always, mind you!), has plenty of dip dye options at affordable prices for both men and women!

Samual Membery Dip Dye Denim Jacket - $91.14

Boxfresh Dip Dye Bamboo T-Shirt - $58.00

Gio Gio Contraband Edren Dip Stripe T-Shirt - $46.40

Paul Smith Dip Dye Stripe T-Shirt - $62.14

Mango Dip Dye Dress - $38.09

ASOS Maxi Dress in Dip Dye Lace - $48.05

Simeon Farrar Dip-Dye Checked Shirt - $134.22

My favorite dip dye is Simeon Farrar's Checked Shirt.. Isn't it fierce? It's like a cloudy mask over the standard plaid, which adds a lot more to the look!

The best part of this trend is that you could try it on your own! I've dyed many fabrics in my sink (make sure it's metal or that it won't turn colored itself!!) and it's super easy! I'm definitely going to be trying this trend on my own and see what I come up with!

I've used the cheap Rit Dye that you can find in any super market and it's mostly true to what color it says it should be. You do always have to worry about what fabric you're using. Polyesters don't dye much (they are plastic, after all), so you might get a light version of what you're expecting, while cottons will soak up that dye perfectly! Just remember that synthetics are tough to dye, while natural fibers will dye much easier, but have different properties that will affect the overall distributed look!

If anyone has tried dip dyeing, show me the results! I'll definitely be trying this trend soon!

A.Carmen

[Images courtesy of STYLE.COM and ASOS]

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